A REAL MAN dishes about The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen at bookpuddle.blogspot.com.
THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN
By Syrie James
Trade Paperback Original
Avon Books, a division of HarperCollins
Historical fiction
ISBN: 0061341428
What if, hidden in an old attic chest, Jane Austen's memoirs were discovered after hundreds of years? What if those pages revealed the untold story of a life-changing love affair? That's the premise behind this spellbinding novel, which delves into the secrets of Jane Austen's life, giving us untold insights into her mind and heart.
Jane Austen has given up writing when, on a fateful trip to Lyme, she meets the well-read and charming Mr. Ashford, a man who is her equal in intellect and temperament. Inspired by the people and places around her, and encouraged by his faith in her, Jane begins revising Sense and Sensibility, a book she began years earlier, hoping to be published at last.
Deft and witty, written in a style that echoes Austen's own, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen offers a delightfully possible scenario for the inspiration behind this beloved author's romantic tales. It's a remarkable book, irresistible to anyone who loves Jane Austen—and to anyone who loves a great story. From the moment you open the pages of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, you won't be able to put it down.
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR
"THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN"
"One of the best books of 2007 ... Truly, this is one of the most heartfelt stories I've had the pleasure to read in a really long, long time. This is not only the story of a secret romance, but of a writer who overcomes her doubts and her daily concerns for financial security to fully embrace the need to put pen to paper and write the stories from her heart and head ... the story was over too soon and I look forward to many more stories from Ms. James."
Mary Castillo, author of "Switchcraft"
"Rarely have I read a book that I have enjoyed as much as THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN. I honestly believe even Jane herself would have loved this book. It's almost impossible not to take this as truth ... It is written so well, and stays so true to form for the historical period, that it feels uncannily like a real memoir ... THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN by Syrie James is witty and wonderful, and fans of Jane Austen will find this book utterly delightful. I've read it twice already, and I'm sure I'll read it again and again. I loved it!"
Romance Reader At Heart.Com
"James stays in perfect pitch as Jane Austen in this vivacious fiction. Fans of romance will love it."
—T. Jefferson Parker, author of "L.A. Outlaws"
"Unlike Becoming Jane, the over-romanticised and prettied up film version of Jane's brief relationship with Tom Lefroy, this is the story of a more mature woman, falling deeply in love but never losing sight of reality... We know Jane never married, but we desperately want to know why she didn't end up with her perfect match. And Syrie James doesn't disappoint—she is a fine story-teller, with a sensitive ear for the Austenian voice and a clear passion for research. The result is a thoughtful, immsensely touching romance that does justice to its subject and will delight anyone who feels, as Syrie James does, that Jane Austen couldn't possibly have written with such insight without having had a great romance of her own."
—Joceline Bury, Jane Austen's Regency World Magazine
"...a remarkable book... spot on research and writing style... When it comes to Jane fiction I expect the story to be written well, the dates to be accurate, and the "feel" of the piece to echo Jane's style of writing... it is unusual for me to gush like an excited tweeny about a Jane spin-off. But here you have it... If you were wondering which book to read in front of a fire during a cold snap, or what gift to purchase a fellow Janeite, this book is that perfect item."
—Ms. Place, Jane Austen Today
"Syrie James captures all that is best and true about Jane Austen. You will find yourself caught and enchanted and praying for an ending that will not come. For die-hard Austenites, this is the book you've been waiting for; for those of you who do not mind a bittersweet ending, this one is sure to entrance; and for those of you wishing for knowledge of how to be a writer like Austen, well, you can find that, too."
Romance Vagabonds.com
"There are not enough accolades I could use to recommend this book ... I read it thinking all the while it was a newly discovered memoir of the famous writer. That is how good the writing is... It is a love affair equal to anything Jane Austen wrote in "Pride and Prejudice," "Emma," "Persuasion" or "Sense and Sensibility... Thank you, Syrie James."
Bill Duncan, News Review
"Suspense builds, and it's a tribute to the world James creates that readers will anxiously root for Jane to find true love and wealth even though we know it never happened. Deserves front-runner status in the saturated field of Austen fan-fiction and film."
Kirkus Reviews
"Remarkable. Delicious. This book is nothing short of brilliant. Syrie James is a literary genii who fulfilled one of my most cherished fantasies. I felt as if she'd cozied me up to a tea table with the real Jane Austen for a heart-felt chat. I look forward to giving this book to every reader I know as a gift."
Award-winning author Kimberly Cates
"A new and provocative look at one of the world's most beloved authors. This compelling novel should delight Austen fans far and wide."
John Shors, author of the bestselling "Beneath A Marble Sky"
"Syrie James uses Jane's real life travels, letters, and interactions to tell us a story that not only leaves you believing 'it could have happened,' but wishing 'oh, if she couldn't have it all, I hope she had this' ... we are introduced to not only my dear Mr. Ashford, but her large and loving family, as well as fictitious characters who are incorporated into Miss Austen's work. We learn so much about Jane; from her love of country life to her struggles with her inner demons. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen is a very easy read ... I was wholly engaged from beginning to end ... when I closed the cover (the very tactilely pleasing cover) of this book, I felt as though I'd made a friend."
Dear Author.Com
"This is an amazing book. Jane Austen lives again in the pages of Ms. James's novel... I have never read another author who so skillfully speaks with Jane Austen's voice and wit... Ms. James writes so convincingly, that I forgot I was reading fiction, and felt as if I truly had stumbled across the lost memoir of Jane Austen, a story sure to delight all Austen fans and make them wish it was true."
Susan Carroll, author of "The Huntress"
"Utterly charming, and remarkably authentic in creating Jane Austen's voice, Syrie James's The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen made me want to pull out all my Jane Austen novels and read them again."
New York Times Notable Book of the Year Author Deborah Crombie
"... there are ... no fewer than five new books with Austen as muse ... the best of these is The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James ... James's book imagines a Mr. Ashford for Jane, a man with whom she shares a good deal of passion in the two years preceding the publication of Sense and Sensibility ... And if she didn't she should have, as it makes for a compelling read even if you're not someone who lives and breathes Austen."
Susan Davis, The News & Observer
"Austen and Mr. Ashford seem a perfect match in matters of head and heart ... though she hews closely to the historic record, [James] creates ... will-they-or-won't-they suspense that culminates with a proposal and an "intensely" kissed Austen. It's a pleasant addition to the ever-expanding Austen-revisited genre."
Publisher's Weekly
"The Lost Memories of Jane Austen is such a rich, enchanting tale, it almost leaves the reader breathless... I love the way the elegance of the voice carries the reader immediately into this page-turner... Everything is so vivid, so alive, and wonderfully depicted... it captures the heart with every turn... Frederick Ashford is absolutely amazing. Syrie James compiles a great masterpiece."
Coffee Time Romance
"After nearly two centuries of speculation, a hidden memoir by the adored Austen reveals the existence of a romance that was most likely fodder for her novels and the basis for her romantic heroes... This fascinating novel will make readers swear there was such a man as Mr. Ashford and that there is such a memoir. The text includes footnotes and even an editor's foreword and afterword, though, in truth, there is no editor. Tantalizing, tender, and true to the Austen mythos, James's book is highly recommended."
Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal, starred review [Editors' Fall Picks, 2007]
TIME LINE
Events on the Road to Publishing The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
Jane Austen's Regency World Magazine Review
Wordpress.com Review
Austenites, Please Step Forward: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
Readers' Reviews
"Why We Love Jane Austen"
Q & A with SYRIE JAMES
OTHER REVIEWS & RELATED LINKS
EXCERPT
From The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
hy
I feel the sudden urge to relate, in pen and ink, a relationship of the
most personal nature, which I have never before acknowledged, I cannot
say. Perhaps it is this maddening illness which has been troubling me
now and again of late—this cunning reminder of my own mortality—that
compels me to make some record of what happened, to prevent that memory
from vanishing into the recesses of my mind, and from there to
disappear forever from history, as fleeting as a ghost in the mist. Whatever the reason, I find that I must write it all down; for there may, I think, be speculation when I am gone. People may read what I have written, and wonder: how could this spinster, this woman who, to all appearances, never even courted—who never felt that wondrous connection of mind and spirit between a man and woman, which, inspired by friendship and affection, blooms into something deeper—how could she have had the temerity to write about the revered institutions of love and courtship, having never experienced them herself?
To those few friends and relations who, upon learning of my authorship, have dared to pose a similar question (although, I must admit, in a rather more genteel turn of phrase), I have given the self-same reply: "Is it not conceivable that an active mind and an observant eye and ear, combined with a vivid imagination, might produce a literary work of some merit and amusement, which may, in turn, evoke sentiments and feelings which resemble life itself?"
There is much truth in this observation.
But there are many levels of veracity, are there not, between that truth which we reveal publicly and that which we silently acknowledge, in the privacy of our own thoughts, and perhaps to one or two of our most intimate acquaintances?
I did attempt to write of love—first, in jest, as a girl; then in a more serious vein, in my early twenties, though I had known only young love then; in consequence, those early works were of only passing merit. It was only years later that I met the man who would come to inspire the true depth of that emotion, and who would reawaken my voice, which had long laid dormant.
Of this gentleman—the one, true, great love in my life—I have, for good reason, vowed never to speak; indeed, it was agreed amongst the few close members of my family who knew him, that it was best for all concerned to keep the facts of that affair strictly to ourselves. In consequence, I have relegated my thoughts of him to the farthest reaches of my heart; banished for-ever—but not forgotten.
No, never forgotten. For how can one forget that which has become a part of one's very soul? Every word, every thought, every look and feeling that passed between us, is as fresh in my mind now, years later, as if it had occurred only yesterday.
The tale must be told; a tale which will explain all the others....
FOREIGN EDITIONS
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen has sold to the following foreign publishers:
Czech Republic: Euromedia
Italy: Piemme
Netherlands: A.W. Bruna (Signature line)
Poland: Wydawnictwo Otwarte
Russia: Eksmo
Hungary:Kelly Kiado