Lost in Austen

I am not as fanatical a fan of Jane Austen and her “Pride and Prejudice” as some are, but I am up there. With a collection of her works and as many movie adaptations as I can get my hands on, I can say that I am without a doubt an admirer. “Pride and Prejudice” being my favorite, I read it for the first time when I was in high school and I was lost in the romance. Now, there are multiple reproductions and continuations of this story and many of them flat out suck, however I have found many hours of enjoyment watching modern versions of the story, hell, there is a Bollywood adaptation for crying out loud. But what Lost in Austen does is take every woman’s dream of being part of the best loved story and makes it a reality for one Hammersmith girl.

Amanda Price is as much a fan of the story as one can be before they begin dressing in period clothing and getting institutionalized. She prefers staying at home and reading her favorite story to going out with her friends and her unfortunately un-Darcy like boyfriend. When one night she hears a commotion in her loo and upon investigation, she finds a young woman in Edwardian garb babbling about a secret door and claiming to be Elizabeth Bennet. When Elizabeth shows Amanda the door that leads to the upper most part of the Bennet household, she finds herself trapped at the very beginning of the novel and Elizabeth living in 21st century London. Amanda finds trust in Mr. Bennet and dislike from the marriage minded Mrs. Bennet who makes it clear that Amanda is not wanted.

Amanda does what she can to make sure the story progresses as it should even though Elizabeth is missing but finds it more difficult than she thought when Mr. Bingly becomes attracted to her instead. Attempting to force the story right, Amanda only finds that she makes it worse and alters the lives of her most loved characters.

Lost in Austen was a miniseries that aired late last year on some station I obviously do not have, and instantly gained high viewing numbers. Which is no wonder, every woman would love to switch places with Elizabeth and what Amanda Price gives us, is the opportunity to see what it would be like to live this dream. I am biased in my opinion I am afraid, I loved this series and find that I can’t wait to get home to watch it again.