My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park By: Cindy Jones

I’m interested into reading how Jane Austen’s stories and characters are portrayed into todays novels. One good example would be The Jane Austen Club by Karen Joy Fowler. After viewing the film when it came out, I have been eager to read it. For now, I have read a charming tale that includes Austen’s Mansfield Park. This is the debut novel for Author Cindy Jones. Her story made me feel I was reading a 19th Century story with a 21st Century twist. It took me to the main character, Lily Berry. She is a woman that some can identify with: feeling lost and not knowing your place in this world, becoming someone you thought you would never be, and having the strength to say no! Wouldn’t you love to go to England for the summer if given the opportunity? I certainly would, and that is what Lily does. She goes to England, leaving her Texas background to become a Jane Austen character.

My there is so much to say, but I don’t want to ruin it for you, so hmm here is a little sketch. Lily goes to an all summer live theatre where there is a Jane Austen novel being acted out. And it would of course be Mansfield Park. I’m very pleased that Jones put a brief synopsis of the story at the beginning of the novel, for I had forgotten what happens and how it ends. Anyways... Lily goes there and hopes to act (even without big acting experience), but gets derailed by snooty Magda who helps run this festival. After a week or two being in England, things start to go wrong for Lily, and she wants to go back home, until she meets Willis. From there a love forms and it starts to bloom, but there always has to be something going wrong, as there is in a Jane Austen novel. I have left many details out, but that is for you to find out. This lovely story will captivate you and may even soothe you. I definitely learned something here, and that included on finding your real self. I hope you will read it either for a distraction or if you are a big Jane Austen fan, this will not be a problem for you. :)


My Rating: 4.4/5
My Rating For Audiences: PG-13