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Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs
Anne Ehrlich is a dedicated guidance counselor steering her high-school charges through the perils of college admission. Thirteen years ago, when she was graduating from Columbia University, her wealthy family---especially her dear grandmother Winnie---persuaded her to give up the love of her life, Ben Cutler, a penniless boy from Queens College. Anne has never married and hasn't seen Ben since---until his nephew turns up in her high school and starts applying to college.
Now Ben is a successful writer, a world traveler, and a soon-to-be married man; and Winnie's health is beginning to fail. All of these changes have Anne beginning to wonder…Can old love be rekindled, or are past mistakes too painful to forget?
With all the wit and perceptiveness of Jane Austen's Persuasion , Jane Austen in Scarsdale is a fresh and romantic new comedy from a novelist with "a knack for making modern life reflect literature in the most engaging manner" (Library Journal).
Now Ben is a successful writer, a world traveler, and a soon-to-be married man; and Winnie's health is beginning to fail. All of these changes have Anne beginning to wonder…Can old love be rekindled, or are past mistakes too painful to forget?
With all the wit and perceptiveness of Jane Austen's Persuasion , Jane Austen in Scarsdale is a fresh and romantic new comedy from a novelist with "a knack for making modern life reflect literature in the most engaging manner" (Library Journal).
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
23 people are currently reading
932 people want to read
About the author
Paula Marantz Cohen
25 books66 followersPaula Marantz Cohen, Distinguished Professor of English, received her BA in English and French from Yale University and her Ph.D. in English from Columbia University. She is the author of seven books and numerous essays on literature, film, and culture.
Her most recent academic book, Silent Film and the Triumph of the American Myth (Oxford UP), was selected as a Choice Outstanding Book for 2003. Her first novel, Jane Austen in Boca (St. Martin's Press), was a Literary Guild/Book of the Month Club Featured Alternate and a Page-Turner of the Week in People Magazine.
She has articles and stories in many journals, including Yale Review, Boulevard, Iowa Review, Raritan, The American Scholar, and The Hudson Review. She is the Co-Editor of the Journal of Modern Literature and a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement. She is the recipient of the Lindback Teaching Award.
Her most recent academic book, Silent Film and the Triumph of the American Myth (Oxford UP), was selected as a Choice Outstanding Book for 2003. Her first novel, Jane Austen in Boca (St. Martin's Press), was a Literary Guild/Book of the Month Club Featured Alternate and a Page-Turner of the Week in People Magazine.
She has articles and stories in many journals, including Yale Review, Boulevard, Iowa Review, Raritan, The American Scholar, and The Hudson Review. She is the Co-Editor of the Journal of Modern Literature and a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement. She is the recipient of the Lindback Teaching Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
August 28, 2009
When I first read the synopsis of Jane Austen in Scarsdale, I was expecting an exciting love story between Anne and Ben and was curious as to how the author would narrate how ‘old love be rekindled and past mistakes put right’.
Unfortunately, my expectation was not met. There was certainly a story to be told between Anne and Ben, but the author did not really indulge the reader with a clear storyline on how they fell in love again. The book contains chapters and chapters of Anne’s guidance counseling experience with the high school seniors who are going through the college application process, and whose parents go through great lengths, and at times, ridiculous tactics of trying to get their children in! Does it offer a realistic rendering of the college admissions process or a farcical exaggeration? Well, I would answer with the latter.. For example, in several chapters, the author implies how ‘critical’ a guidance counselor’s letter of recommendation can be to a kid’s college acceptance. How can that be? Most of the weight in college admissions falls into the student’s GPA, essay, and extra-curricular activities. The letters of recommendation helps, but it is not a ‘critical’ part of the application process. I feel a teacher’s letter even carries a heavier weight than a guidance counselor’s specifically because a teacher would have had a hands-on experience on the student’s school performance.
Another disappointment is the failure of the author to give a believable account as to why Anne gave up Ben 13 years ago. Telling the reader in just a sentence or two that the grandmother made a remark to Anne about Ben not being good enough for her seems pretty lame. Anne’s character at that time was 21 years old, and according to the flashback given by the story, Anne seemed to have found the love of her life! She gave all that up just because of her Grandmother’s advice? I was shaking my head as I read this part of the story, feeling short-changed by the narrative.
The story is one big irony. Here is Anne counseling the students to follow their heart and try to communicate to their parents if there are conflicts in college decisions, and yet she has not been able to stand up to her father (whom the author clearly depicts as worthless figure who splurged away all of his dead wife’s inheritance), her spoiled sister Allegra, and her Grandmother. Furthermore, Anne did not have the courage to approach Ben after realizing that this is her second chance at love! Ben’s ex-fiancee, Kirsten, made it happen for Anne when she confided that she is leaving Ben. Only then did Anne step up to make a move. Although I probably should not call it a ‘move’ considering all she did was visit his office and point out a phrase in one of the books they read together.
If I had picked up this book hoping to be entertained with parodies in the college admission process, I would have probably rated this story much higher. There are some entertaining bits on the frenzy over college admission with regards to the parents’ being fearful of their children’s future. I would have regarded the love story of Anne and Ben as an extra treat since it really developed in the background of everything else happening in Anne’s guidance counseling life. It’s not a bad book. It’s just sort of ok.
Unfortunately, my expectation was not met. There was certainly a story to be told between Anne and Ben, but the author did not really indulge the reader with a clear storyline on how they fell in love again. The book contains chapters and chapters of Anne’s guidance counseling experience with the high school seniors who are going through the college application process, and whose parents go through great lengths, and at times, ridiculous tactics of trying to get their children in! Does it offer a realistic rendering of the college admissions process or a farcical exaggeration? Well, I would answer with the latter.. For example, in several chapters, the author implies how ‘critical’ a guidance counselor’s letter of recommendation can be to a kid’s college acceptance. How can that be? Most of the weight in college admissions falls into the student’s GPA, essay, and extra-curricular activities. The letters of recommendation helps, but it is not a ‘critical’ part of the application process. I feel a teacher’s letter even carries a heavier weight than a guidance counselor’s specifically because a teacher would have had a hands-on experience on the student’s school performance.
Another disappointment is the failure of the author to give a believable account as to why Anne gave up Ben 13 years ago. Telling the reader in just a sentence or two that the grandmother made a remark to Anne about Ben not being good enough for her seems pretty lame. Anne’s character at that time was 21 years old, and according to the flashback given by the story, Anne seemed to have found the love of her life! She gave all that up just because of her Grandmother’s advice? I was shaking my head as I read this part of the story, feeling short-changed by the narrative.
The story is one big irony. Here is Anne counseling the students to follow their heart and try to communicate to their parents if there are conflicts in college decisions, and yet she has not been able to stand up to her father (whom the author clearly depicts as worthless figure who splurged away all of his dead wife’s inheritance), her spoiled sister Allegra, and her Grandmother. Furthermore, Anne did not have the courage to approach Ben after realizing that this is her second chance at love! Ben’s ex-fiancee, Kirsten, made it happen for Anne when she confided that she is leaving Ben. Only then did Anne step up to make a move. Although I probably should not call it a ‘move’ considering all she did was visit his office and point out a phrase in one of the books they read together.
If I had picked up this book hoping to be entertained with parodies in the college admission process, I would have probably rated this story much higher. There are some entertaining bits on the frenzy over college admission with regards to the parents’ being fearful of their children’s future. I would have regarded the love story of Anne and Ben as an extra treat since it really developed in the background of everything else happening in Anne’s guidance counseling life. It’s not a bad book. It’s just sort of ok.
August 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this one-day read: from the romantic angle to the parents desperate to get their kids into great colleges, the author told a story that had me turning the pages!
December 31, 2007
The book istelf is a light-hearted bit of chick lit, so it's not necessarily as bad as the 1 star rating would suggest. I've given the 1 star rating because this book seems to be on the marketingbandwagon of all things Jane Austen--and honestly, I can't see any parallels between Austen and this book.
Cohen's book also took some time to get into, as the whole first 10 chapters or so are portraying the stressed, formerly riche heroine. It doesn't get one intrigued--it just makes you feel stressed, too, and then annoyed at this woman who's all wound up in her first world problems.
Anyway, by the end it was a cute, fluffy read, but kind of generic for the genre and not Austen-related.
Cohen's book also took some time to get into, as the whole first 10 chapters or so are portraying the stressed, formerly riche heroine. It doesn't get one intrigued--it just makes you feel stressed, too, and then annoyed at this woman who's all wound up in her first world problems.
Anyway, by the end it was a cute, fluffy read, but kind of generic for the genre and not Austen-related.
May 3, 2025
A modern retelling of Persuasion set in Scarsdale, NY on a local high school campus gives readers an inside and humorous peek at the life of a high school guidance counselor who is brought face to face with the one she let go. I was curious with such a set up for a second chance to make good with the love of her life while juggling the neurotic frenzy of college acceptance season. The wry humor and often over the top antics of parents and students were a good balance with the often bittersweet reflections of a thirty-something who made the biggest mistake of her life when she passed on love for status and security.
Jane Austen in Scarsdale is a mild book and the heroine is an average, mild sort so this one has a gentle, soft impact on the reader particularly at first when one spends a lot of time with heroine Anne Erlich behind her guidance counselor desk keeping the high school crazy to a minimum for principal, parents, and the students. Something tells me the over the top behavior isn’t far off real life when it comes to high stakes college entrance.
Anne’s life is mundane and somewhat lonely since she pretty much lives for her work even as her snobbish dad and sister have Uptown NYC tastes and have run through the family wealth as a result. She looks after her grandmother who still lives in the family mansion once one of the show places of Scarsdale and soon the house must be sold to pay down her dad’s debts. Into this sad little life comes her old flame who, contrary to her grandmother’s supposition has made good on his brains and brilliance to become a wealthy, nearly household name in travel circles. He’s returned to the area and his nephew is now a senior at Anne’s school and in need of her for his college choices.
The big conflict in this pair finding their way back together is past hurt, but also a present girlfriend for Ben. At first, I was wary, but there was no cheating- in fact, the pair spend very little page time together. The sparks are there, but both thought that ship had sailed and think the other has moved on. I loved Anne’s grandmother who was full of life and her own brand of eccentric wisdom adding the zest to this story and doing what she could to help Anne. Anne’s good and dependable, but not exciting. She knows she can’t compete against Ben’s beautiful, talented girlfriend, but she doesn’t see her own quiet strength like others do. Loved how it all finally found a way in the end. Satisfying and often funny for those who enjoy Chick Lit.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart 4.23.25.
Jane Austen in Scarsdale is a mild book and the heroine is an average, mild sort so this one has a gentle, soft impact on the reader particularly at first when one spends a lot of time with heroine Anne Erlich behind her guidance counselor desk keeping the high school crazy to a minimum for principal, parents, and the students. Something tells me the over the top behavior isn’t far off real life when it comes to high stakes college entrance.
Anne’s life is mundane and somewhat lonely since she pretty much lives for her work even as her snobbish dad and sister have Uptown NYC tastes and have run through the family wealth as a result. She looks after her grandmother who still lives in the family mansion once one of the show places of Scarsdale and soon the house must be sold to pay down her dad’s debts. Into this sad little life comes her old flame who, contrary to her grandmother’s supposition has made good on his brains and brilliance to become a wealthy, nearly household name in travel circles. He’s returned to the area and his nephew is now a senior at Anne’s school and in need of her for his college choices.
The big conflict in this pair finding their way back together is past hurt, but also a present girlfriend for Ben. At first, I was wary, but there was no cheating- in fact, the pair spend very little page time together. The sparks are there, but both thought that ship had sailed and think the other has moved on. I loved Anne’s grandmother who was full of life and her own brand of eccentric wisdom adding the zest to this story and doing what she could to help Anne. Anne’s good and dependable, but not exciting. She knows she can’t compete against Ben’s beautiful, talented girlfriend, but she doesn’t see her own quiet strength like others do. Loved how it all finally found a way in the end. Satisfying and often funny for those who enjoy Chick Lit.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart 4.23.25.
June 21, 2008
A delightful funny book with an astute social commentary on parental anxiety and privileged insularity. This is a variant of Persuasion but is not slavish. Ms Cohen takes a look at current social foibles in a narrow slice of affluent suburban America. The story setting is among high school seniors and their wildly ambitious parents during the college application process when the students are often persuaded by their parents goals rather than their own needs. This Anne is their guidance counselor who has had her own lesson early in life when she was persuaded by her grandmother to break with her fiance because he was not in their class.
Now Anne is defending students from their parents making them into another generation of legacy admissions or hiring application marketers who 'package' the student to be more attractive to the top colleges. Using sales pitches one would expect in high finance private firms tour the best high schools for panicking parents who will pay top dollar for someone to take them through the application process and get early admission for their offspring.
SAT coaches, AP classes, Honors, GPAs calculated to the thousandths of a point, it is enough to make one wonder how the students come through with a shred of sanity left by graduation.
Now Anne is defending students from their parents making them into another generation of legacy admissions or hiring application marketers who 'package' the student to be more attractive to the top colleges. Using sales pitches one would expect in high finance private firms tour the best high schools for panicking parents who will pay top dollar for someone to take them through the application process and get early admission for their offspring.
SAT coaches, AP classes, Honors, GPAs calculated to the thousandths of a point, it is enough to make one wonder how the students come through with a shred of sanity left by graduation.
August 28, 2009
I am a fan of Jane Austen and Persuasion (Barnes & Noble Classics) is one of my top favorites stories. This book is supposed to be a modern-day retelling of Persuasion, yet it really is loosely based on the book. A lot of the names are similar to help you make the parallels between "Persuasion" and this book such as Anne Elliot vs. Anne Ehlrich and a lot of what is established in this story is faithful to the plot in Persuasion. I enjoyed reading this book, I found the main character likeable, admirable, and interesting. I enjoy seeing the parallels of this story and Perusasion, only I wish there were more!
In this book, Anne is a guidance counselor, she has one sister, and it takes place in New York. There is her father, Elihu Ehlrich who enjoys visiting clubs, is vain, and has so much debt they need to sell tha family home in Scarsdale. Winny, is Anne's grandmother (who is supposed to be the Lady Russell charcter), and she is 87 and living in the Scarsdale home. Other charcters you will recognize as Captain Benwick, Mrs. Clay, Louisa Musgrove. But others you will be searching for and never find, I was hoping to see the Croft's and more of the Musgrove family but they never appeared.
This was a quick and easy read, like I said earlier the parallels between Jane Austen's "Persuasion" are fun to see, I would have liked more of them though. For example, we read a lot about Anne being a guidance counselor, we here what she does at work, we see the students portrayed (in fact we see a lot of students) so many that I couldn't keep them straight. I would have liked to have less about her job and more about her and Ben (Wentworth). That is the real story and it should have been more focused on. Also great scenes like the discussion between Anne and Captain Harville about which sex loves longest and Captain Wentworth's letter are missing from this book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to a Jane Austen/Persuasion fan with the warning that you probably would like it, but might be wanting more.
In this book, Anne is a guidance counselor, she has one sister, and it takes place in New York. There is her father, Elihu Ehlrich who enjoys visiting clubs, is vain, and has so much debt they need to sell tha family home in Scarsdale. Winny, is Anne's grandmother (who is supposed to be the Lady Russell charcter), and she is 87 and living in the Scarsdale home. Other charcters you will recognize as Captain Benwick, Mrs. Clay, Louisa Musgrove. But others you will be searching for and never find, I was hoping to see the Croft's and more of the Musgrove family but they never appeared.
This was a quick and easy read, like I said earlier the parallels between Jane Austen's "Persuasion" are fun to see, I would have liked more of them though. For example, we read a lot about Anne being a guidance counselor, we here what she does at work, we see the students portrayed (in fact we see a lot of students) so many that I couldn't keep them straight. I would have liked to have less about her job and more about her and Ben (Wentworth). That is the real story and it should have been more focused on. Also great scenes like the discussion between Anne and Captain Harville about which sex loves longest and Captain Wentworth's letter are missing from this book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to a Jane Austen/Persuasion fan with the warning that you probably would like it, but might be wanting more.
November 28, 2008
Modeling itself after Austen's Persuasion, this is a nice novel and a somewhat sobering look at the crazy world of the college admissions process. Really, my kid is just three and I am seriously freaking fright now. Anyway, that seems to be the problem . . . too much of that and not enough about the main relationship of the book. And the book, via the blurb, presents itself as a love story first, so I feel somewhat compelled to correct the marketing team's misrepresentation. If it is a great love story that you want to pass away a lazy day, this won't do. Trust me. But if the love story bit can take a back seat and you just want a nice book that reads quickly, this is a fine choice.
June 22, 2022
I felt that the return to romance between Anne and Ben came even more out of nowhere than it did in Persuasion.
This book was mostly about the college stuff, which I enjoyed, but it felt like too much of the college stuff and not enough Anne/Ben or time spent in Anne's head.
This book was mostly about the college stuff, which I enjoyed, but it felt like too much of the college stuff and not enough Anne/Ben or time spent in Anne's head.
July 3, 2016
Witty and hilarious. A perfectly enjoyable summer read.
August 30, 2019
A re-telling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Set in modern day Scarsdale. Anne is a high school guidance counselor helping kids and coping with parents who are anxious for their children to get into the "right" college. Her captain is Ben Cutler who started out working in a travel office with hopes of traveling, but not sure where he was going with it. Anne has been raised by her grandmother who disapproved of Ben. Now Ben is a famous Travel guide publisher with Cutler's Cultured Travel Guides all around the world. He is looking after his sister and her son, who has just enrolled in the high school where Anne is head guidance counselor. But, he is engaged........
Anne has to come to face what she lost from her weakness in yielding to her grandmother. And Ben also has to come to realize what he lost.
Anne has to come to face what she lost from her weakness in yielding to her grandmother. And Ben also has to come to realize what he lost.
February 6, 2022
This modern version of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is just a fun read! I love Persuasion and enjoyed reading this novel by Paula Marantz Cohen.
“Glamour magazine says twice-divorced men make great husbands; they don’t want to strike out” (12).
“Part of the point of high school…was to prepare for life, where there was bound to be plenty of mistreatment” (18).
“They never learned how to use a comma—-they just sort of sprinkle the thing around like some sort of all-purpose seasoning” (121).
“People who get attached to things are fools” (185).
“In diamonds, remember, don’t worry about being vulgar—-there is never such a thing as too big” (262).
“Just because you can’t do something at one point in your life doesn’t mean you can’t do it at another” ~Paula Marantz Cohen
“Glamour magazine says twice-divorced men make great husbands; they don’t want to strike out” (12).
“Part of the point of high school…was to prepare for life, where there was bound to be plenty of mistreatment” (18).
“They never learned how to use a comma—-they just sort of sprinkle the thing around like some sort of all-purpose seasoning” (121).
“People who get attached to things are fools” (185).
“In diamonds, remember, don’t worry about being vulgar—-there is never such a thing as too big” (262).
“Just because you can’t do something at one point in your life doesn’t mean you can’t do it at another” ~Paula Marantz Cohen
January 16, 2018
I enjoyed it.
January 29, 2010
There’s something about Jane Austen’s novels that causes the addicted fan to cry out for more witticisms, more lovely command of the English language, more hilarious but believable characterizations and more entertaining plot points which always lead to a satisfyingly happy ending for the novel’s lovers, no matter how star-crossed they initially appear.
Aside from the literal screen adaptations of Austen’s works (including those produced by the BBC and A&E), the proof of her artistic timelessness are the film adaptations which take her basic plots and characters and place all in an updated setting, such as the film “Clueless” which is based loosely on Jane Austen’s novel, “Emma”.
“Jane Austen in Scarsdale”, by Paula Marantz Cohen, is a literary adaptation in the same modernized vein. It takes the basic story of Austen’s novel “Persuasion” and sets it in the middle of a contemporary New York prep school. Austen’s Anne Eliot, a near-old maid who still pines for a love she was advised against years ago, becomes Anne Ehrlich, a guidance counselor for ivy league-bound high school students and their hyperventilating parents. Her long lost love, the now-engaged-to-be-married Ben Cutler, is based on Austen’s Captain Frederick Wentworth and the person who advised against their union so many years ago is Anne Ehrlich’s grandmother, Winnie (Lady Russell, a close family friend in Austen’s book).
Although this book is great fun for Jane Austen fans, who will be constantly checking back to the original story in their minds, the essential question is this: does “Scarsdale” stand on its own merits? My opinion would be a wildly deafening yes! Austen’s truths are indeed timeless but Cohen has added a profoundly compelling story – all her own – to the basic plot points of Austen’s novel. Although this may sound blasphemous to Austen fans, at times “Scarsdale” actually improves on the original story.
Paula Marantz Cohen is a writer of exceptional talent who, while giving a nod to a classic, has created a masterpiece -- composed of equal parts poignancy and hilarity – that is entirely her own.
Aside from the literal screen adaptations of Austen’s works (including those produced by the BBC and A&E), the proof of her artistic timelessness are the film adaptations which take her basic plots and characters and place all in an updated setting, such as the film “Clueless” which is based loosely on Jane Austen’s novel, “Emma”.
“Jane Austen in Scarsdale”, by Paula Marantz Cohen, is a literary adaptation in the same modernized vein. It takes the basic story of Austen’s novel “Persuasion” and sets it in the middle of a contemporary New York prep school. Austen’s Anne Eliot, a near-old maid who still pines for a love she was advised against years ago, becomes Anne Ehrlich, a guidance counselor for ivy league-bound high school students and their hyperventilating parents. Her long lost love, the now-engaged-to-be-married Ben Cutler, is based on Austen’s Captain Frederick Wentworth and the person who advised against their union so many years ago is Anne Ehrlich’s grandmother, Winnie (Lady Russell, a close family friend in Austen’s book).
Although this book is great fun for Jane Austen fans, who will be constantly checking back to the original story in their minds, the essential question is this: does “Scarsdale” stand on its own merits? My opinion would be a wildly deafening yes! Austen’s truths are indeed timeless but Cohen has added a profoundly compelling story – all her own – to the basic plot points of Austen’s novel. Although this may sound blasphemous to Austen fans, at times “Scarsdale” actually improves on the original story.
Paula Marantz Cohen is a writer of exceptional talent who, while giving a nod to a classic, has created a masterpiece -- composed of equal parts poignancy and hilarity – that is entirely her own.
April 11, 2009
Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs, by Paula Marantz Cohen, is one of the best Jane Austen-paralit novels I've found. I picked it up in a used bookstore for a few bucks based on the name alone, and now I really want to read Ms. Cohen's other books. Jane Austen in Scarsdale is an updated Persuasion, but knowledge of the original is not necessarily needed to enjoy it. Anne Erlich is a guidance counselor at a prep school full of students with college-obsessed parents. Her wealthy family talked her out of marrying the love of her life, Ben Cutler, believing him to be beneath her. Now her family's going broke and Ben has become a successful world traveler. He unexpectedly shows up at Anne's school to enroll his nephew, and zany romantic comedy shenanigans ensue. There's a predictably happy ending, of course, but getting there is so much fun! This was a witty modern take on Persuasion. How great is it that Austen's plots and characters are still relevant and fresh?
December 23, 2010
I don't think I'm alone when I say that I expected more Austen, less contemporary. As a reinterpretation of Persuasion it does alright, if you skip the bits about Anne working as a guidance counselor. The story seemed to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis; was it a story of a modern career woman finding love, or the story of Austen's Anne re-set in the modern world? At times, I found myself wondering if it was even a romance at all.
It's not a bad book by any means. It doesn't suffer from poor writing-- except in the case of plot-management-- and it even has a few humorous moments. As a whole, it does seem to lack a lot of romance. We hear about it, but we never really see it, and that was very disappointing to me.
When all is said and done, there are still quite a few people who will enjoy it, especially if they go into it knowing what to expect; a story about a guidance counselor with a bit of Austen's story mixed in, and a little bit of romance.
It's not a bad book by any means. It doesn't suffer from poor writing-- except in the case of plot-management-- and it even has a few humorous moments. As a whole, it does seem to lack a lot of romance. We hear about it, but we never really see it, and that was very disappointing to me.
When all is said and done, there are still quite a few people who will enjoy it, especially if they go into it knowing what to expect; a story about a guidance counselor with a bit of Austen's story mixed in, and a little bit of romance.
July 22, 2007
This is a fun book--not very taxing mentally, but it was a fun and quick read based loosely on Jane Austen (Persuasion, I think).
A guidance counselor at a moneyed school meets a man she once loved but threw over because of money and family. Their situations are reversed now, he is engaged, her job is demanding, and her family causes conflict. Romantic and financial mayhem ensues. The ending is predictable, but fun.
I loved the humor, the mild satire of helicopter parents, and the setting. The problem with updating Austen is that much time is spent calling on others and sending letters--not like today, unless you place it in a cube office, which limits the ability to create varied encounters. A guidance office is a perfect setting for Jane Austen today. A fun read, especially for the beach or if you, like me, work in a school.
A guidance counselor at a moneyed school meets a man she once loved but threw over because of money and family. Their situations are reversed now, he is engaged, her job is demanding, and her family causes conflict. Romantic and financial mayhem ensues. The ending is predictable, but fun.
I loved the humor, the mild satire of helicopter parents, and the setting. The problem with updating Austen is that much time is spent calling on others and sending letters--not like today, unless you place it in a cube office, which limits the ability to create varied encounters. A guidance office is a perfect setting for Jane Austen today. A fun read, especially for the beach or if you, like me, work in a school.
December 28, 2008
Cute. Fun. A fascinating look at life as a high school guidance counselor. The plot - rich girl (Anne) meets great guy (Ben) but dumps him because he's not appropriate according to her family. He ends up doing well for himself while her former well to do family is in bankruptcy and forced to sell the family house. And of course she never stopped loving him. Ben comes back into the picture, swoops in to save the day, but has a fiance in the picture. It kills Anne to watch him with another woman, but of course, after much sole searching they end up falling in love all over again. A quick, romantic read. If it sounds like Austen's Persuasion, that's because it is.
December 28, 2009
Being a huge Austen fan, I have read quite a few versions of her works set in modern day. I have to say, this is the best one yet. Rather than trying to force the reader to associate the original and the new version at every possible detail, the author wisely decided to simply use the themes that Austen wrote into Persuasion and apply them in a modern setting. It is more its own book, a companion and a real update of the original, than a simple copy and paste with contrived coincidences as some other updates unfortunately end up.
April 10, 2018
What I like best about this book is how true to the spirit of Anne Elliot it stays. Anne Erlich has the same steady, quiet, strong character as the original, never whining about her regrets however much she may feel them. The high school setting, with Anne as the guidance counselor everyone relies on while they underestimate her, is apt, and the Captain-Wentworth-as-travel-writer Ben Cutler is a pretty good updating of the original. Very enjoyable.
July 15, 2010
Perfect book to bring with me on my cruise this summer! Also, as an aspiring high school counselor, this book really gave practical examples of what can happen day-to-day in a guidance office in Westchester (I'm a resident of the county and the author is totally on-point!) and how to deal with it as the person in the middle of teachers, principals, parents, and students. A+!
September 6, 2008
Cute modern take of "Persuasion" but the backdrop of high school academia was a tad boring to me. I will try her "Boca" book though.
July 6, 2018
Such a fun summer weekend read. Sensible guidance counselor, Anne Ehrlich, gets a second chance at love. Loosely follows the storyline of Jane Austen's Persuasion.
July 23, 2018
A retelling of Persuasion, with Anne as a guidance counselor at a prep school. That choice of occupation for Anne makes sense, because she is trying to help kids find their own voices, and figure out what they want away from overbearing if loving parents. Get it? And, as with any Jane Austen retelling, it's mildly fun to try to Guess Who This Character Is Supposed to Be.
But ack, there is a LOT of (too much) time spent name-dropping various colleges and discussing how to game the system to get kids into the college of their choice. That was honestly the majority of the book. That was somewhat interesting at times, and the idea that Anne is now helping young people make independent choices in a way she felt she herself wasn't able to do has some potential. But this idea wasn't really developed much beyond that initial conceit; instead of her inner life we got a lot of discussion about what schools want and which kid wants to go where and what their extracurriculars are and we just didn't come to care about any of them. This is true even of the nephew of the Captain Wentworth character, who shows up at Anne's school as a senior; in his disagreement with his uncle over where to go to school there could have been an interesting foil for Anne's own freedom to make choices as a young woman. But that doesn't really happen; the character turns out to be little more than a plot device to reunite the separated lovers.
And we got next to nothing about the central relationship between Anne and Ben, aka Captain Wentworth. You never get much sense of why they were drawn to each other and still are, 13 years later, because you don't know anything about what motivates these people. Ben, who is barely in the story, is now a successful travel writer and we learn he is into culture and travel and I guess literature. But after we are told this, we get very little in the way of Ben as an actual person. In Persuasion, Captain Wentworth fairly radiates pride and power and resentment and longing; here, Ben barely blips on the radar.
Anne, meanwhile, is mostly occupied with helping her charges with the college chase. We understand that she is self-actualizing through them, and that she regrets her decision to cut Ben off (duh) but that's pretty much the extent of her development as a character; she is so self-effacing as to be almost invisible. We are told that Anne Ehrlich can stand up to overbearing parents, but what we actually witness is that she has nothing of Anne Elliott's inner steel. The only character who has any real life or personality is Winnie, Anne's grandmother, the stand-in here for Lady Russell. Winnie's relationship with Anne is the most genuine in the book and contains the only real emotional payoff.
I didn't hate the book, just found it kind of forgettable. I suppose it's the fatal flaw that many Jane Austen retellings seem to share: the "why bother". Of course, Jane lovers (including me) will snatch these books up anyway, because we are eager to recapture the magic of reading a Jane book for the first time. But the magic was in her clever writing and in her sharp yet empathic insights into society and human nature; those elements are why her books are so enduring. So while updating the characters' names and plopping them down into a new setting may make for a pleasant read for an afternoon, it's like Wonderbread: all fluff and no flavor, filling in the short term but unsatisfying in the long term.
But ack, there is a LOT of (too much) time spent name-dropping various colleges and discussing how to game the system to get kids into the college of their choice. That was honestly the majority of the book. That was somewhat interesting at times, and the idea that Anne is now helping young people make independent choices in a way she felt she herself wasn't able to do has some potential. But this idea wasn't really developed much beyond that initial conceit; instead of her inner life we got a lot of discussion about what schools want and which kid wants to go where and what their extracurriculars are and we just didn't come to care about any of them. This is true even of the nephew of the Captain Wentworth character, who shows up at Anne's school as a senior; in his disagreement with his uncle over where to go to school there could have been an interesting foil for Anne's own freedom to make choices as a young woman. But that doesn't really happen; the character turns out to be little more than a plot device to reunite the separated lovers.
And we got next to nothing about the central relationship between Anne and Ben, aka Captain Wentworth. You never get much sense of why they were drawn to each other and still are, 13 years later, because you don't know anything about what motivates these people. Ben, who is barely in the story, is now a successful travel writer and we learn he is into culture and travel and I guess literature. But after we are told this, we get very little in the way of Ben as an actual person. In Persuasion, Captain Wentworth fairly radiates pride and power and resentment and longing; here, Ben barely blips on the radar.
Anne, meanwhile, is mostly occupied with helping her charges with the college chase. We understand that she is self-actualizing through them, and that she regrets her decision to cut Ben off (duh) but that's pretty much the extent of her development as a character; she is so self-effacing as to be almost invisible. We are told that Anne Ehrlich can stand up to overbearing parents, but what we actually witness is that she has nothing of Anne Elliott's inner steel. The only character who has any real life or personality is Winnie, Anne's grandmother, the stand-in here for Lady Russell. Winnie's relationship with Anne is the most genuine in the book and contains the only real emotional payoff.
I didn't hate the book, just found it kind of forgettable. I suppose it's the fatal flaw that many Jane Austen retellings seem to share: the "why bother". Of course, Jane lovers (including me) will snatch these books up anyway, because we are eager to recapture the magic of reading a Jane book for the first time. But the magic was in her clever writing and in her sharp yet empathic insights into society and human nature; those elements are why her books are so enduring. So while updating the characters' names and plopping them down into a new setting may make for a pleasant read for an afternoon, it's like Wonderbread: all fluff and no flavor, filling in the short term but unsatisfying in the long term.
May 17, 2019
I haven't read a book this perfect for a while. Admittedly, maybe no book is perfect, but this was perfect for me; it's like Cohen took everything I like in a book and created a masterpiece on my behalf. You know a book is good when it feels like it was written just for you! A few years back, my grandmother handed me this book out of the blue and said, "Here. I think you'd like this." Needless to say, I emailed her, all these years later, after finishing the book and thanked her profusely!
Let me list all of the reasons why this book was my ideal:
- Extremely delightful main character who was funny, kind, had an excellent head on her shoulders.
- A retelling of one of my favorite books of all time and my absolute favorite book to read retellings of, Jane Austen's Persuasion.
- Took place in Westchester County, NY, not too far from where I live. I know several people from the area and Cohen's depiction of these nervously rich and overbearing parents was absolutely iconic. Anne went to Columbia, Ben went to Queens College. The latter, especially, is where many friends and family go/went! Anne and her family are Jews from New York and I was living for it.
- Main character Anne is a college guidance counselor at a high school, so a very big part of this book was watching Anne, students, and their parents deal with the college admissions process. I was obsessed with college for many years before I actually got there, and was a frequent flyer in my truly lovely guidance counselor's office, so I can safely say that, though a tad comically hyperbolic, the depiction of the college admissions world was FANTASTIC.
- The writing made me laugh out loud numerous times. I don't see writing like this often, it was so clever and witty/
- Cast of supporting characters added SO much: Principal Vince, teacher Marcy, Ben Cutler's sister and nephew, Anne's grandmother Winnie, everyone!
- The romance. Obviously, the romance. It was Anne and Wentworth, the timeless Persuasion romance that is so frustrating but so worth it in the end. And oh my, with the flashbacks to their relationship thirteen years prior coupled with the present day moments of tension and old feelings, oh my, oh my. Ben Cutler was a lovely Wentworth!
I just loved this all so much. I said "wow" out loud many times while and after reading this. I want more from this author right this second, and I'm glad I own this so I can reread it forever. Pure perfection.
Let me list all of the reasons why this book was my ideal:
- Extremely delightful main character who was funny, kind, had an excellent head on her shoulders.
- A retelling of one of my favorite books of all time and my absolute favorite book to read retellings of, Jane Austen's Persuasion.
- Took place in Westchester County, NY, not too far from where I live. I know several people from the area and Cohen's depiction of these nervously rich and overbearing parents was absolutely iconic. Anne went to Columbia, Ben went to Queens College. The latter, especially, is where many friends and family go/went! Anne and her family are Jews from New York and I was living for it.
- Main character Anne is a college guidance counselor at a high school, so a very big part of this book was watching Anne, students, and their parents deal with the college admissions process. I was obsessed with college for many years before I actually got there, and was a frequent flyer in my truly lovely guidance counselor's office, so I can safely say that, though a tad comically hyperbolic, the depiction of the college admissions world was FANTASTIC.
- The writing made me laugh out loud numerous times. I don't see writing like this often, it was so clever and witty/
- Cast of supporting characters added SO much: Principal Vince, teacher Marcy, Ben Cutler's sister and nephew, Anne's grandmother Winnie, everyone!
- The romance. Obviously, the romance. It was Anne and Wentworth, the timeless Persuasion romance that is so frustrating but so worth it in the end. And oh my, with the flashbacks to their relationship thirteen years prior coupled with the present day moments of tension and old feelings, oh my, oh my. Ben Cutler was a lovely Wentworth!
I just loved this all so much. I said "wow" out loud many times while and after reading this. I want more from this author right this second, and I'm glad I own this so I can reread it forever. Pure perfection.
January 11, 2017
I'm a sucker for Jane Austen retellings. And Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen story. So I was pretty excited to pick up this book. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations at all.
To begin with, the focus was on Anne's guidance counseling. We don't even meet Ben until chapter 14 and he's only seen a few times before they get together. Some of the stories of Anne's students were fun and interesting, but the chapters and chapters of her dealing with parents and students were dull and long-winded. No one picks up a Jane Austen story so they can read about college applications.
When we finally do meet Ben, the romance between he and Anne is stiffled and small and short. They only really see each other a handful of times. I appreciate that the author was trying to follow Jane Austen's story closely, but in a modern society, Ben and Anne would have interacted more than they did in Jane Austen's England. Their ending was anticlimactic and the author moved the dramatic ending conversation and letter to much earlier in the book, where it didn't make any sense and didn't hold the weight that it would have at the end.
One thing that really bothered me was that the characters talked about Jane Austen several times. Winnie even specifically mentions Anne Elliot and compares it to her granddaughter Anne's situation, stating that her granddaughter will not have the same happy ending as Anne Elliot. After that, the main character really should have noticed all the parallels between her life and Persuasion, but she didn't. It was odd and inconsistent.
This was an easy read, but not one I would recommend.
To begin with, the focus was on Anne's guidance counseling. We don't even meet Ben until chapter 14 and he's only seen a few times before they get together. Some of the stories of Anne's students were fun and interesting, but the chapters and chapters of her dealing with parents and students were dull and long-winded. No one picks up a Jane Austen story so they can read about college applications.
When we finally do meet Ben, the romance between he and Anne is stiffled and small and short. They only really see each other a handful of times. I appreciate that the author was trying to follow Jane Austen's story closely, but in a modern society, Ben and Anne would have interacted more than they did in Jane Austen's England. Their ending was anticlimactic and the author moved the dramatic ending conversation and letter to much earlier in the book, where it didn't make any sense and didn't hold the weight that it would have at the end.
One thing that really bothered me was that the characters talked about Jane Austen several times. Winnie even specifically mentions Anne Elliot and compares it to her granddaughter Anne's situation, stating that her granddaughter will not have the same happy ending as Anne Elliot. After that, the main character really should have noticed all the parallels between her life and Persuasion, but she didn't. It was odd and inconsistent.
This was an easy read, but not one I would recommend.
May 11, 2018
So, this is a Persuasion retelling. I love Persuasion by Jane Austen and I enjoyed this book for what it was--a lighter fluff read. I really enjoyed a lot of the characters (Anne, the grandmother, Ben and his family) and they really made the book for me. I especially enjoyed Anne's character; I felt she was a strong protagonist in all the right ways without being pushy and I admired her for her work and the way she treated others. I also felt that her character stayed true to Jane Austen's Anne.
The plot was just so-so for me. The book spent a lot of time on Anne's guidance counseling job and her trying to get kids into college, which kind of connected to the plot but seemed more of a distraction. The author also very much exaggerated that whole process (at least, from my experience not too long ago) and a lot of the side characters (like the principal or the students/parents or some of the other teachers and especially her father and sister) were also exaggerated to the point of not feeling very real or fleshed out, just kind of there for the plot's sake.
I will mention that the book was fairly clean. There were only a couple instances of swearing (more than just barnyard swearing though), a few sexual references (nothing explicit), and a section that briefly talked about pornography.
Overall, it was a decent read. I don't know that I would ever read it again, but I enjoyed it enough that I will probably check out this author's other books.
The plot was just so-so for me. The book spent a lot of time on Anne's guidance counseling job and her trying to get kids into college, which kind of connected to the plot but seemed more of a distraction. The author also very much exaggerated that whole process (at least, from my experience not too long ago) and a lot of the side characters (like the principal or the students/parents or some of the other teachers and especially her father and sister) were also exaggerated to the point of not feeling very real or fleshed out, just kind of there for the plot's sake.
I will mention that the book was fairly clean. There were only a couple instances of swearing (more than just barnyard swearing though), a few sexual references (nothing explicit), and a section that briefly talked about pornography.
Overall, it was a decent read. I don't know that I would ever read it again, but I enjoyed it enough that I will probably check out this author's other books.
August 19, 2020
I found this while going through my stacks of to-read books. It was given to me because of the Jane Austen theme. The high school and college stuff doesn't appeal to me in general and there was far too much of it here. I just skimmed it for the love story. There was so little of it that I was able to "finish" the book in three days! While it did remind me some of Persuasion, the romance was all rather stale and without much emotional substance. I didn't really see why the two should be in love, at least, not from their dialogue. The ending was surprisingly abrupt and frankly, a big disappointment. So I'm glad that I just read enough to get kind of the gist of the story. I suppose this isn't really a fair review seeing as I only read a fraction of the book, but I bet it probably would've been the same. It had a lot of potential, and had the setting been different, I think it could've been one of my favorites.
July 8, 2017
2.5-3.0 stars
I purchased this one after reading an article somewhere about an author's favorite Austen adaptations..she'd listed seven of them, and this is the only one that I had not looked into.
So, in I went as 'Persuasion' is my favorite Austen novel, and I'm in a 'Persuasion' state of mind after spending my wedding anniversary with my husband at a stage production (which was just so good!)
Anyway-- back to this book.. definite nods to Austen were there, and I did enjoy them and the Captain Wentworth character writes travel books?! Yes! Love that.
What bogged down the book for me was all of the highschool and SAT stuff-- and yes, I realize that it was going to be in there-- but there was a lot of it-- a lot, and so many student characters that I got a bit lost and just wanted to get back to the other storyline.
November 25, 2017
Eh. I've only read Persuasion once. I intend to re-read the rest of Austen's books, but there's so much I want to read for the first time, that I have a hard time making myself do it. So, I'm sure I only vaguely remember the details. Probably had this not been marketed as a retelling of Persuasion, I probably wouldn't have noticed.
This was...okay. It was readable and quick. It was kind of fun. But it lacked a LOT of depth. There was little to no actual romance. There were also a LOT of characters, especially near the end, when there's one scene where Anne's describing what everyone is doing and I had a hard time remembering who was who. I wouldn't recommend this one, but it was okay. It was a quick enough read that I don't feel I've really wasted much time reading it.
This was...okay. It was readable and quick. It was kind of fun. But it lacked a LOT of depth. There was little to no actual romance. There were also a LOT of characters, especially near the end, when there's one scene where Anne's describing what everyone is doing and I had a hard time remembering who was who. I wouldn't recommend this one, but it was okay. It was a quick enough read that I don't feel I've really wasted much time reading it.
August 17, 2018
It makes me mad that I actually enjoyed this book because it was required reading but I DID and it’s CONFUSING.
I loved reading from the perspective of Anne because it’s like college mania from the other side. I’m very familiar with being so worked up over college, but of course there’s the other people who have to DEAL with the people who are that worked up. And I really liked reading about that.
I loved Anne and her family and how complex they were together. Their history and where they are now. That was nice.
I will say I didn’t care much for the romance, but I didn’t mind it either and it really brought the plot back together as well. Although my favorite part about it was the college parts.
I loved reading from the perspective of Anne because it’s like college mania from the other side. I’m very familiar with being so worked up over college, but of course there’s the other people who have to DEAL with the people who are that worked up. And I really liked reading about that.
I loved Anne and her family and how complex they were together. Their history and where they are now. That was nice.
I will say I didn’t care much for the romance, but I didn’t mind it either and it really brought the plot back together as well. Although my favorite part about it was the college parts.
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