Joint Discussion: The Jane Austen Project

Hello all! Carole and I will be discussing "The Jane Austen Project" by Kathleen A. Flynn. I am in red and Carole in orange.

Author: Kathleen A. Flynn

Title: The Jane Austen Project

Genre: Historical Fiction, SciFi, Time Travel, Romance, Fantasy

Pages: ebook

Published: May 2nd 2017 

Where I Got It: Library

London England, 1815: Two travelers—Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane—arrive in a field, disheveled and weighed down with hidden money. They are not what they seem, but colleagues from a technologically advanced future, posing as a doctor and his spinster sister. While Rachel and Liam aren’t the first team of time travelers, their mission is the most audacious yet: meet, befriend, and steal from Jane Austen.

Carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, disaster-relief doctor Rachel and actor-turned-scholar Liam have little in common excerpt their extraordinary circumstances. Circumstances that call for Rachel to stifle her independent nature and let Liam take the lead as they infiltrate Austen’s circle via her favorite brother, Henry.

But diagnosing Jane’s fatal illness and obtaining an unpublished novel hinted at in her letters pose enough of a challenge without the convolutions of living a lie. While her friendship with Jane deepens and her relationship with Liam grows complicated, Rachel fights to reconcile her true self with the constrictions of 19th century society. As their portal to the future prepares to close, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history as they found it…however heartbreaking that proves.

Ok, so this was different. Time travel where they are so prepared, so rich too for that matter. I liked that. No rambling through time being silly. These people knew their stuff.

Yes. I loved that aspect. They came there prepared with training and money and a mission. How intriguing!

Of course, going back to find a book is really silly lol

Someone rich probably paid for it and wanted those manuscripts. A huge JA fan! LOL I also think they were hoping for more info on her. The book was the cherry on top.

Probably. Cos to go back for a book, and to see why she died so young. When there are other things they could do! But then they wanted not to make a mark.

I love JA as much as the next person. But there are so many other things and people I would want to go check out and solve those mysteries first. And they had to expect they were changing history. Any sort of time travel would. Just buying something at a store could impact history. Just being a body there goes against history. I will say the ending did confuse me a bit. Time travel books always do. LOL

Yes, what if they buy that book that X was meant to buy to study and then X never studied and never invented Y. Butterfly effect or whatever.

The end end? I hope for happy.

The ending was confusing for me. LOL Especially when they were all talking about this version and that version. It boggled my mind which always happens when it comes to time travel and changes in timelines and the like. Oooo the Butterfly Effect. Draws me bananas. But I really think the author did a good job with the whole time travel aspect.

Ugh, yes, the whole timeline was whaat? How, I, what? But I hope for happy if you know what I mean. Just cos things change they do not change.

Yes, I liked how she did it. If only you know, if only.!

Time travel is a mess. If I were to do it I would want to be invisible. I would just want to be there and observe. Not messing up any timelines for me!

However, I would be tempted to want to meet Jane Austen. I am curious about what her real character is. If she was how she was in this book, I would have a hard time liking her. She seemed a little bipolar.

I was not a fan, but then she saw too much, and when you are a time traveler then other people should not see too much. She had that wit and she was dark, not someone I want to be friends with, but someone that I can appreciate.’

Yes. I really feel she did embody the artist role. So I think the author did well in showing Jane. She was dark and witty and her moments she just wanted to be left alone. The tortured artist and she probably hated the fact she couldn’t and wouldn’t publish under her own name. It would annoy me not to get the credit I deserved but during this time it was unseen for a woman to be a novelist.

Yes, I’d be angry, but then, she expected it too, but she would still resent it. Brooding artist fits well. Oh Jane.

I think the author did well at depicting her.

I was so bummed by Edward. He seemed soooo sweet and nice. But then he wasn’t. I was so sad! But I guess every story needs someone to play the villain ;)

I am sorry! I know you liked Edward when I opened my big mouth, oops! I liked Henry, even though at even at the end I was not sure about his feelings.

Not your fault about Edward. The scene in the library made me hate him. What a jerk! And what makes me even madder is the fact he was fake nice to them. SMH! Be a man and question them to their faces.

But fake nice was all the rage then.

Psst, we need to wrap it up, the pizza is done!

Ok, so we talked Jane, time travel aspect. What about the actual time travelers? U said you did not really care for Liam

True, true. But still. I guess I was deceived and I am hurt ;)

Oh dear! PIZZA!

I did not care for Liam. He got better near the end. But I think she deserved better. I can’t explain it, but he rubbed me the wrong way.

Yeah, I did not care for Liam that way. But Liam there, eh, sure that worked. I did like her, she tried to fit in.

I feel like her motives were pure and she actually really liked Jane and wanted to be her friend and try and save her. I do feel the romance between Liam and her felt forced.

It came out of nowhere. I was not a fan

I wasn’t either. It felt so forced and so dangerous especially since they are acting as brother and sister. Ummm...how in the world would you explain if someone caught you???? It was so awkward. Plus he has a fiance at home! Sure he wants to break it off with her, but still.

Yes fiance at home and omg if someone had caught them. Awkward as F! More than awkward. Run them out of town weird

That is a way to change history. You get caught making out with your “brother” (even tho he really isn’t) and you become a legend. LOL That would be in the gossip papers. SMH. Use your brain people!

Keep it in your pants people!

Idiots! Sighs.

Anything more to add? Sorry, I am ALL over the place today

LOL. I totally get it. While you were gone I started a load of laundry

But overall, I liked this book. I think it was a good choice. I didn’t have any major issues except for how slow it was. Slow narrative, but I get it. They are getting established and I feel like the author did it on purpose since all books by Jane Austen and the other old writers had a slow-moving plot. The end was okay...confused me with all the Butterfly talk mumbo jumbo. Not amazing, but I liked it.

Yes, it was very slow, but I liked it. Sure it took me a while to get to that enjoy part. Nothing happened, but then Henry came and Jane came and I wanted to know how it all would end.

Endings! Ha, but you know maybe she will write another one...maybe we should hope for that

I wouldn’t mind reading more! I do want to see what happened to them next. I also want to read the book that Jane Austen “wrote” about them. That would be a fun tale!

I hope she writes more then. I’d read it. SHe did talk about the Brontes

Yessss maybe that is a spoiler. Maybe the duo will go solve the issues of the Brontes ;) Change history again. I would read that for sure.

The end?

Yess, the end. I need to do chores ;)

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.