The book felt wonderful in my hands. I held it up to my nose and drank in its aroma. “I think I’m addicted to the smell of books. It’s as comforting to me as Christmas.”
(from The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, page 39)
While on a trip to England with her boyfriend, Samantha McDonough buys a poetry book at a used bookstore in Oxford unaware that it will take her on a life-changing journey and give her the opportunity to live out the dream of many Jane Austen fans. Although forced to abandon the PhD program at Oxford four years before to care for her ailing mother, forcing her to give up on her dream of becoming a college English professor, Samantha understands the importance of the unfinished letter she finds in the back of the book. She is certain that the letter was written over 200 hundred years ago by Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra, and it makes mention of a manuscript she lost while on vacation at the Greenbriar estate.
Most Austen fans lament the fact that she only wrote six novels during her short life, so the chance that there might be a seventh novel out there somewhere is something Samantha can’t ignore. She travels to the now run-down Greenbriar and convinces its new owner, the handsome (and British!) Anthony Whitaker to search for the missing manuscript. It’s not long before the precious pages are in their hands, and as they delve into the story, they form a bond that will be tested by the decision Anthony must make: sell the manuscript for several million dollars at auction or sell it for a lesser amount to a museum or university, the latter of which ensures that Austen fans across the globe will have a chance to read the precious manuscript.
In The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, Syrie James succeeds in writing a book-within-a-book that is delightful and captivating from the very first page. I could feel Samantha’s excitement upon discovering the letter and the manuscript, and having once dreamed of being a college English professor myself, I could understand her regret at not finishing her degree. I could understand Anthony’s desire to live out his dream and how selling the manuscript could make that possible, and I could understand how Samantha could be tempted by a sexy British man willing to spend hours with her reading aloud the works of Jane Austen. And their discussions about reading, rare books, and of course, Jane Austen were right up my alley.
Even better than the story in the present day was the fictional seventh Austen novel, The Stanhopes, and readers get to enjoy it with Samantha and Anthony. I absolutely adored this book within the book, the tale of Rebecca Stanhope, whose world is turned upside down when her beloved father is forced to retire as rector when his reputation is ruined, leaving them homeless and penniless and forced to rely on the kindness of relatives. Rebecca clashes with the young man who takes her father’s place as rector, befriends a silly young woman, catches the eye of a dashing doctor, and stands by her father through the worst of times.
James does a brilliant job with the missing manuscript, so much so that I had to remind myself that it wasn’t really Austen. It sounded much like Austen’s earlier writings, her juvenilia, and it was fun to pick out characters who were (for the sake of the book) precursors to those in her published novels. Rebecca was as feisty as Elizabeth Bennet, as devoted to her father as Emma Woodhouse, and as good a person as Fanny Price or Anne Elliot. I loved this part of the book, and when it shifted back to Samantha and Anthony, I honestly couldn’t wait to get back to the Stanhopes and their tale of woe.
The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, based on Austen’s “Plan of a Novel,” is a must read for Austen fans, providing a few hours in which to dream about what it might be like to have a new Austen novel to read. James also gets you thinking about the importance of reading and sharing literature, the lessons learned from reading Austen’s novels, and whether your life is fulfilling or whether you need to find your bliss. A great start to my 2013 reading!
Disclosure: I received The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen from Berkley for review.
© 2013 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
A new novel! wow…
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Wouldn’t that be wonderful if it were true? 🙂
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Hi Anna, what a beautifully written review. I loved this book too. Syrie did an amazing job blending Pan of a Novel and Jane’s voice. Truly incredible. I am so glad you enjoyed it too.
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Thanks, Laurel Ann! I thought using Plan of a Novel was very unique.
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I want to read this one so badly! Beautifully-written review!
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Thanks! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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le sigh, we could only wish
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I know, sigh.
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I’ve read several glowing reviews so I’m happy to see you’ve added your voice to the chorus 🙂 It’s on my TBR list.
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Yay! Hope you get a chance to read it.
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The premise of this book is almost exactly the same as the one in Beth Pattillo’s Mr. Darcy Broke my Heart. I’m still tempted to read it because I read a previous book by this author and really liked it.
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I read that one awhile back, and thought it was pretty good. It’s a bit different from this one, and I think Syrie James’ take on a Jane Austen manuscript is better.
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It does sound good. Thanks for your review; I hadn’t heard of this one ….
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I hope you’ll consider reading it!
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This sounds delightful and absolutely perfect for you!
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It was right up my alley!
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If you loved this one you should also try Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte..I became lost in Charlotte’s world and had to remind myself that this was a work of fiction!! I am so excited to read my copy of this one and to get lost once again!!
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Ooh…I have that one on my shelf! Just haven’t read it yet.
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I love books about missing manuscripts, and I love books about Jane Austen, so this book sounds like a wonderful read. I am definitely going to add this to my “To Read” list.
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Sounds like a must-read for you!
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This novel sounds wonderful. Excellent review, Anna!
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Thanks!
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Awesome review. I haven’t been really happy with Austen wannabe books, but this one sounds terrific. Love the premise.
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I think I enjoy them more than you do overall, but there are some misses in the bunch that I’ve read. I’ve just been lucky lately.
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I can’t wait to read this one.
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I can’t wait to hear what you think about it!
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This does sound like a great start to your 2013 reading, and a delightful novel! 🙂
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I just hope it’s a good sign about my reading for the whole year. 🙂
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I also can’t wait to read this one. I loved what James did with her first Austen book. Thanks Anna 🙂
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I have that one on my shelf too; just need to make time for it!
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This really does sound like a must-read. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there really were such a discovery?!
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You know how ecstatic I would be!!
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[…] « Review: The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James […]
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I’ve seen this one around lately and I’d really love to read it. It sounds fantastic!
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I think you’d really like it!
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This novel does sound wonderful and exactly like the type of book I like to read. Thanks for turning me onto it.
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My pleasure! I hope you get a chance to read it.
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[…] who won a copy of The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James. Congratulations and happy […]
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I read a book a few years ago that sounds similar to the one reviewed, but I cannot remember author or title. I’m hoping someone here can help. It was really two stories. One, a modern day story about a woman who finds a lost Jane Austen novel, and is pursued by unscrupulous collectors, and the other the story of Jane writing the novels and the older man who encouraged her. It flips back and forth in time intertwining the stories. I’m not a big Jane Austen fan, so bought it because it looked like (and was) and excellent mystery. Now I’m trying to find a copy for a true Jane Austen fan and I am stumped. I’m pretty sure I have it on a shelf here somewhere, but without the author’s name I’m stuck. On the other hand, maybe this is the book and I’m just not remembering it correctly. If you know the book I’m talking about, please let me know. Thank you.
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Sounds like you mean First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett. Hope that helps!
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That’s it! Thank you very much 🙂
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You’re welcome! Glad to help!
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