Book Five: Austenland

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I don't 'do' fan fiction especially that which would try in vain to continue the stories laid forth by one Jane Austen. Insipid and trite, I find them offensive to anyone with intelligence.  Shannon Hale's Austenland creates a modern-day single, thirty-something, career woman who is in desperate need of a Mr. Darcy.  To wit, she arrives at Pemberly Park for three weeks of immersion therapy courtesy of a generous benefactor.  What ensues is predictable to the reader.  Regardless, I was bewitched and managed to make myself late for work because I need to finish the book.  Kudos to Hale for walking the fine line between pandering and homage and creating a land I actually want to visit.  Much like these literary pilgrimages.