The books of Jane Austen. A possible murder. A literary mystery. Two witty bibliophiles--Sophie Collingwood and Eric Hall--and an Austen-worthy romance. Combined, these five elements make First Impressions by Charlie Lovett one of my most favorite reads this year. It's every bit as good as his first novel, The Bookman's Tale (which I loved). The chapters in this book alternate between past and present, between Jane Austen and Sophie Collingwood, a narrative style that normally drives me crazy but which I actually didn't mind here. In fact, I enjoyed reading both story lines.
Here's the first line of the first Jane Austen chapter:
"Fond as she was of solitary walks, Jane had been wandering rather longer than she had intended, her mind occupied not so much with the story she had lately been reading as with one she hoped soon to be writing."And here's the first few lines of Sophie's story, present day:
"After five years at Oxford, Sophie Collingwood had mastered the art of reading while walking ... This was a useful skill for someone so absorbed by the books she read that she often pictured herself at the center of whatever romance or mystery or adventure played out on their pages."These first lines lead to a delightful tale of old books, intrigue and mystery, friendship and romance, and some of Jane Austen's best writing. I thought it was a lot of fun. I'm glad Charlie Lovett wrote it...and even more glad that I got to read it !
Happy Reading!
I enjoyed The Bookman's Tale, and if you are including it as one of your favorite reads this year, it must be good! I like the Jane/Sophie aspect as well!
ReplyDeleteIt's so well-written...and fun. I read it in a weekend and was sorry when it ended.
DeleteI've seen this book popping up on lots of blogs I visit, but hadn't taken the time to read what it was about. I think I would like it! The Bookman's Tale is on my wish list, and I had no idea it was the same author.
ReplyDeleteThis is Lovett's second book. They are both worth reading! He's fast becoming one of my favorite authors.
DeleteSounds like a fun read for dreary January! I am putting this on my 2015 list. Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteIt'd be perfect for January! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
DeleteGreat review -- makes me want to find a copy so I can walk around reading it like Sophie. It sounds like Lovett did well with the double narrative -- a technique I often like, even though I always have a moment of "Oh!" when I have to shift gears to another time period and character.
ReplyDeleteI actually enjoyed both story lines equally, which is unusual for me with a double narrative; I usually prefer one over the other...but Lovett makes both Sophie and Jane such enjoyable and fun characters I liked reading about both of them.
Delete