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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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Review: Jane Austen Ruined My Life

Jane Austen Ruined My Life
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but since I had enjoyed the author's Betsy books, I was reasonably certain I'd enjoy this one.

I didn't just enjoy this book, I absolutely loved it. It was partly due to the fact that I adore Jane Austen and reread her books at least once every year.

The parallels the storyline took with Austen's novel plots was both poignant and surprising. I'm sure I didn't describe that adequately, but there it is. There were several points at which I teared up with the poignancy of the story, and other times I was gasping in surprise and delight.

It's rather a big deal for me to like a book I cried over, because in general I hate books that make me cry. (Give me a suspense or a comedy any day over a women's fiction or literary book. Life has enough pain that I don't care to be slugged with it in the pages of a novel.) But I truly loved this book even though it also made me cry.

The ending was unexpected but I thought entirely appropriate considering what the message of the story was.

I would suggest reading Jane Austen's Persuasion before reading this book because some of the parallels with it, both mentioned and unmentioned, make it an especially powerful and romantic read.

Bottom line: A fantastic book and one of the best Christian fiction books I've read in a long time.

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Susan said…
I loved this book too! Make sure you read the other two that are connected to this one, if you haven't already. The books are loosely connected, but if you liked this one, you will probably also enjoy "Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart" and "The Dashwood Sisters Tell All."
Sun Mar 04, 11:50:00 AM 2012
Camy Tang said…
Oooh I'm glad you told me! I have both of those so now I'll dive into them right away!
Sun Mar 04, 05:04:00 PM 2012
Cecelia Dowdy said…
This book sounds like a winner, so I'll need to keep it in mind. To tell you the truth, I haven't read Jane Austen novels in decades - not sure if I can find the energy to re-read it before reading this book.
Mon Mar 12, 07:46:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
I absolutely adore Jane Austen novels. I reread them all each year.
Mon Mar 12, 07:56:00 PM 2012
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