THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

A California book club forms to discuss the novels of Jane Austen--what a promising literary device. As the five women and one man meet to discuss Austen's novels, they inevitably end up revealing intimacies about their own lives. Alas, with its overabundance of detail, the book becomes very like a heavy Celebration cake--so overstuffed with detail that it sags under its own weight. Kimberly Schraf reads with precision and grace, and Fowler's shrewd observations are provocative. But, ultimately, there's just too much to carry the story. L.C. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]