The Jane Austen Book Club

The Jane Austen Book Club is a 2004 novel by American author Karen Joy Fowler. The story, which takes place near Sacramento, California, centers around a book club consisting of five women and one man who meet once a month to discuss Jane Austen's six novels. It was a critical success and became a national bestseller.

A film adaptation of the same name was released in autumn of 2007.

Plot introduction

The novel takes place over the course of several months in a contemporary university town in California's Central Valley near Sacramento. Each of the six chapters is dedicated to one of the six book club members as well as one of Austen's six works. In turn, each of Austen's novels parallels the individual characters' experiences with relationships and love.

Characters and their corresponding novel

• Jocelyn (Emma): an independent, 50-something dog breeder (Rhodesian Ridgebacks) and matchmaker who organized the Jane Austen Book Club. Jocelyn has been best friends with Sylvia since they were eleven and introduced her to her husband, Daniel, when they were in high school. She has never married and has no children. She originally invites Grigg to the book club for Sylvia's sake, but ends up attracted to him herself.
• Allegra (Sense and Sensibility): the young and impetuous 30 year old daughter of Sylvia and her husband Daniel. Allegra is an artist and a thrill seeker, having been known to sky dive and rock climb, amongst other things. Allegra is separated from her partner, Corinne, who is a writer.
• Prudie (Persuasion): a 28-year-old French teacher at a local high school. She is married to Dean, whom she loves, but she becomes confused when witnessing everyday infatuations between her students, especially when one student in particular flirts with her.
• Grigg (Northanger Abbey): an offbeat 40-something, and the only male member of the book club. Grigg grew up the only boy amongst his three older sisters. He is also addicted to science fiction and coincidentally met Jocelyn at a hotel in which they were attending two separate conventions: Jocelyn, a dog breeding convention, and Grigg, a science fiction convention.
• Bernadette (Pride and Prejudice): a 67-years-young yoga enthusiast and the most talkative of the members. Bernadette has been married multiple times and is determined to "let herself go" with style. Although she is the oldest of the members, she is the most satisfied with her lifestyle.
• Sylvia (Mansfield Park): Jocelyn's best friend, Sylvia is also 50-something years old and is going through a troubling separation with her husband Daniel, who has left her after thirty-two years of marriage for another woman. Their daughter, Allegra, has come to live with her for the time being.

Reception

The novel was met with general critical acclaim. It became a New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for thirteen weeks. It was also chosen as the sixth selection in 2005 for Richard & Judy's Book Club.

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of the book, written and directed by Robin Swicord, was released in the United States in the fall of 2007. While the character names and some minor details remained the same, the screenplay is for the most part a dramatic departure from the novel. The film stars Maria Bello as Jocelyn, Emily Blunt as Prudie, Kathy Baker as Bernadette, Amy Brenneman as Sylvia, Maggie Grace as Allegra, and Hugh Dancy as Grigg.

References

External links

• This 'Book Club' stays true to Jane Austen, review by Anita Sama, USA TODAY
• 'The Jane Austen Book Club': Mr. Darcy Is a Boorish Snob. Please Discuss. Review by Patricia T. O'Conner, The New York Times