Book 14 Sep 2007 06:25 am
Enthusiasm
You know you have found a good book when one of your favorite authors says,
Everyone will love this book.
-Stephenie Meyer, author of Twilight
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman, website here, was just released in paperback, and is an Austen-esque novel. I was at a booksigning for Stephenie Meyer and picked up a copy of Enthusiasm. It was really cute! Definitely a fun story that you should all pick up!!!!
While familiarity with Austen’s world through her books or, more likely, the movies will deepen readers’ appreciation for Shulman’s impressive first novel, it is no means a prerequisite to enjoying this involving and often amusing narrative of friendship, courtship, and (of course) true love. —Carolyn Phelan, Booklist, starred review
Despite the fact that Julie Lefkowitz is often exasperated by her best friend Ashleigh, “an Enthusiast,” the 15-year-old loyally tolerates and often takes part in Ashleigh’s various crazes. Ashleigh’s current interest is the book Pride and Prejudice, and her latest scheme is to crash a formidable boys’ school to attend a dance and find a 21st-century version of Mr. Darcy for herself, as well as a suitable companion for Julie. Dressed in vintage gowns, the girls do manage to slip into the dance and hook up with two agreeable young gentlemen. The problem is that both girls become smitten with the same guy—the shyer, more refined of the two boys. What follows is a sequence of witty exchanges, comic errors and miscommunications that could be taken right out of a Jane Austen novel. When all four characters get cast in a play, opportunities for passionate encounters abound; love triangles emerge and eventually evolve into appropriate romantic pairings. Those familiar with Jane Austen’s writing style and themes will most appreciate the many overt and subtle references to the 19th-century author. If a couple of episodes seem a little over the top (as when [spoiler omitted]), readers caught up in this debut novel’s romantic whimsy and humor will willingly suspend their disbelief.
—Publishers Weekly
Comical misunderstandings ensue in this innocent who-will-wind-up-dating-whom farce. Shulman manages to lift the story above standard fare with clever plotting and quirky, often elegant writing that should please the literary crowd while keeping romance lovers engaged. Several cuts above the usual fare. –Kirkus
Check out this fabulous novel, available in paperback at your local independent bookshop!!
Tags: Book, books, enthusiasm, kirkus, polly shulman, pride and prejudice, publishers weekly, reviews, ya, young adult