Product Description

At thirty-three, Lori Smith found herself falling short of her expectations: single, facing a difficult job, and sinking into something like depression. She needed a change - and she needed it now. In the absence of a Darcy, she made the bold move of leaving her job and country to travel through Jane Austen's England. On a voyage of multi-layered discovery, Lori leads readers through Jane's life and the landscapes she knew and loved - from Oxford to Bath, to London and the Hampshire countryside - and through her own emotional landscapes, in which grace and hope take the place of stagnation and despair. Along the way, we explore the small and the great things in human nature to discover what Austen herself knew: the joy of life, however ordinary or unexpected.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52023 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'A lovely, intimate read' --Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club

Deliciously uncertain... and satisfying --Publishers Weekly

Deliciously uncertain... and satisfying --Publishers Weekly

About the Author
Lori Smith is a full time writer based in the USA

Customer Reviews

She does go on a bit
A woman who has some issues comes to the UK to do a course and then visit various Jane Austen sites.

She writes quite well and you do get involved in her thinking about the Jane Austen places, but, BOY, does she go on a bit about her issues.... Good grief, woman, stop thinking about one guy, who you knew for like, a WEEK! Get a grip and move on, you are coming across as the most ultimately needy, desperate, whinging bore of a thirty-something me, me, me fiend!

Still, decent exploration of Jane and what she can mean to people and how the issues and feelings young women have are the same. Plus, how great her books are, even in today's world. It really isn't so different to then. Just stop whining and DO SOMETHING!!

A many-layered experience!
There are several themes to this work -

1. Single American female travelling through Britain - the good and bad of it!
2. Jane Austen-fan following the history and wanderings of Jane's life. 3. Human being fine-tuning her relationship to her God.
4. Said human being single, and in a state of flux on whether she "wants" to find Mr Right, or have a career. As an Evangelical, both can't be fulfilled.
5. Said human being is also a sufferer of Chronic Fatigue, which dominates her life experiences.

It's No 5 that I'm adding a Health Warning about, for as a fellow sufferer of C.F. reading this autobiography (which is how I sum up this work) was a slightly risky experience. I had to take it in small doses, for Lori describes her feelings on the subject so clearly (as I haven't managed to do myself) that I "lived" them along with her, and needed a break from the book often, as I felt myself being dangerously drawn-in to her own experiences. "I push myself because I refuse not to, Because I want to have a life" That really hits "home" for anyone struggling daily to do even the small things, so some kind of sense of achievement can be won from each day.
In this respect - taken cautiously - this is a great "read" for any C.F. sufferer out-there. For I benefited from Loi's clarity in stating her experiences. It's also a good read for anyone who is in contact with a C.F. sufferer - it'll give you a window into the effects of the condition, which your friend/relative/lover etc., may not be able to express...

As far as the "Jane Austen" layer goes - five stars for detail! Lori plots the course of Jane's movement's around England, visiting where she lived and had her life experiences, plus locations used in her novels. She also investigates Jane's own deep spiritual faith, and family connections in general, and to the Church and Navy, quoting some lovely prayers J.A. herself wrote.

Then there's a thread of possible-romance to flavour the journey. Personally, I'm glad Lori's attachemnt to Jack petered-out on their return to the States - for (as her condition has now been diagnosed -Lyme's disease - and is being treated) she has a career and life to enjoy before settling into marriage at a later time of her life if she chooses that. (Who says a woman still has to be married before a certain time of life nowadays, anyway?!)

Lastly - the day-to-day experiences of travelling around this country. The "nice" people and the not-nice ... which is the same in any society. The good meals and the horrible ones. The grotty B & B's and the wonderful places to stay. The small details of a person living out of a suitcase and moving on frequently.

Altogether, this is an enjoyable book for all of the above reasons, and one that could be read again and again. If any of the catagories above interest you - it's worth the price.

Retitled: A walk with Lori Smith and her life
The blurb of the book says is about the American author's journey to England as she wants to following Jane Austen's life. I liked the sounds of that - and the first few pages show a nice map of where she goes and what she sees and why. So I think fantastic, this sounds like a nice read.

Sadly, that feeling didn't last very long. What the publishers have failed to mention on the cover is that this book is mosly about Lori Smith, her health, her relationship insecurities and her religion. The Jane Austen aspect of the book does exist, and she does visit all these places and we do get some insight into them. However, it's mostly focused on the Christianity side of Austen's life. Lori Smith is following the more religious aspects of Austen's life as well as where she lived etc.

I have no objections about religious books, or books about the authors. However, it would be nice if this was clearly stated on the cover/blurb so that you know what's coming.

I found Lori Smith's writing to be rather basic and not that captivating. If the story telling had been better written I could probably have got into the other aspects of the book (other than Austen) much more. There are some good parts of course, but not enough to override the other no so great parts.

I did finish the book, as I can't leave any book unfinished no matter how much I don't enjoy it. However, what I'd say is - if you're looking for a book about Jane Austen's life then look elsewhere. If you're looking for a self reflective book about an insecure, religious American woman in England then this is the book for you.