The Austen Escape [Paperback]

'Dripping with period detail but fundamentally a modern story, The Austen Escape is a clever, warmhearted homage to Austen and her fans.''Reay handles. . .scenes with tenderness and a light touch, allowing the drama to come as much from internal conflict as external, rom-com--type misunderstandings. . .Thoughtful escapism.''Unlike many books written in homage to Austen, this is not a modern retelling of any of her stories, but rather a romp among contemporary Austen fanatics. Readers eager for anything Austen-related will enjoy this clean romance that explores the concept of escapism and what it may reveal about our real lives.''Reay's exquisite phrasing will resonate with readers and provide much fodder for pondering. . .this is a beautifully written novel and one to be savored and enjoyed.''Reay has written so many Austen-tangential novels, they almost make a genre. While three adapt Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma, The Austen Escape stands alone . . . What's interesting about Reay is the way she tests how far from canon new stories can get. Where Flynn's Jane Austen Project gave us time travel; Reay offers an Austen-triggered psychotic break. Such storylines reveal something Janites already know: Austen is infinitely adaptable.'

Critically-acclaimed author Katherine Reay’s latest love letter to Jane Austen.

Mary Davies finds safety in her ordered and productive life. Working as an engineer, she genuinely enjoys her job and her colleagues—particularly a certain adorable and intelligent consultant. But something is missing. When Mary’s estranged childhood friend, Isabel Dwyer, offers her a two-week stay in a gorgeous manor house in England, she reluctantly agrees in hopes that the holiday will shake up her quiet life in just the right ways.

But Mary gets more than she bargained for when Isabel loses her memory and fully believes she lives in Jane Austen’s Bath. While Isabel rests and delights in tl#,