Review copy was received from Purchased. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Cohen Marantz Published by St. Martin's Press on January 7, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Anne Ehrlich is a dedicated guidance counselor steering her high-school charges through the perils of college admission. Thirteen years ago, when she was graduating from Columbia University, her wealthy family -- especially her dear grandmother Winnie -- persuaded her to give up the love of her life, Ben Cutler, a penniless boy from Queens College. Anne has never married and hasn't seen Ben since -- until his nephew turns up in her high school and starts applying to college.
Now Ben is a successful writer, a world traveler, and a soon-to-be married man; and Winnie's health is beginning to fail. All of these changes have Anne beginning to wonder: Can old love be
rekindled, or are past mistakes too painful to forget?
A modern retelling of Persuasion set in Scarsdale, NY on a local high school campus gives readers an inside and humorous peek at the life of a high school guidance counselor who is brought face to face with the one she let go. I was curious with such a set up for a second chance to make good with the love of her life while juggling the neurotic frenzy of college acceptance season. The wry humor and often over the top antics of parents and students were a good balance with the often bittersweet reflections of a thirty-something who made the biggest mistake of her life when she passed on love for status and security.
Jane Austen in Scarsdale is a mild book and the heroine is an average, mild sort so this one has a gentle, soft impact on the reader particularly at first when one spends a lot of time with heroine Anne Erlich behind her guidance counselor desk keeping the high school crazy to a minimum for principal, parents, and the students. Something tells me the over the top behavior isn’t far off real life when it comes to high stakes college entrance.
Anne’s life is mundane and somewhat lonely since she pretty much lives for her work even as her snobbish dad and sister have Uptown NYC tastes and have run through the family wealth as a result. She looks after her grandmother who still lives in the family mansion, once one of the show places of Scarsdale and soon the house must be sold to pay down her dad’s debts. Into this sad little life, comes her old flame who, contrary to her grandmother’s supposition, has made good on his brains and brilliance to become a wealthy, nearly household name in travel circles. He’s returned to the area and his nephew is now a senior at Anne’s school and in need of her for his college choices.
The big conflict in this pair finding their way back together is past hurt, but also a present girlfriend for Ben. At first, I was wary, but there was no cheating- in fact, the pair spend very little page time together. The sparks are there, but both thought that ship had sailed and think the other has moved on. I loved Anne’s grandmother who was full of life and her own brand of eccentric wisdom adding the zest to this story and doing what she could to help Anne. Anne’s good and dependable, but not exciting. She knows she can’t compete against Ben’s beautiful, talented girlfriend, but she doesn’t see her own quiet strength like others do. Loved how it all finally found a way in the end. Satisfying and often funny for those who enjoy Chick Lit.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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Why does it seem like the fathers were always spending the family money and making bad choices. Tis sounds good.
It sure happens frequently enough. 🙁 Anne was quietly strong and didn’t let it beat her down and I cracked up over the situations she had to deal with at work. I’d have run for the hills before putting up with all that.
Yes, retelling this story can be tricky with another women in the mix. I read another re-telling this last year of Persuasion by Melody Edwards and I thought she did a job with it. Sounds like this was a hit, too.
Ooh, loved that Melodie Edwards one, too. And, yes, this is a good one to put in the women’s fic paired with the modern retelling version category
I can definitely see enjoying this one. I love a good modern retelling like this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Hey, glad to put it on your radar, Lisa!