Many others have, understandably, given this silly book a very low rating; however, there's a difference between a silly book and a stupid book, so I'm being a little more gracious with my rating. The story is so ridiculous that the reader often wonders if the author is having a joke with us all; but it's very WELL written, using a rich and intelligent vocabulary, and is very well researched, the author having a good understanding of Regency era Bath.

My initial reaction was that the author was using far too many Jane facts all at once. I wrote, "not everything has to be explained. A fan already knows these things and a non-fan won't care. Too much clever gets to be annoying." After awhile, I realized this was going to be the style of the entire book so I gave up my frustration and rolled with it. It did get better after awhile when I realized the author was pretty knowledgeable and offered many interesting lessons on Georgian/Regency life.

The story was so unbelievable that it would be silly to even attempt a comment. Many reviewers have expressed frustration that it all seemed so coincidental and ridiculous. I'd invite those readers to stop for a moment and remember they're reading a time travel story. Time travel is impossible. Therefore, EVERYTHING in this story is silly and ridiculous...it's built upon a ridiculous premise. So, rather than trying to pick apart the story itself, perhaps it makes more sense to comment on the predictable elements within it.

My only issue with her actual grammatical style was the fact she put quotes around far too many words and phrases, hoping to emphasize their importance. The whole "aunt" and "niece" thing was frustrating, as I found myself emphasizing them in my head as I read them, page after page. I suppose it was supposed to build up to the fact that she didn't use them at the end---emphasizing the true connection between these two characters---but that was annoyingly anticlimactic.

I was not impressed with the character of CJ. Firstly, she had way more knowledge than made sense---no matter how much she'd researched for her character. Sure, she may have perfected a 21st century idea of what Regency life was like, making her actions less conspicuous once she got there, but it's very unlikely she'd be able to speak their way so easily, quickly, and without detection. No matter how much I study a foreign language, I will never speak it flawlessly to other native speakers my first time out. While American English and British English may be mostly the same language, any American who has read something written by a 21st century Briton can tell the difference almost immediately---how much more the difference between a 21 century actress and the 18th century culture into which she stepped?

A second unlikely thing was CJ's reaction to meeting Jane Austen. She doesn't seem to care a bit and the beloved author is treated like any other character. It's not until after several meetings with her that CJ expresses any sort of awe that they are friends. (Side note: robotic Jane-quoting Jane is also really annoying.)

I suppose I could comment here, at length, on the predictability of the story; but as I said above, it's made to be unrealistic to begin with so expectations should be appropriate.

Lastly, my biggest beef with the story was the explicit sex scenes. Always unnecessary---but very unexpected in this story and unneeded, too. Austen introduced us to many romantic relationships without any hint of impropriety. Surely this author could have challenged herself to do the same.

Overall, I liked reading about Bath---mainly because I'll be going there again twice this year, for my fourth and fifth visits, and will enjoy some of the same walks and views as these characters did. However, the rest of the story's elements left me rolling my eyes. Not a bad book---but not a super great one. Without the explicit scenes, I might recommend it for its silly fun look at Regency life, but I can't suggest it to anyone with those scenes included. ( )

Super fluffy, but fun. The title pretty much explains it all. (November 19, 2006) ( )

3.5 stars.

C.J. is trying out for a part on Broadway, hoping to play her favourite author, Jane Austen. As the audition comes to a close, she suddenly finds herself in Bath, England, in the year 1801. Now what? She has no money, no place to stay, and knows no one! C.J. finds herself in all sorts of different situations while in the early 19th century.

It was a good book. I learned a little bit about the time period, as well. ( )

May 28, 08 - So far this book is awesome! It's what "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" should have been. Very, very interesting. Based on what I've read so far any Jane Austen fan might enjoy this book.

June 9, 08 - Very, very good book. I like how this Jane Austen addict actually stuck to the ideals and mannerisms of the time instead of trying to change everybody and everything. It really was her adventure of becoming a lady of Edwardian England. ( )

The only thing I can give this author credit for is the idea. The rest of it just made me want to laugh! Everything was so horrifyingly predictable - at first I wondered if it was supposed to be a satire on the quintessential "happy ending" novel of the time, but its countless sex scenes forced me to scrap that idea. Not to mention the endless (and I mean endless) coincidences and silly actions by silly characters that I just can't be forced to believe.

And honestly, I could not bring myself to like the protagonist. Her "modern" outlook on life seems, to put it plainly, like that of a modern hooker. She does stupid things and never learns from them - insisting that she won't be "put down" by an era wherein it's merely common sense not to do certain things.

All in all, the author had a good idea, but her writing was too silly to make it worth reading. At least it gave me a good laugh. ( )