So, I think I’ve seen nearly all the adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels, plus the Jane Austen Book Club, and to date, I have not read one complete book by her. It’s not that I’m lazy, but I suppose I just never really got the Austen bug . . . that is, until now. Sappy as it sounds, this movie inspired me to delve into her work.

So, here’s my question to the Austen aficionado/a:
Which one should I read first?

I didn’t get into this film first attempt, and then it languished for quite some time before I gave it another go. I didn’t really like the casting, of either Anne Hathaway or James McAvoy, which was a bit of a problem. In truth, I felt the whole thing to be sort of a substandard Austen-esque adaption: yes, it makes her work seem more based on her life, but life can’t hold up to fiction.

However… it’s very very pretty, and at the end of it all I was just so damn grateful to be living in the times that I am. Romantic dramas might not be entirely my cup of tea, but I was left with a profound appreciation that I in the 21st Century would never have to chose between love and family, love and career, or my principles and my family’s welfare.

Oh was I bummed. At least for two days. Lovely film, but very bittersweet. Of course, they had to remain true to history and history indicates LeFroy was but a young flirtation of Jane’s. But still, he really did name his daughter “Jane”, so you have to wonder about that.

I would find it hard saying good-bye to James McAvoy. It is true he didn’t start out as a sympathetic character, yet I admired him as someone who allowed himself to be transformed for the sake of the one he loved and that is a quality that wins my heart: the willingness to be vulnerable and to grow in love.

Being an avid Jane Austen fan, I was very excited to see this film. I was it would seem however, very naive in terms of its content. Without reason, I expected something in the likeness of her own works, which was undoubtedly NOT the case. The film was certainly geared toward the irony of her own circumstances and their influence on her writing. The performances of both Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy were intense and capturing. It was difficult as a viewer however to sympathize with McAvoy’s character, which led the viewer to be torn, much I imagine as Jane Austen herself was. The cinematography was beautiful and the language witty. Overall, it was a very moving film.