It's a cute title and a quick glance at the plot summary sounded amusing, so when the book arrived for me on the day of the fateful library visit, and after a busy, stressful week, I was really hopeful for a fun, uplifting read. I loved Austenland, also by Shannon Hale, so I thought this would be a good bet. But while Austenland was a fun escape, with brushes of realism to bring it home now and then, The Actor and the Housewife was dissapointing to me. The writing was good, and I still enjoyed Hale's style overall, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the plot. It didn't seem believable, and the dialouge seemed constantly over-the-top. I still read it greedily, with hopes for a good conclusion that would leave me feeling satisfied (and that didn't even have to be the story-book ending that was dangled as a possibilty), but as the story progressed, the reality got heavy. I won't spoil it, if you want to read it, but I wasn't looking for a heavy dose of life lessons, no thanks. After I finished it, I had a crying jag about something inconsequential, and my poor husband wondered what it the world had gotten into me.
Granted, I could probably appreciate it better in a better mood, but as it was, I felt so glum and grounded, when I had hoped to be swept away a la Austenland. Those of you who have read Hale's other works (ahem, Hannah!) should read it, if you haven't already, and let me know what you think.
1 comment:
Yeah, I've been waiting for our library to acquire a copy. I'm glad to hear your perspective, since the reader from whom I originally heard about it loved it. The premise does seem farfetched, though. I'll LYK when I read it.
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