Absolutely Fantastic

A Disappointing Continuation

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I didn't make the mistake of reading reviews before watching this so I went in with no expectations. Before going any further I have to admit to having watched the 90's version of P & P and read the novel dozens of times. A true Austen freak, I am.Like other reviewers, at first I was offended by the crudeness and lack of tact displayed by the Amanda character when she entered the world of the novel. How dare any true Austen fan behave in a way that displays such ignorance of Lizzie's world? She should have fit right in. But then I realized the choice to NOT make Amanda a perfect Eliza Bennet clone made for a much more dynamic story and more amusing moments between the characters. Instead of giving her the perfect accent, the perfect deportment, and the perfect manners right from the start, it took her some time to fit in. Her clumsy manner and bluntness caused her to make some mistakes that would seem impossible for a true Austen fan but enabled unexpected twists and turns in the story. And its these twists and the what ifs that I loved. I loved that the wrong people fell in love. I love that everything she thought was supposed to happen didn't happen. If I wanted to watch a P & P imitation, I would just watch the real thing again. I found the movie Becoming Jane, which attempted to follow a truer Jane Austen style, to be a sappy and insipid imitation that was truly forgettable and predictable. No one else can do Jane Austen and Lost in Austen doesn't try to. Instead, its fun and impertinent in a way that I think Jane herself would appreciate.

I was so in love with this TV-series that I watched it five times already and that is unusual of me.First things first, you get a lot of visual gorgeousness! Absolutely amazing atmospheric settings, it just can't get any better in my opinion! The buildings, the interiors and most importantly the light!... It travels you to this intentionally fantastic world, that imagined past that all romantics dream about. Top that with beautiful talented actors that show off their characters so well and you see why this can get addictive! A few words about our romance story: delicious, moving, jealousy worthy ... but I have to admit it does seem a bit forced. Amanda Price is indeed lovable for her humanity and sincerity. On the other hand she does not fit in the idle society of the conceited aristocracy whose manners reveal pure courteous deceit. She does not know neither wants to be diplomatic and causes all kinds of blunders. Darcy appreciates that honorable quality of speaking the truth above all odds and gets to love her for that but... that is not apparent throughout the episodes. At some point he really doesn't like her and has reason to. His subsequent 180 degrees change of heart is not that believable even for his context. Could Amanda really inspire such a passion? Honestly I don't think so. But it sort of works... Even in the beginning her short-term fancy with the very handsome Mr Bingley that is very soon forgotten and resolves into the great love story between him and Jane... is not all that believable is it?...Of course there is humor and parody every step of the way. The reason for that is very clear: this is NOT Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! That's why it let down so many people. This is Lost in Austen and as the title implies it is the story of the reader's adventure into the world of their favorite book, of their personal, intimate relationship with that world... The text is there, but we as readers do more than just acknowledge it. We live with it, in it, we "touch" it, we let our fantasies roam and so these characters can come alive... Through us and our imagination. This is what it is about, therefore I suggest you leave the "real" Darcy and the "real" Elisabeth aside when criticizing this series and just enjoy a fun, adventurous, gorgeous love story! There are as I said shortcomings. But all in all it is very enjoyable to watch! Well done to the crew and the actors!

I found Lost in Austen just terrible. It made a mockery of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which is one of my favorite books. I truly believe Jane would cry tears of anguish if she watched this. Any true fan of Jane Austen would absolutely HATE this mini series!!! If I had not read the book or watched the movie I probably would have liked it but that is not the case. I apologize if you feel differently but I just had to share my opinion. I had such high hopes for this mini series but was sadly disappointed. I don't want others to make the same mistake I did in watching this. But if you have not read Pride and Prejudice or you did not like it for some reason then you may like this.

I am not necessarily a devout "purist". I don't get upset when a plot line or character is completely changed, but I do like it when an adaptation makes an effort to stick to the spirit. This series is not an adaptation strictly speaking, but there is a lot of Austen that is essential to the pivotal story. I will admit I was very intrigued by Lost in Austen and its idea, but apart from the wonderful production values and the performances of Hugh Bonneville and Alex Kingston, Lost in Austen didn't live up to its excellent concept. The writing is stilted apart from one or two amusing moments, some of the series felt rushed and the story is muddled, underdeveloped and contradictory(look to the ending for any example of this). Another major problem is Amanda, there were times when she was unforgivably stupid, and while it was lovely to see the Austen characters for me little was done to make me properly care for them. Jemima Rooper tries hard, but I found her unconvincing overall, and Elliot Cowan overdoes it. All in all, didn't work for me I'm afraid. 2/10 Bethany Cox