THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN

Stina Nielsen's narration makes it easy to suspend disbelief while listening to Jane Austen's "lost" memoirs, discovered hidden under the eaves of the author's home. From the moment Nielsen assumes the informative, authoritative tone of Dr. Jesse, the fictitious Austen scholar who pens the foreword, listeners happily give up trying to distinguish fact from fun speculation. Indeed, James's use of actual facts, dates, and locations provides such a sturdy underpinning for her fanciful speculations about Austen's life and secret love that listeners will be tempted to believe in the world she creates. Nielsen's very British reading highlights James's sometimes-uncanny imitation of Austen's style and reveals her own gift for bringing nuanced characters alive through dialogue. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2010]