Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey. My stop includes all the details you need for the book, my review, and a giveaway.
One lucky commenter will win an ecopy of Attempting Elizabeth. This giveaway is open internationally, ends November 12th. The winner will be chosen randomly. To enter, simply leave a comment telling me whether or not you're an Austen fan. :)
The tour is presented by Xpresso Book Tours. To check out all the reviews on the tour, click here.
The tour is presented by Xpresso Book Tours. To check out all the reviews on the tour, click here.
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Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey
Publication date: January 24th 2013
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Kelsey Edmundson is a geek and proud of it. She makes no secret of her love for TV, movies, and, most especially, books. After a bad breakup, she retreats into her favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, wishing she had some of the wit and spirit of Elizabeth Bennett.
One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.
After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?
As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.
One night at a party Kelsey meets handsome Australian bartender Mark Barnes. From then on, she always seems to run into him when she least expects it. No matter how Kelsey tries, she always seems to say the wrong thing.
After a particularly gaffe-filled evening around Mark, Kelsey is in desperate need of inspiration from Jane Austen. She falls asleep reading Darcy’s letter to Lizzy and awakens to find herself in an unfamiliar place that looks and sounds suspiciously like her favorite book. Has she somehow been transported into Pride and Prejudice, or is it just a dream?
As Kelsey tries to discover what’s happening to her, she must also discover her own heart. Is Mark Barnes destined to be her Mr. Darcy? In the end, she must decide whether attempting to become Elizabeth is worth the risk or if being Kelsey Edmundson is enough.
If you love Pride & Prejudice, like I do, you MUST read Attempting Elizabeth. I could stop my review right here because 'nough said, right?!? But y'all know I'm chatty about books ~ especially anything relating to Jane Austen or Pride & Prejudice, so let me tell you why you'll love Attempting Elizabeth, whether you're a Jane Austen fan or not.
Kelsey Edmundson is kinda nerdy when it comes to pop culture. She's a Star Wars fangirl, as well as a geek about action movies and literature. She is an English Lit grad student, focusing on the Regency period. It's no real shock that she'd be an Austen fan. Nor is it shocking she'd turn to Austen, and her favorite heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, when she's feeling awkward and in need of some of Elizabeth's spirit. A few months after suffering a humiliating breakup, Kelsey meets Mark Barnes. For some reason, she always says or does the wrong things around him. Although Mark might be a worthy beau, Kelsey feels as though she always ends up with the rakes when it comes to relationships. She wishes she were more like Elizabeth Bennet, witty and confident. Kelsey decides it's time to stop her habit of always falling for the Wickhams in the world and finally find her Mr. Darcy. Along the way, she just might learn something about the merits of being yourself.
Much of the novel is spent 'in' the pages of Pride & Prejudice. I don't think you'll be lost if you've not read it, but it definitely adds to the pleasure of the novel, if you have. I don't want to go into the hows and whys of the book because it would ruin the experience. But I will say that I wouldn't mind Kelsey's unique ability to 'jump' into her favorite novel. Also, I truly enjoyed seeing Kelsey's transformation, with a little help from Elizabeth Bennett, from awkward geek-girl to confident young woman.
Honestly, lit lovers and Austen fans should rejoice! Ms. Grey does an excellent job of blending pop culture references, movie trivia and literature references, along with Pride & Prejudice. I'll admit that I enjoyed all the P&P scenes. I delighted in the descriptions of the 'off-screen' scenes Ms. Grey included. I enjoyed the analysis she did of the book, and where characters had turning points in the development. And I loved the commentary on the scenes and characters Kelsey provided, with the inside knowledge of someone intimately familiar with the story.
Again, if you've not read P&P, certain elements may be lost to you, but you'll still find the overall story enjoyable. Attempting Elizabeth is entertaining, well-written, and well paced...except for the ending. There were a few facets of the ending that I felt were rushed. But the story is original in it's navigating around the Pride & Prejudice story and it is a lot of fun.
Kelsey Edmundson is kinda nerdy when it comes to pop culture. She's a Star Wars fangirl, as well as a geek about action movies and literature. She is an English Lit grad student, focusing on the Regency period. It's no real shock that she'd be an Austen fan. Nor is it shocking she'd turn to Austen, and her favorite heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, when she's feeling awkward and in need of some of Elizabeth's spirit. A few months after suffering a humiliating breakup, Kelsey meets Mark Barnes. For some reason, she always says or does the wrong things around him. Although Mark might be a worthy beau, Kelsey feels as though she always ends up with the rakes when it comes to relationships. She wishes she were more like Elizabeth Bennet, witty and confident. Kelsey decides it's time to stop her habit of always falling for the Wickhams in the world and finally find her Mr. Darcy. Along the way, she just might learn something about the merits of being yourself.
Much of the novel is spent 'in' the pages of Pride & Prejudice. I don't think you'll be lost if you've not read it, but it definitely adds to the pleasure of the novel, if you have. I don't want to go into the hows and whys of the book because it would ruin the experience. But I will say that I wouldn't mind Kelsey's unique ability to 'jump' into her favorite novel. Also, I truly enjoyed seeing Kelsey's transformation, with a little help from Elizabeth Bennett, from awkward geek-girl to confident young woman.
Honestly, lit lovers and Austen fans should rejoice! Ms. Grey does an excellent job of blending pop culture references, movie trivia and literature references, along with Pride & Prejudice. I'll admit that I enjoyed all the P&P scenes. I delighted in the descriptions of the 'off-screen' scenes Ms. Grey included. I enjoyed the analysis she did of the book, and where characters had turning points in the development. And I loved the commentary on the scenes and characters Kelsey provided, with the inside knowledge of someone intimately familiar with the story.
Again, if you've not read P&P, certain elements may be lost to you, but you'll still find the overall story enjoyable. Attempting Elizabeth is entertaining, well-written, and well paced...except for the ending. There were a few facets of the ending that I felt were rushed. But the story is original in it's navigating around the Pride & Prejudice story and it is a lot of fun.
**Favorite Quotes**
"I was cruising, at a very high rate of speed, toward a complete Austen fangirlmeltdown." Loc 825, eARC
"I would trade use of a limb to be Elizabeth Bennet." Loc 1584, eARC
"Haven't you ever read Pride and Prejudice? I asked, horrified.Kelsey, I'm a guy." Loc 2982, eARC
**I received an eARC of this book, as part of the tour, in exchange for an honest review.
Jessica Grey is an author, fairytale believer, baseball lover, and recovering Star Wars fangirl. A life-long Californian, she now lives in Montana with her husband and two children where she spends her time writing, perfecting the fine art of preschooler-wrangling, and drinking way too much caffeine.
Kelsey sounds like a really fun character - overall this whole book sounds fun. I've never read P&P so it's god to know that I wouldn't be completely lost if I read it :) Great review, Brandee!
ReplyDeleteOh Giselle, AE is just so much fun ~ and I promise you'll want to read P&P afterwards. :) Thanks!
DeleteThanks so much for the awesome review! I'm glad that you enjoyed the "off-screen" P&P stuff. It's fun to think about what was happening behind the scenes to cause the characters to act like they did in the book! If you like reading Austen related goodness you should join us over on www.indiejane.org, it's where all the cool kids hang out ;)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Jessica! :) I just keep gushing about AE! It was fun to take a look at what might have happened in those off-screen moments, so thanks for sharing your imagination. And I'll make sure to check out indiejane.org ~ thanks for the recommendation.
DeleteGreat review, Brandee! I especially enjoyed that last quote about him being a guy - so of course he hasn't read P&P *grins*
ReplyDeleteI both love you and hate you right now. I've been doing so well with my COYER challenge, but I've added more books to my kindle this week than I've read, so it's still not really cleaning my kindle at all!
I look forward to reading Fearsome with you in the beginning of December! *hugs*
Have a great weekend.
Thanks, Lexxie! Yeah, my hubby and I had a good giggle over that quote, too. :) And my dear, I'll have you know you add just as many books to my TBR AND my ereaders, so turn about is fair play... LOL Oh, but I've not been as good as you at the COYER - but I did finish one! Yay for me!
DeleteCan't wait for our buddy read ~ I hope Fearsome is as good as I think it's gonna be!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, my friend! *hugs*
As far as I'm concerned - go Austen or go home :) Is it bad that I have three different editions of all of her novels because I couldn't decide which covers were the prettiest? I rotate them though so they don't feel left out.
ReplyDeleteOh, me too, Vilia...on both counts. LOL I think it's sweet you don't want your books to feel left out. :)
DeleteI hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
Brandee, you know I love books like this! Great find girlie and it got 5 worms too!! Must be real good and I love the fact that she interspersed actual text (am I right in interpreting this?) from P&P to the story to update and entice those who haven't read or are familiar with Austen's classic tale.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED it, Braine. It was a lot of fun on so many levels. Yep, she did actually intersperse the actual text into the story. And that's why I think it'll work for both those familiar with P&P and those who haven't read it. But I really do think to those who've read it, it'll mean so much more.
DeleteYay, Braine! You're the lucky commenter! Congrats!!
DeleteThis book... it speaks to me.... I must read it! Kelsey sounds like, well she sounds like me hahaha. I also loved Pride and Prejudice. Thanks for introducing this one to me!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! I could totally identify with her as well, Teresa! Hmm... ;) You're gonna love this one ~ it's just so much fun!
DeleteOMG, this sounds so cool, I love Pride and Prejudice. This is so up my alley. thanks for the great review. I am picking it up for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer! Attempting Elizabeth is a great read ~ lots of fun! I hope you love it as much as I did. :)
DeleteI agree with your review completely - I had so many fan girl moments, it was awesome! I have to admit I'm not sure I could have ever left the book if I had gotten in as Lizzy... so I seriously identified with Kelsey. I'm going to be raving about this book for a while :-)
ReplyDelete