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    The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen
    Unavailable
    The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen
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    The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen

    Written by Syrie James

    Narrated by Justine Eyre

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The minute I saw the letter, I knew it was hers. There was no mistaking it: the salutation, the tiny, precise handwriting, the date, the content itself, all confirmed its ancient status and authorship…

    Samantha McDonough cannot believe her eyes--or her luck. Tucked in an uncut page of a two-hundred-year old poetry book is a letter she believes was written by Jane Austen, mentioning with regret a manuscript that "went missing at Greenbriar in Devonshire." Could there really be an undiscovered Jane Austen novel waiting to be found? Could anyone resist the temptation to go looking for it?

    Making her way to the beautiful, centuries-old Greenbriar estate, Samantha finds it no easy task to sell its owner, the handsome yet uncompromising Anthony Whitaker, on her wild idea of searching for a lost Austen work--until she mentions its possible million dollar value.

    After discovering the unattributed manuscript, Samantha and Anthony are immediately absorbed in the story of Rebecca Stanhope, daughter of a small town rector, who is about to encounter some bittersweet truths about life and love. As they continue to read the newly discovered tale from the past, a new one unfolds in the present--a story that just might change both of their lives forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateDec 31, 2012
    ISBN9781101605165
    Unavailable
    The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen
    Author

    Syrie James

    Syrie James is the USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of thirteen novels including the critically acclaimed The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen; Jane Austen's First Love; Forbidden; Dracula, My Love; The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë; Nocturne; Runaway Heiress; Summer of Scandal; Duke Darcy's Castle; Floating on Air; Two Week Deal; and the international bestseller The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. An admitted Anglophile, Syrie loves all things British and 19th century. Her novels have hit many Best of the Year lists, won the Audie Romance Award, and been designated as Library Journal Editor’s Picks and the Women's National Book Association’s Great Group Read. Syrie lives in Los Angeles and is a member of JASNA, the Historical Novel Society, and the Writer's Guild of America.  Visit Syrie at www.syriejames.com.

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    Reviews for The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      I'm a fan of Jane Austen pastiches so naturally I had to read this book. Did I enjoy it? I'd rate it between 2.5 to 3 stars and I upped it to 3 on good behaviour.

      The plot was well set up - special archives librarian goes on trip to England and discovers a lost manuscript of Jane Austen's while simultaneously falling in love with someone not her boyfriend. Love that is not her boyfriend is prickly and can't stand her. She can't stand him. Does this sound familiar? (It should. It's the set up to Pride and Prejudice.)

      But the character's background and coincidences became a little too perfect. Obviously her best friend owns a bookstore. Obviously she likes book so she's a librarian. Obviously she once started a degree at Oxford and had to leave and lo and behold, one of her mentors is one of the most renowned Jane Austen experts. Obviously the boyfriend that is not her boyfriend does benevolent works that redeems him in her eyes (Hello obvious Mr. Darcy!).

      When things started to get a little perfect and the only conflict seemed to be with the character and her erstwhile boyfriend -- you know, the one she didn't fall in love with? -- I start to get bored. C'mon author, gives us more of the character's flaws and paint us a character who has difficulty whatever but don't bore your readers with your Mary Sues!

      The meat of the book is the book within the book, the "missing" Jane Austen manuscript, is the byproduct of James' imagination. The thing is that it's almost always impossible to write as if you were another author. Sure, I could see the setup of the "missing manuscript" be something that Austen would crank out but something was off about that story. The explanation we're given is that it's one of Austen's earlier works and hence why the story struggles on a bit. But eh. Something doesn't feel right.

      Would I recommend this book? It's an Austen pastiche and even with the clunky "missing manuscript" story, with the whole of the book wrapped around like a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I would add it to a "you might want to but don't necessarily need to" list.
    • 4/5
      Samantha loves English literature, especially Jane Austen. When she discovers an old letter tucked into a worn, antique book of poetry she is astonished to learn that is was penned by none other than Jane Austen herself. The letter provides new insights into Austen's life and describes the loss of one of Austen's early manuscripts. Samantha's stay in England provides her with a short period of time to decipher the clues to not only Jane Austen's missing manuscript, but to Austen's mysterious early life as well.This was a wonderful novel and I look forward to reading more books by Syrie James!
    • 3/5
      I'm a fan of Jane Austen pastiches so naturally I had to read this book. Did I enjoy it? I'd rate it between 2.5 to 3 stars and I upped it to 3 on good behaviour.

      The plot was well set up - special archives librarian goes on trip to England and discovers a lost manuscript of Jane Austen's while simultaneously falling in love with someone not her boyfriend. Love that is not her boyfriend is prickly and can't stand her. She can't stand him. Does this sound familiar? (It should. It's the set up to Pride and Prejudice.)

      But the character's background and coincidences became a little too perfect. Obviously her best friend owns a bookstore. Obviously she likes book so she's a librarian. Obviously she once started a degree at Oxford and had to leave and lo and behold, one of her mentors is one of the most renowned Jane Austen experts. Obviously the boyfriend that is not her boyfriend does benevolent works that redeems him in her eyes (Hello obvious Mr. Darcy!).

      When things started to get a little perfect and the only conflict seemed to be with the character and her erstwhile boyfriend -- you know, the one she didn't fall in love with? -- I start to get bored. C'mon author, gives us more of the character's flaws and paint us a character who has difficulty whatever but don't bore your readers with your Mary Sues!

      The meat of the book is the book within the book, the "missing" Jane Austen manuscript, is the byproduct of James' imagination. The thing is that it's almost always impossible to write as if you were another author. Sure, I could see the setup of the "missing manuscript" be something that Austen would crank out but something was off about that story. The explanation we're given is that it's one of Austen's earlier works and hence why the story struggles on a bit. But eh. Something doesn't feel right.

      Would I recommend this book? It's an Austen pastiche and even with the clunky "missing manuscript" story, with the whole of the book wrapped around like a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I would add it to a "you might want to but don't necessarily need to" list.
    • 4/5
      Thoroughly enjoyed and how fun if a missing Austen manuscript had been found. Present day story of a Samantha, who is an Austen aficionado who stumbles across a letter that may lead to a missing manuscript. The letter itself was tucked into the pocket pages of an old book of poetry that Samantha purchases in a bookstore of rare books while she is visiting London with her boyfriend Stephen who is a doctor.

      I loved how the author incorporates the missing manuscript into the story for the reader and all of the references to Austen's other stories. I look forward to reading the author's other works. What a great concept for a novel.

    • 4/5
      Hmmm. I don't ordinarily write up a review, but I feel somewhat compelled to do so. The book is very well-written. I like her style--I especially like how you can feel the flavor of the book within a book. I can almost believe that Jane wrote the Stanhopes instead of Syrie. In fact, my favorite part of the book is the Stanhopes story. It's delightful--I like the change of fortunes/circumstances so well. Of course, you can see from miles away who will ultimately be Miss Stanhope's life partner, but it's interesting and very well done.

      The modern story is what draws the book down and should be 3.5 stars. I won't go into how ridiculous it is that they find the manuscript so quickly. Or that her mentor's housekeeper is a bizarre freak for no purpose we ever really understand. I understand love as convenience and that is what the protagonist has with Stephen, but I really don't think that she could come to know anything about the manuscript owner in that little time. The modern story is very much a launching pad for the meat of the book--which is the manuscript. It's as thought the author coudln't decide whether to make the modern story as brief as possible so she could just get to the STanhopes or whether she wanted to make the mdoern story important but ran out of time? room? inspiration. In any case, I disliked it.

      If you love Austen, absoltely read this book, but I think you can just read the chapters that are the Stanhopes story and not the whole enchilada.
    • 5/5
      Truly a great representation of Jane Austen's style. The story was engaging and showed character similarities and plot references from other Austen novels.
      Great read!
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed reading this book but I wasn't Jane Austen. The "book within a book" idea was good, the Jane Austen manuscript was a good story and definitely in the style of Jane. Syrie James uses the story to explain the missing years of Austen, a time when little survives of her letters and little is known of what when on in her life.

      I will read more of James' Austen stories.
    • 5/5
      2 stories in one! And a new Jane Austen-esque novel! What's not to like?
    • 4/5
      I do love stories where previously undiscovered manuscripts come to light. Because I know my own bookshelves backwards and forwards (and have moved them and unpacked them many times), I know them too well to ever think for a minute that there could be some hidden gem lurking there waiting to be shown to the world. But I don't imagine everyone with bookshelves, especially those in old, inherited homes, is as hands on with their books and particular about their organization as to know everything that sits on those shelves. And the possibilities of attics? Well, that's just beyond exciting when I think in terms of some masterpiece tucked away in a trunk or a crevice. And if the newly found manuscript was written by Jane Austen? Well, that would just be icing on the cake. It would appear that I am not the only one who thinks a find like this is exciting to think about and rife with wondrous potential because Syrie James' novel, The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen, relies on just such a plot. Samantha McDonough is a university librarian who once studied English Literature at Oxford but had to leave before earning her PhD to return to the US and care for her very ill mother. She jumps at the chance to return to England when her doctor boyfriend attends a conference there. Taking time to revisit her beloved Oxford, she makes a fantastical discovery when she purchases a two hundred year old book of poetry in a used bookshop. Tucked in the uncut pages is an unfinished and unsigned letter that Samantha recognizes as written in Jane Austen's inimitable style. She is thrilled by her find and certain of its authorship but even more intriguing is the letter's reference to a manuscript regrettably lost and never found at Greenbriar in Devonshire. She can hardly believe that there could be an undiscovered Jane Austen manuscript tucked away in this country estate and barely containing her excitement, she does what any serious Austenite would do; she travels to Devonshire to meet with the owner of Greenbriar and try to convince him to allow her to search for the missing manuscript.When she arrives in Devonshire at Greenbriar, she meets Anthony Whitaker, who has newly inherited the crumbling Georgian pile from his father. He intends to sell the rundown home because the financial burden is just too great and he is initially dismissive of Sam's quest. But after a little time to consider it, he agrees that he will in fact help her search and their careful looking turns up evidence in a guest book that Jane Austen and her family did in fact visit Greenbriar. This confirmation makes Sam more convinced that the manuscript exists and she and Anthony do quickly find the manuscript. Once it is discovered, the question of what to do with this almost priceless literary treasure looms large with Sam having one idea and Anthony another. As they read The Stanhopes chapter by chapter, they also get to know one another a bit better, discovering a real connection with each other which is threatened not only by the existence of Sam's boyfriend but also by their completely opposing views on how to handle the manuscript's future.The novel within a novel works here, engaging the reader as much in the Stanhopes' lives as in Samantha and Anthony's. In fact, there might be a bit more unpredictability in the imagined "transitional" Austen novel than in the modern-set portions of the book. James has captured the spirit of Austen beautifully if not exactly the language in this charming homage to Austen's works, themes, and readers. She does a good job of mimicking the basis plot structure, the character types, and the occasional social digs that are so characteristic to Austen's works in her created manuscript of The Stanhopes. And her modern day hero and heroine find themselves at odds in a way that Austen would easily recognize as well. Money still drives the world today, much as it did in Austen's time and although it isn't the only component of happiness, it certainly does make a difference. The end would have been more satisfying if there had been more depth to it but since it wraps up just as it should, it is still pleasing enough. Overall a delightful read, it makes me want to go digging about in old manor homes in England looking for just this sort of tale.
    • 5/5
      I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen. I am a huge Jane Austen fan so I was just hoping that this would be an enjoyable book. What I did not expect was a captivating story that I had trouble putting down!Samantha is revisiting England while her boyfriend is in medical conferences all day. As an American librarian who once attended Oxford it is no wonder she went shopping in a bookstore where she came across an old book of poetry. As she looks at her purchase she finds a letter that had been placed inside a long time ago. After reading the partial letter she starts to believe it was written by Jane Austen herself.Following the clues in the letter she goes to a house called Grennbriar where she believes Jane may have lost a book she had written. After finally convincing Anthony, the new owner of the house, they start their search and they do discover more proof that the Austen family did in fact visit the house on several occasions. That discovery helps them to continue until they do find an old manuscript called The Stanhopes.Samantha and Anthony start to read the book together in order figure out if it is a real Jane Austen novel. Samantha is of course excited about the discovery and wants to make sure it becomes available to everyone. Anthony though wants it to be real so that he can sell it to make money.The Stanhopes manuscript really did sound like something Jane would have written and it was such an engaging story. I loved how the author let us ‘hear’ the story and how well it added to the plot between Samantha and Anthony. I recommend this book to any Jane Austen fan who is looking for a wonderful and lovely story to read!