First Impressions

August 11, 2014
Lovett (The Bookman’s Tale) weaves two plots together in this well-designed, ingenious novel. One is the story of Jane Austen’s relationship with the Rev. Richard Mansfield, set in Hamphire, England, in 1796; the other follows Sophie Collingwood, lovingly described by her family as having an overactive imagination, in present-day England. Sophie is shocked to hear that her uncle was found dead with a broken neck at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Willed all his assets, she prepares to settle into his London home only to discover that his extensive library has been sold to pay off debts. She resolves to buy back as many of his books as possible and gains employment in a bookshop. While taking orders for rare books, she encounters two customers obsessively seeking the same edition of an obscure work by Mansfield. She is determined to find out why the book is so valuable to them and why one customer is desperate enough to threaten her—and perhaps even willing to commit murder—to gain possession of it. Ardent fans of Jane Austen and lovers of a gripping stories will enjoy following Sophie’s pursuit of the truth.

August 15, 2014
Was Jane Austen a plagiarist? Modern-day bibliophile and Austen fan Sophie Collingwood hopes not, but can she establish the truth about her favorite author while exploring her beloved uncle's suspicious death and choosing between two attractive men, asks Lovett's lightweight new literary mystery? Who came up with the central plot of Pride and Prejudice? Elderly English cleric Rev. Richard Mansfield, suggests Lovett (The Bookman's Tale, 2013) in this parallel-narrative tale that explores Austen's friendship with Mansfield in the late 18th century alongside the contemporary life and loves of Sophie. Sophie became a bookaholic thanks to her uncle Bertram, who adored books and taught his niece to share his passion. When Bertram dies mysteriously, Sophie is heartbroken. Due to inherit his London apartment and book collection, she is further devastated to learn the books have been sold to cover her uncle's debts. Taking a job as an antiquarian bookseller, Sophie finds herself pursued by competing suitors: footloose American academic Eric Hall and smooth publisher Winston Godfrey, who first puts Sophie on the trail of the Rev. Mansfield's obscure second volume of A Little Book of Allegorical Stories-titled Little Allegories and a Cautionary Tale-which throws up the question about Austen's invention. Lovett's love of books and libraries once again energizes his storytelling, but this new plot is more conventional than his first, with Sophie's chapters verging on chick lit and Jane's testing the patience of non-Austen-ophiles. Intrepid Sophie, who steals books and has casual sex, is only temporarily outfoxed by the novel's cardboard villain and soon solves the men dilemma, too.The freshness that marked Lovett's debut is less evident in this second novel, a predictable tale of romantic suspense that becomes progressively weaker in its closing chapters.

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September 1, 2014

In Lovett's debut novel, The Bookman's Tale, about an antiquarian book dealer, Shakespeare took center stage. This time the author adds bookish intrigue to the life of another luminary of English literature. While the few facts about Jane Austen's life are well known, many scholars have speculated about Austen's experience in love. How could she write so knowledgably about the subject when she never married? Lovett's story line speculates that Austen did have a great love, an elderly reverend named Richard Mansfield. New graduate Sophie Collingwood is trying to figure out her life after the stunning death of her Uncle Bertram. Sophie shared her uncle's love of books, so she finds a job at a rare bookstore. Two requests for an unusual book puts Sophie on the trail of Austen. When Sophie finds an early draft of Pride and Prejudice, she finds both her own life and Jane's reputation in danger. VERDICT While the ending is never in doubt and the formula is the same as Lovett's previous literary mystery, this is a delightful read that Janeites will love. [See Prepub Alert, 4/21/14.]--Lynnanne Pearson, Skokie P.L., IL

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014
Alternating chapters across the centuries tell the gradually intertwining stories of contemporary bibliophile Sophie Collingwood and budding author Jane Austen. Oxford graduate Sophie is mourning beloved Uncle Bertram, who introduced her to the world of books, after he suffers an untimely death in a fall, leaving her his flat and personal library. Jane, meanwhile, has a deepening relationship in 1796 with aged cleric Richard Mansfield, who offers encouragement and advice on her writing. Sophie is distressed about Bertram's death, which she thinks was not accidental, and the unexpected sale of his books to cover debts. Working at a used bookstore, she is asked by two different customers to find the same obscure nineteenth-century book, one that raises the question of whether Jane Austen, Sophie's favorite author, was a plagiarist. All of which makes Sophie suspicious of her two suitors, American Eric Hall and Englishman Winston Godfrey. Lovett, author of The Bookman's Tale (2013), has another appealing combination of mystery, romance, and bibliophilism here. An absolute must for Austen fans, a pleasure for others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)