Val McDermid meets Jane Austen? The idea just makes me giggle.

A very good attempt to update Jane's satirical 'gothic' novel keeping very close to the plot and characters of the original with the Edinburgh Festival replacing Bath as the chattering classes place to be.

I understand that this is part of a project to bring Austen novels 'up to date' and make them more appealing for young adults. I'm not convinced that young adults would care for this, I think perhaps the author is not totally tuned in to how young people speak to each other (although I wouldn't really know!) and the technology and social media stuff is already out of date! Would even a home educated teenager be as innocent as Cat? I don't think so. A good try though, and entertaining.

Going to the Papermill restaurant for possible use in a bookswap game!

This was my win in the book swap game, and I like the sound of it, so hope to read it asap. Thanks Sal! Great to see you and the girls at the weekend. Hope we can do it again soon :) X

Taking lots of books along to the Bookcrossing Uncon in Birmingham this weekend, 23rd-25th September. This is a wishlist book for rahar109. Hope you enjoy this!

Left on the RABCK table for me. Thank you.

Had to re-read the original before I tackled this. I don't think McDermid was the best choice for this - she doesn't manage the lightness of touch or wit that Austen had in the original. Interesting concept, but slightly disappointing.
And did anyone ever really say "totes amazeballs" other than on the TV on Miranda?

Being taken to the lunchtime meet-up tomorrow.

Hello!
If this is your introduction to Bookcrossing, welcome, and congratulations on finding this book! Enjoy reading the book,and I hope you will let us know what you thought. It is now yours to do with as you wish - keep it, pass it on, but please leave the label, so it can keep in touch with us. If you would like to know what happens to the book after it has left you, then do join - it's private and it's fun!
And if you do choose to join, please consider using me, rahar109, as your referring member.
Happy Bookcrossing!

Picked this up at the Oxford Meet Up today. Will add this to MTBR. I do like the sound of it as I've always enjoyed Val McDermids style of writing.

I haven't read the original. Which I thought was a bonus as when I started this I really didn't much care for it. I think perhaps if I'd read the original this might have irritated me even more. I'm a big fan of McDermid and have read all her Wire in the Blood series to date as well as quite a few of her other books. I've read quite a bit of Austen too. My big problem with this is it seemed to mingle some Jane Austen style with modern day life. I think it would have been far better if it had had the plot of Northanger Abbey set in the modern day. There was too much that seemed old fashioned and not of the modern day despite the setting. That said towards the end I found it a bit of a page turner as I was keen to find out how things would all work out. I'd like to read the original Austen version now.