| Title | : | Jane Goes Batty (Jane Fairfax, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345513665 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345513663 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 285 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2011 |
Life was a lot easier for Jane when she was just an unknown, undead bookstore owner in a sleepy hamlet in upstate New York. But now the world embraces her as Jane Fairfax, author of the bestselling novel Constance —and she’s having a killer time trying to keep her true identity as the Jane Austen a secret. Even the ongoing lessons in How to Be a Vampire, taught by her former lover Lord Byron, don’t seem to be helping much. Jane can barely focus on her boyfriend, Walter, while keeping him in the dark about her more sanguine tastes.
To make matters worse, Walter announces that his mother is coming for a visit—and she’s expecting Jane to be Jewish. Add in a demanding new editor, a convention of romance readers in period costume, a Hollywood camera crew following Jane’s every move, and the constant threat of a certain bloodsucking Brontë sister coming back to finish her off, and it’s enough to make even the most well-mannered heroine go batty!
Jane Goes Batty (Jane Fairfax, #2) Reviews
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*snort*
"Her name was Beverly Shrop. A retired kindergarten teacher, Beverly had devoted the past five years to becoming the number-one-ranked reviewer of romance novels on a very popular bookselling site. That her "reviews" consisted largely of regurgitating a book's cover copy mattered little to her readers. Nor did it apparently occur to them that in order for Beverly to have amassed 12,729 reviews she would have had to have read an average of 6.9 books a day." -
Michael Thomas Ford, where have you been throughout my entire life when I needed a good laugh?! Jane Goes Batty the second in the “Jane Bites” series which pegs Jane Austen as a vampire. Turned by Lord Byron over 100 years ago, Austen, now Jane Fairfax, runs a small bookstore in upstate New York. At the end of the first novel, Jane Bites Back, we see Jane finally achieving one of her dreams: having her manuscript Constance published as well as her love life blossoming with boyfriend Walter. All seemed well when we left Jane, but boy were we wrong!
Jane Goes Batty takes us deeper into what is “being a vampire.” Byron has begun giving Jane “how-to-be a vampire” lessons, which include teaching her to become invisible. Since the attack by fellow vampire Charlotte Brontë, Jane’s felt uneasy about her safety and the safety of those around her. On top of her vampire training, Jane is struggling to write the draft for her second novel, is dealing with the ”paparazzi” due to the success of her novel, and is trying to help out with the film version of Constance. Add to all of this her first meeting with boyfriend Walter’s mother, a woman who believes her son should be dating a nice Jewish woman that he can marry. (Imagine if she knew what Jane really was!!) Throw in a cast of crazy characters, romantic misunderstandings, baby vampires, and a murder and you have one hell of a storyline in Jane Goes Batty.
Michael Thomas Ford has an incredibly sharp-witted sense of humor that makes his writing a joy to read. His Jane Austen is exactly how I’d imagine her to be in real life: full of life, sometimes shy with new people, but never afraid to speak her mind through her sharp wit. I sometimes think that these traits are what draw readers, especially women, to read Jane Austen. Her strong personality shines through with her writing, and I think Ford got it completely right when he wrote Jane as she is in this book. She reminds me of Elizabeth Bennett! The “past” that Ford comes up with for Jane is side-splitting. The sheer fact that Jane was part of the original Rocky Horror Picture Show had me rolling on the floor laughing. All I could picture was a woman in a dress of Austen’s time doing the timewarp. Needless to say I laughed for a while with that image in my head!
The one weak spot of the book is the relationship between Walter and Jane. Considering Jane wrote STUNNING love stories between Lizzie and Darcy, Anne and Wentworth, etc, I would expect her to have a stunning love story. Walter seems a bit lackluster. Don’t get me wrong, he cares about Jane and loves her, but their relationship seems to be lacking the spark I’d expect Austen to want for her own love life. I mean come on, real Jane almost ran away to marry the man she loved! Walter doesn’t seem like that guy to me. Maybe this will be a plot piece down the road?
The book is incredibly fast paced and written to keep your attention from start to finish. The humor of the book is tounge-in-cheek with tons of witticisms being made about the Jane Austen fan fiction industry (just as in the first book). Keep your eyes open for the pact that Jane makes with Walter’s mother. It’s sure to have you cracking up and waiting with bated breath for the next book in the series Jane Vows Vengeance. The pieces all fit to make this book a must read for Austen fans everywhere!!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-jQ -
CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD
NO, REALLY. SPOILERS AHEAD.
AND A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF BITTERNESS.
DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU. BUT SERIOUSLY, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW, STOP READING. NOW.
I was so looking forward to this book. I pre-ordered it months ago. I've been stalking Michael Ford's site, hoping for details. Where the first Jane Bites book was funny and clever and innovative, this one....isn't. I gave it a three, and it's a really weak 3 at that.
We pick up where we left off with Jane, in Brakeston with Byron, a bookshop, a boyfriend, and a best-seller. And we don't go anywhere after that. Jane is having a very difficult time writing a follow-up to her best selling book Constance. I'm trying very very hard not to see a parallel between Ford and Jane and I fear that I'm failing. Her agent is anxious because she's way past deadline. Her editor is not so much anxious as she is ready to give Jane the heave-ho. Walter (the boyfriend) wants to get married, sort of. He has a mother, and he's got a problem of sorts. He sort of forgot to tell Jane he was Jewish (which she doesn't see as a problem), and sort of forgot to tell her that his battle-ax mother hates pretty much every woman he's ever tried to date. I'm not sure about the age of any of these characters, but I'm positive they're too old to be acting like this. Byron (my favorite character by far in these books), is there being unhelpful in the most unhelpful way possible. Charlotte Bronte may or may not be dead. There's a set of twins (lousy plot device #1. Twins? In a novel? Try again when you become Jasper Fforde.)
Among other things, there's a movie, an accidental turning, a pop star, a murder, and a vampire hunter. Doesn't that sound exciting?
It isn't.
We also have a description of a croquet tournament that is roughly 7000 words too long (especially for those of us who don't play croquet. I'm sorry, but Alice in Wonderland uses croquet as a plot device without really explaining it. That is my ONLY exposure to croquet. Til today. I feel like I should get to charge a caddy fee for having to sit through that.).
And then (SPOILER ALERT) we have an unholy deal with Jane and her potential soon-to-be mother in law, who is also coincidentally a vampire hunter. But this dreadful old cow is no Buffy.
I swear: I will drop the next author who writes a superfluous baby into a plot wherever in the book the baby falls (metaphorically speaking). I'm done with it. I don't like babies, I don't have one, I don't want one, and I'm growing increasingly more resentful of authors who use babies to write themselves out of dead end plot (not to mention people who think a baby would solve all of my problems. Oh really? Listen, I don't have a dog because I have no fence, and there's no law against leaving a dog outside all day. An actual human, who requires better sustenance than Zooroni, is somehow going to change my situation for the enviably better? Did you miss the Zooroni reference? Because it's what's for dinner. Don't think so, thanks for playing. I digress.). Who ever heard of a vampire having a baby?!
Really?
That's why I read these stupid books, because I can be pretty darn sure that the main character isn't going to take pregnant on me. It's one of the reasons I stopped reading Anita Blake, and it's one of the reasons I won't continue with this series.
(For all you parents out there: I don't mean your baby. I'm certain, passionately certain, that your baby was not a plot device used by some author who didn't know what to do with a female character. I'm certain that some actual planning went into your baby, and it wasn't part of an unholy deal with a woman who would be better off beheaded. Can we still be friends? It's not personal, I just think it's a choice we should all get to make for ourselves, and it shouldn't be foisted on us after the most boring sports description ever. that is all.)
I'm going back to the YA section. There's hardly ever a pregnancy over there.
Honestly. -
So, I read the first one of these when it came out - it was very sweet, and I liked the idea of Jane Austen, Lord Byron and Charlotte Bronte as vampires living in the 21st Century. I haven't thought about it in ages, and then suddenly notice that there is not just one but two sequels. This was got a little complicated, but was very satisfying in the end. Still a funny idea. Guess I'll read the next one...
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REVIEW ALSO ON:
http://bibliomantics.com/2011/02/11/j......
Jane Austen… Is a vampire… Living in the 21st century. Hearing this synopsis, I knew that few people in the literary community would appreciate this series, and I knew I was one crazy few who would read it. Yes, the premise is ridiculous, but that’s what makes this book, and it’s predecessor Jane Bites Back, so refreshing. It doesn’t try to be high brow. Instead it strives to be fun and entertaining, succeeding without crossing the line into literary slop.
Jane Bites Back and Jane Goes Batty are the kind of book you can start reading late at night and fight off sleep just so you can keep reading them. Ending just shy of 300 pages, these fast paced novels can be read in a day or two whether you’re a voracious reader or a voracious eater. Because you will want to read these books while doing everything.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Cassie, this is just yet another way to capitalize on the classic novel plus random pop culture monster phenomena. Isn’t this just Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or Android Karenina rehashed with a non-fiction cast? And the answer is no. Yes, it might be latching onto a current theme (one which I love and find no fault with simply because it gets people reading classic literature AS CREATURE FEATURES) but it has its own unique voice. Plus, if one were to believe the book, Abraham Lincoln actually was a vampire hunter.
Unlike Jane Bites Back, which focuses on Jane’s attempts to get her novel published and plagiarism charges by a Brontë scholar who ends up being Charlotte Brontë herself, this book focuses on the after affects of fame. It also is a lot more campy, with a romance novel blogger turned vampire holding a carnival complete with a dunk tank allowing people to dunk Darcy and a very non-rousing game of croquet that will make you want to chew and someone’s neck in annoyance. There is also a ball in which everyone inexplicably seems to already own regency era clothing.
The title character Jane Fairfax is refreshing, going against the mold much like the heroines in her novels. Her lightness and humour come through in her popular culture references, particularly her appreciation of “Clueless” and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. If I were 80 years old I would probably refer to her as FANGTASTIC! But I’m not so you can just pretend I didn’t even write that last pun.
My only problem with Jane this go around is her tendency to stray to the dark side of things, as is inherent in all vampire fiction (with the exception of Twilight which strays to the lame side of things). Unlike some vampire novels which symbolize the sharing of blood as a metaphor for AIDs, or the exploration of the rigid morals in the Victorian era, Jane is merely concerned with her soul (much like one of my favourite vampire figures, Louis from Interview with the Vampire). Although this angsty self-reflection can get a little tiring at times.
Plus, who cares. Religion = boring. Although the introduction of a Rabbi character who Jane goes to when considering converting to Judaism amused the agnostic Jew within me nonetheless.
The other main character, that steals the novel from its protagonist, is Lord Byron, a self-obsessed sexaholic who much like his historical counterpart has something of a reputation. In the beginning of the novel it is revealed that he is enamored with two twins (complicatedly named Ned and Ted), and one night while drunk turns the straight twin by mistake. After finishing the novel, I still did not know out of Ned and Ted which twin was a straight vampire and which was a gay human. This is the only redeeming part of Twilight: it is easy to remember that Edward Cullen is the sparkly gay vampire.
Lord Byron is the spark in some moments that Jane is lacking (much like Magnus Bane or Cinna from City of Bones and The Hunger Games respectively). He also quite reminded me of Herbert the gay vampire from Tanz Der Vampire. Although, sadly, no one sings “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in this series.
Then there is her boyfriend Walter, who is without a doubt the least exciting character in the entire series. He restores houses, but other than that is generally boring, which is probably why he mostly remains on the periphery and stammers about marriage. He is also blissfully unaware that his wife and her amazingly hot ex-lover are vampires. It is a wonder why she dates him at all considering who she has to choose from. I suppose she gave up on looking for her Mr. Darcy 200 years ago.
Jane Goes Batty may seem ridiculous and overly campy to some, but was wonderfully entertaining for me. Although I think “Sharktopus” was a cinematic gem, so I suppose my judgment isn’t perfect. Regardless, I highly recommend this book and its prequel. It will have you dying to meet your favourite authors.
(See what I did there?) -
Il festival degli esaltati
Dove eravamo rimasti? Jane Austen quasi duecento anni dopo la sua presunta morte, conduce, sotto le mentite spoglie di Jane Fairfax, una doppia vita (non a caso ha scelto come nome quello che, fra i suoi personaggi, appartiene a un'acqua cheta!): è proprietaria di una libreria (in cui vede passare tutti i derivati tratti dai suoi romanzi e dalla sua stessa vita) e una vampira immortale!
Finalmente, dopo quasi due secoli di rifiuti - tutti accuratamente numerati dalla vendicativa Jane - è riuscita a pubblicare il suo romanzo, Constance, che è diventato un bestseller, da cui Hollywood 'ha deciso' di trarre un film.
E per girare il suddetto film, la troupe si trasferirà proprio a Brakeston, la tranquilla cittadina del nord dello Stato di New York in cui Jane 'vive'.
Ma non solo: l'attivissima blogger letteraria/organizzatrice di eventi Beverly Shrop orchestra continue sortite nel suo negozio con una serie di fan a caccia di autografi e sta organizzando una sorta di festival letterario in abiti d'epoca, a cui parteciperà anche Brian George, ovvero George Byron!
La nuova editor di Jane, Jessica Abernathy, inoltre, non le dà tregua, levandole fiato e concentrazione, sicura com'è che Jane sia un'impostora e che Constance sia un plagio!
E, come ciliegina sulla torta, si aggiunge la madre di Walter, il suo fidanzato, che arriva a Brakeston e si oppone assolutamente alla nostra Jane sia perché non è ebrea come vorrebbe per la moglie di suo figlio, ma soprattutto per altri motivi misteriosi che scopriremo presto!
Michael Thomas Ford approfitta ancora una volta per fare satira su tutto ciò che gira attorno al mondo letterario: sui film tratti dai romanzi, che spesso hanno dell'originale solo il titolo; sui cineasti fanatici, che credono sempre che non valga la pena leggere il libro quando possono vedere il film; su coloro che credono che non sia importante mutilare o violentare un romanzo solo per rendere il film più piccante.
Naturalmente anche i blog letterari ricevono la loro bella dose di staffilate, con blogger iperattive ed esaltate, che perseguitano gli scrittori, nel tentativo di auto-celebrarsi, salendo nelle grazie dei loro seguaci, fino a raggiungere il livello di semi-divinità.
E ancora, gli editor troppo esigenti che assillano i propri scrittori, sviluppando in loro una sorta di rifiuto da panico.
Meraviglioso infine l'esilarante siparietto con i due aiutanti gemelli nella libreria di Jane, Ned e Ted, che vengono ripetutamente scambiati l'uno per l'altro, e sì che uno è gay e l'altro è etero, che uno è vampiro e l'altro è umano... Cosa cambia? Assolutamente nulla: è questo che ci vuole dire Michael Thomas Ford, facendoci fare grasse risate.
Inizialmente mi ero riproposta di scrivermi chi fosse chi, ma poi mi sono lasciata trascinare dal libro: credo che alla fine neanche Ford lo avesse più ben chiaro!!! E le scene fra Jane e Byron che li confondono sono degni del più ridicolo film comico!
Splendida poi la riflessione sugli scrittori e il rapporto che ciascuno di noi ha con loro:
"That quote," he said. "It's from an Emily Dickinson poem, isn't it?"
"Yes," Jane nodded. "I'd forgotten that."
"You said it come from an old friend," Walter continued.
Jane thought back to the lovely fall day that she and Emily had enjoyed together in Amherst. "I suppose that's how I think of her" she told Walter. "Isn't that what our favourite writers become to us, old friends?"
"Quella citazione," disse. "È una poesia di Emily Dickinson, vero?"
"Sì," Jane annuì. "Lo avevo dimenticato."
"Hai detto che era di una vecchia amica," continuò Walter.
Jane ripensò alla deliziosa giornata autunnale che aveva trascorso felicemente con Emily a Amherst. "Suppongo che è così che la immagino" disse a Walter. "Non è forse questo ciò che i nostri scrittori preferiti diventano per noi, vecchi amici?"
Potete leggere la recensione completa (coi commenti di LizzyP e LizzyS)
QUI
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You know...I really didn't want to like this series. The first book was bought for me as a gift by someone who knows that I need to read everything that is even affiliated with Jane Austen in the slightest bit, and I grimaced when I saw it. I was expecting it to be absolute crap.
Surprisingly, Jane Bites Back turned out to be one of the most fun books I've ever read, and Jane Goes Batty is equally good. This book somehow manages to make light of the Jane Austen craze and how everyone tries to cash in on it while at the same time acknowledging its own place within this phenomenon. The entire thing is done in a way that is self aware and somehow manages to avoid seeming like just another Austen exploitation. Michael Thomas Ford's version of Jane Austen is smart, funny, and most surprisingly, LIKABLE.
Generally, in books like this, characters are really just there to serve as something for vampires/zombies/werewolves to attack. And I won't say that we're given a TON of probing character development here in the supporting cast. But something about the entire world seems incredibly gentle and comfortable to slide into. Every character we're introduced to has something endearing and memorable about them. He doesn't go deep into creating a vampire mythos or an epic history of the undead, and the action scenes, while well written when they do appear, are few and far between. This is not another Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What he does unexpectedly well -- and what the most surprising part about the book was to me -- is make you actually CARE about the relationships between the characters and Jane's inner thoughts -- I actually think the best scenes in both books are when Jane is sitting alone and thinking to herself.
And anything with Lord Byron, of course, who has always sort of given me a boner.
And, really, is there any more perfect and hilarious antagonist in recent literature than a deranged vampire Charlotte Bronte trying to kill vampire Jane Austen?
Book three can't get here fast enough. -
Our dear Jane (Austen) Fairfax is suffering from writers' block. She was supposed to have her new novel on her editor's desk six months ago, and while she keeps telling him that it's almost done, the truth is she has barely three chapters written – three chapters which, by the way, are complete rubbish. Why can't Jane write? Is it because Lord Byron has been keeping her busy with learning new vampire arts, like becoming invisible? Or is it because her first novel, Constance, is being adapted for film and Hollywood chose to shoot the movie in her hometown, Brakeston, New York, of all places? Or maybe it has something to do with Jane's boyfriend, Walter, has started talking about marriage and has announced that his mother is coming for an extended stay. Maybe Jane's lack of productivity is the result of these three factors and more...
If you thought Jane's life was chaotic in Jane Bites Back... buckle up and hold on... because this ride is even more intense! In Jane Goes Batty, we are introduced several new detestable and deliciously irritating antagonists. The first one is Walter's mother (the potential mother-in-law). Like most mother-in-laws, Miriam Ellenberg does her best to make Jane feel terrified and on edge, especially when she cryptically states “I know what you are...” Another antagonist is Jessica Abernathy, Jane's new editor. Jessica is a loathsome creature who is manipulative, belittles Jane in front of other authors, and accuses her of having no talent! Other antagonists include an intrusive and pesky book reviewer and Jane's vampire nemesis, Charlotte Brontë, or as Jane calls her, Our Gloomy Friend. With enemies like this, Jane is going to need a lot of friends...
To continue reading, go to:
http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com... -
I began this book before I realised it was #2 in a series, so stopped and read #1 first. The only reason I finished it is that it wasn't horrible and I had a bad case of insomnia.
The premise that Jane Austen could be a vampire and thus a 21st century romance writer is flawed in the treatment of the heroine. Why chose a character like Austen for your protagonist if you do nothing Austen-like with her? Throw in Byron and Bronte biting and turning people into vampires will-he-nill-he and I am forced to wonder if the author of this knows anything about the real Austen, Byron, and Bronte. If you are going to use real figures for your fictional characters at least let them have some resemblance to the real people. Ford's Austen is socially inept goody-goody and not a keen observer of people, his Bryon is shallow and vain, but never broods, his Bronte is a screaming lunatic and yet continually succeeds. The ten-minute finish in which all agree to live and let live is cutesy at best.
And giving vampire Jane a Jewish mother-in-law who is also a vampire hunter but will give it up if she gets a grandchild is too cliché to be stomached.
I finished both #1 & 2 in the series. I won't be reading any more. -
This was a fun, funny read. I really enjoyed it. Very creative. It's apparently a sequel to Jane Bites Back which I haven't read so I need to get that.
Jane Austen is a modern day vampire in it as is Lord Byron and Charlotte Bronte. It's a lot of fun! -
No, no, no...not even after 200 years and a vampire. Preposterous and silly.
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Excellent follow-up to “Jane Bites Back,” the book that introduced readers to the notion that Jane Austen lives on, a vampire created by her erstwhile lover Lord Byron. In this book, Jane has a lot to contend with. Her new editor is a slave-driver with no literary acumen, the mother of her beloved is a vampire hunter, and her little town is overrun with movie folk who are filming an adaptation of her 21st-century novel. And of course her “Gloomy Friend,” as she and Byron call the vampire Charlotte Bronte, has popped up again to make trouble.
Witty and fun. -
An enjoyable follow up to Jane Bites Back. Jane is wrestling with her relationship due to the struggle of, well, being a vampire. A cliche mother in law as vampire hunter was a pleasant addition. Looking forward to the third one.
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I’m really enjoying this series. I think the books are a lot of fun. Thanks Michael Thomas Ford for a great set of characters. What an imagination!
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A light fun read. I enjoyed the cast and the banter. One character mentions convenient coincidences, which this book embraces, but that's just part of the fun.
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I'm loving Jane Austen as a vampire, plus Lord Byron. Charlotte Bronte is mad and a vampire. So far I have devoured 2 of the book, and am about to start the third!
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It's refreshing and comical in it's own way. I own a paper back copy.
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Excellent sequel. Loved every moment.
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A worthy successor. Looking forward to #3.
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... -
This book was a super easy read. Thank goodness because it took 120 pages before it started to peak my interest. Even after my interest was peaked though, I still found myself exhaling with frustration at certain details that were either unbelievable or unnecessary.
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Michael Thomas Ford is a wicked wit with a scoop of irony on top
Our Janeite sensibilities tell us that the notion of Jane Austen as a vampire is pretty wacky. It’s just so hard to visualize “our” Jane as one of the undead, still here after two hundred years, and struggling with life challenges and her condition. Author Michael Thomas Ford understands this too. He has created a trilogy based on our uncertainty, curiosity and proclivity for the burlesque that Austen herself was so fond of. Book one, Jane Bites Back, sold us on the concept that anything can happen in a Jane Austen inspired novel – even Jane as a vampire. It was “light, campy and a bit Buffyish” and we were truly “glamored.” But as any vampire aficionado knows, to be “glamored” means to be under the vampire’s mind spell which does not last forever. After over a year shouldn’t it have worn off, returning us to our cynical, defensive Janeite self? Book two, Jane Goes Batty, would have to be pretty darn good to dispel our doubts and resurrect our confidence. Our fingers were crossed, along with our corset strings.
Our twenty-first century Jane is still undead and living in Brakeston, a small university town in upper-state New York. The success of her novel Constance has changed her life considerably. In 1796 she may have wished to “write for Fame, and without any view for pecuniary emolument,” but now she has both as Jane Fairfax bestselling author. Her fans are arriving by the bus load and camping on her door step, a Hollywood movie crew has descended upon her hometown to film a glitzy star-studded version of her latest novel, and the hope of her next books success has garnered a fat advance. Life sounds pretty good, but not if you are a 235 old vampire who has thrived on anonymity and resisted advancing your powers in the undeadly arts.
Attempting to manage her life sensibly, she has promoted her friend and assistant Lucy to run her bookstore, Flyleaf Books, and welcomed her former lover George Byron (who also turned her) back into her life as a mentor. He is helping Jane to “develop her powers instead of run from them” in case “Our Gloomy Friend,” that pesky Bronte woman should make good on her threats. Her love-life is just where she wants it keeping patient boyfriend Walter in a holding pattern, and the town folk are none-the-wiser of her undead condition. With money, fame, friends and love in ones life, what’s to worry? Plenty. Walters Jewish mother Miriam arrives from Florida expecting her to convert, Jessica, her new demanding editor thinks she is an untalented plagiarist who should be writing a novel as good as Valley of the Dolls, and a vampire attack on one of the movie actors has Jane and Byron pointing fingers at one another. The challenges of keeping her true identity a secret, mastering her vampire skills, and the looming threat of another throw-down with an adversary from the past have her as distracted as Mrs. Bennet on her last nerve.
After the third chapter we remembered why we enjoyed the first novel in this series so much. Michael Thomas Ford is a wicked wit with a scoop of irony on top; a devilish combination that Austen whipped up and has been wowing us with for centuries. The premise of Jane Austen as a vampire is wacky – totally – but after we had been swept up in the frenetic pace, hilarious characters and outrageous parody, we were laughing out loud and startling our cats. Spirited, diverting and impertinent the “conceited independence” of this author knows no bounds. Watch out for a vicious three-legged Chihuahua, Ted and Ned the gay and straight, vampire and mortal, identical twins that we could never tell apart (nor could anyone else), eye rolling one liners by Lord Byron, a deranged vampire turned book reviewer (gulp), a surprise vampire hunter that is too close to home, and a poke at you gentle reader, if you are as inclined as we are to visit Jane Austen blogs and go to conventions in period costume! Our only quibble, and it is more of disapprobation, is that on more than one occasion we wanted to yell at this twenty-first century Jane Austen to find her inner Elizabeth Bennet or channel her Mary Crawford and get past the rag-doll syndrome that she was trapped in. It was almost all happily resolved by the end – like any Jane Austen novel should be – but we won’t tell. Of course Ford has left some plot points dangling that will, we hope, be addressed in book three, Jane Vows Revenge.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose -
When selecting books from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program, I usually try to avoid later books in a series, since this will mean hunting down and reading other books just so I can give the ARC a fair shake. I did not take such care with this novel, which is in fact the second in a series, following Jane Bites Back. The premise of the series is that Jane Eyre was converted to vampirism by an undead Lord Byron. She is living--at least as much as a vampire can--in a small town and upstate New York (where Byron also resides), managing a book store and trying to establish a literary career under her current alias of Jane Fairfax. Also, she seems to have picked up vampire Charlotte Brönte as a rival along the way. In this book, Jane is struggling with writing her second book while also dealing with a convention of romance readers and the upcoming visit of her boyfriend's mother.
Though I'm neither a fan of Austen-inspired novels or supernatural romance, I thought the book sounded like it might be kooky good fun. It's possible the book would have been more enjoyable had I started with Bites Back, but considering the books weaknesses, I rather doubt that. And the weaknesses here start with the basic premise: vampire Jane Austen. It sounds like a winning, if campy, concept, but the delivery leaves much to be desired. To start with, the novel's concept of vampirism is pretty weak; they are not affected by sunlight, do not look or feel different, can eat food and their hunger for blood is largely just an inconvenience. Without much of a sense of moral peril, the whole concept of vampirism seems largely defanged and bloodless. (Sorry.)
The other problem is Jane herself. I haven't read enough about Ms. Austen to have a firm grasp on her as a person, but what I get from her novels is that she was a keen observer of the social realm around her and well-attuned to its foibles and absurdities, which she was able to express with a dry, sophisticated wit. Now imagine such a character living for two hundred years. Well, stop imagining because that's not the Jane in this novel, who sometimes comes off as a bit of a blank. She is a likable chick lit heroine with a wit adequate for that role, but she falls short of being Jane Eyre. It's a little grating how inconsistently she's written. Jane allegedly hung out with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Josephine Baker in the '20s and then was in one of the original theatrical productions of The Rocky Horror Show in the '70s, yet she's utterly clueless about baseball. She mentions how Emma was adapted into Clueless, yet she's shocked that the film adaptation of her first Jane Fairfax novel involves changing the era. She doesn't come off as overwhelmed by modern life as just incurious about the world around her, which just seemed sort of pathetic. The book does attempt some social satire, with its second-hand observations about Jewish mothers and Hollywood vanity, but the author is no Jane Austen.
I will admit, the novel was often amusing, and if I preferred my vampires and Regency authors as bland and inoffensive as possible, I might have enjoyed it more. Bottom line, while the book has some merit as "fast-food fiction," it's not really my cup of tea. -
What would Jane Austen be like if she had never died, instead living on - as a vampire - into modern times? In Ford's sequel to Jane Bites Back, she is now Jane Fairfax, the owner of a small-town bookstore in upstate New York. Her best friends, Lord Byron (also a vampire) and Lucy (a normal human being but an extraordinary friend), live nearby, as does Jane's boyfriend, Walter. Life is going great for Jane. Her newest novel, the first in almost 200 years, is a best-seller, soon to be made into a movie. Charlotte Bronte, fellow vampire and (im)mortal enemy, is gone for good (see previous book for explanation). But then life gets a twist. Several of them, in fact. Jane's new agent is a *insert bad word of choice* who's hounding her for her next novel, the film of her latest book isn't going as planned, Our Gloomy Friend (as Charlotte B. is referred to) may be back, and, scariest of all, Walter's mother is coming to visit and expects Jane to be Jewish.
My Likes: Ford has a pretty good writing style and seems to know what he's talking about with all the little details he so smoothly incorporates into the story (croquet, Jewish folklore, what goes into publishing and films, to name a few). Ford's take on Byron is quite interesting, as are all of the connections that pop up between various seemingly unrelated literary figures of the late 18th/early and mid-19th centuries. Jane Goes Batty doesn't have a dull moment, and the characters are enjoyable to read about. Another thing: in Ford's books, vampires can drink enough blood to satisfy themselves but not they do not, in the long run, have to affect their victims. It's kind of hard to imagine Jane Austen as a murderer, so I find it rather nice that she doesn't actually kill the people whose blood she has to drink.
My Dislikes: It seemed like the author was cramming too many events into the book. Jane's being battered with her long-overdue second novel, her irritating editor, too-enthused romance fanatics and their tour guide, the filming of her latest novel, new vampires, old vampire enemies, vampire hunters, a relationship that's possibly going farther than she's read for, her boyfriend's mother, a romance novel fair, croquet championships, finding food (blood) at the appropriate time...
My Evaluation: Jane Goes Batty is a fun book to read, but in a few months chances are I won't be able to remember much about it; it's all fun and little memorable substance. Still, if I run across the other books in the series, I'll probably pick them up. -
The stress in her life feels overwhelming. Jane Fairfax, as she is now known, has finally achieved some breakthrough literary success with her bestseller, Constance. Unfortunately, she is suffering a severe case of writer’s block and is far behind deadline on a promised second book.
Walter Fletcher loves Jane and wants to get married but his mother, Miriam, is obstinately opposed, and is not shy about letting her intense dislike for Jane be known.
Walter does not know that Jane is actually Jane Austin, famous classic author, and a vampire. Jane struggles with the fact that Walter is human and debates the question of whether or not to tell him that she is not. Meanwhile, his mother is stirring up heaps of trouble. But those are practically the least of all the problems plaguing our feckless Jane. Her whole life and most of her relationships are in a shamble. And to top it all off, an old foe resurfaces and a challenge issued.
This tongue-in-cheek, satiric tale is packed with literary and film references which, after awhile, just seem to exhaust my tolerance of and appreciation for snarky humor. I feel that some of the slapstick comedy is overdone too, especially the ongoing twin mix-ups. Until this book, I never realized that croquet is such a dull game. All-in-all, I found it to be an okay to good read that, at times is quite funny. There are also several unexpected moments of brilliance tucked away that surprised me and revitalized my flagging interest at opportune times. Honestly, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read the first book in the series. I can say with confidence that this novel, a wild fling with sting, will appeal to those fans who relish watching often peculiar characters striving for one-upmanship in a bizarre parody of life and undeath.
Laurie
Reviewer for
Coffee Time Romance & More -
Jane Austen died several hundred years ago, but Jane Fairfax is living well today. A vampire, turned by her former lover, poet Lord Byron, she runs a bookstore and has just sold a novel under her new name. Her relationship with human Walter is still going well, even though Jane keeps wondering if and when she should let him know she is undead, but she figures it can wait a bit longer.
She and Lord Byron seem to have put the past behind them, and he is slowly training Jane how to use her powers. She's a very slow learner but having just sold the movie rights to her new bestselling novel and getting a large advance on her next novel, Jane is suddenly famous again and suitably so. However, it isn't long before fans are camping on her doorstep, and cameramen and movie stars are all over town. Just when things can't seem to get any more chaotic, Walter drops the bomb that his mother is coming for a visit.
Then someone, a vampire, murders someone on the movie set, and Jane and Byron begin to suspect one another. Then to top it all off, Walter's mother is a devout Jew and she expects Jane to convert. Now, she is juggling the movie set, her editor, learning her new powers, trying to keep her identity a secret from Walter and his mom while still keeping her sanity. But will she be able to find out the identity of the vampire that is causing chaos before she has to reveal who she really is and kiss her newfound love, fame and fortune goodbye for good?
JANE GOES BATTY picks up right where the first novel, JANE BITES BACK, left off. Michael Thomas Ford has a masterful pen, creating sharp-witted characters within impossible, yet hilarious situations. Jane also knows that famed Charlotte Bronte really has it in for her, so she always has that at the back of her mind as she juggles her new chaotic life. This reviewer looks forward to the next installment, JANE VOWS VENGEANCE. A wonderful paranormal twist on the amazing Jane Austin novels. -
In Michael Thomas Ford's, JANE GOES BATTY, the second book in this series, Jane (Austen) Fairfax returns as our likeable and still undead heroine.
Life couldn't be better for Jane in the sleepy town of Brakeston, in upstate New York. Business is good at her bookstore so she promotes her best friend and confidante Lucy to manager, Lord Byron is helping her develope her vampire powers, she's in a relationship with Walter, her novel is at the top of the New York Times bestseller list and now it's getting turned into a Hollywood movie! Friends, Love and Personal Success, what could go wrong?
Suddenly, Walter announces his Jewish mother is coming for a visit and under the impression Jane is converting to Judaism, a camera crew is following her around everywhere, bus loads of fans are showing up at her house, her new editor is demanding a new novel but doesn't think she can do it because she is an untalented, plagiarist, and a vampire attack on one of the movie actors has Jane and Byron wondering about who else is around.
I thought this book was just as entertaining as the first with the return of "Our Gloomy Friend", several plot twists and a murder mystery. I also enjoyed the addition of some newbies, like a vampire hunter, a set of interesting identical twins, a three-legged chihuahua and a traitorous vampire. It was a quick read with lots of humor and quick-wit. My only real complaint is that there were a few times that I really wished Jane would take a cue from "Lizzy B." and stand up for herself.
Anyone that enjoys Austen-related stories will appreciate this novel as well as I did. I'm looking forward to book three, JANE VOWS REVENGE and the conclusion to this entertaining tale.
•In compliance with FTC guidelines, I have received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
