By a Lady

January 16, 2006
Offering a picturesque dose of time travel, romance and the atmosphere of 19th-century England, Elyot follows actress C.J. Welles as she is mysteriously transported between present-day Manhattan and Bath of 1801. After an unfortunate stint as "lady's companion" to the abusive Lady Eloisa Wickham, C.J.'s luck arrives in the form of Lady Dalrymple, a progressive thinker who opens her home and her purse to C.J., believing she is her long-lost niece. Despite the pleasures of her adventures in history, which include steamy romance with the dashing Lord Darlington and friendship with Lady Dalrymple's cousin Jane Austen, C.J. must search for the way back to Greenwich Village, where she's auditioning for the role of Jane Austen in a modern-day play. Although she has to struggle to get a grasp on the customs and expectations of the day, C.J. is swiftly—and somewhat unbelievably—accepted as a British woman of the times. Occasionally, Elyot (pseudonymous author of The Memoirs of Helen of Troy
and published elsewhere as Leslie Carroll) indulges in verbosity that thickens and slows the story, but there are plenty of upper-crust scandals and snobbery to keep anglophiles engaged.

January 15, 2006
Cassandra Jane Welles, a contemporary American actress, unwittingly steps through a stage door/time portal into Bath, England circa 1801. Arrested for stealing an apple, she eventually finds a kind protector in Lady Dalrymple, who fools the ton into accepting Cassandra as her niece, and develops a friendship with writer Jane Austen. The Darcy-like Earl of Darlington falls for Cassandra, but his irascible Aunt Augusta convinces him to abandon her in favor of a rich heiress. The impoverished Earl needs a wealthy wife in order to save his stately home, Delamere, and a pregnant Cassandra is stunned when she learns of his betrothal. Cassandra eventually finds happiness in the 19th century and, in a surprise plot twist, discovers her true birthright. A professional actress, Elyot (The Memoirs of Helen of Troy) once played Jane Austen on the stage and is knowledgeable about the Regency period. Diana Gabaldon readers, as well as fans of Elizabeth Aston and Linda Berdoll who have continued the adventures of Austen's Darcy clan, will enjoy this book. Suitable for public libraries. [Elyot is the pen name of Leslie Carroll, whose Spin Doctor is reviewed above. -Ed.]" - Loralyn Whitney, Edinboro Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib."

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