Saturday, June 07, 2008

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Significantly different from the movie.

But I mostly mean that in a good way.

In an effort to distract Sylvia from her impending divorce, Jocelyn decides to start a Jane Austen book club, one Jane Austen book a month for 6 months. The book club is made up of Sylvia, Sylvia's daughter Allegra, Jocelyn, Bernadette, Prudie and Grigg, the lone guy.

The book has some odd flashbacks to several incidents during Jocelyn and Sylvia's high school years which serve little purpose. They don't advance the narrative nor do they really seem to shape Jocelyn's future behaviors.

As a Jane Austen neophyte, I found the insights into and analysis of the Jane Austen books intriguing and a redeeming feature of the novel.

And yet, I must say that this is one of those circumstances where, even having read the novel after seeing the movie, the movie was more enjoyable. Generally, I feel that movies suffer in comparison when seen after having read the book, but in this case, it is the book which suffers in comparison.

No comments: