Jane Austen, Ph.D: A Contemporary Romance

by Miranda Markwell

All Louisa wants is to finish her doctoral dissertation on Jane Austen and find her Colonel Brandon. Or Mr Darcy. Or Henry Tilney. Or Edward Ferrars. Honestly, at this point, she’s stopped being picky about which Austen hero will (finally) come along and whisk her off to her happily ever after. But she still has someone in mind: for the past five years, she’s sat in the graduate students’ shared office space — twenty PhDs-in-progress to a single desk-packed room — and waited patiently for Daniel to realize that she just might be his own romantic heroine.
But Daniel, a grad student obsessed with male beat poets of the twentieth century, has hardly noticed her since they both arrived in the same cohort five years ago. Louisa is determined to get his attention this year, though, as they enter their final semester of graduate study and prepare to defend their dissertations… If only her office mate Emilio would stop ragging on her about the value of studying Austen and leave her alone.
When Emilio turns out to be Darcy-level dependable when it comes to sorting out her personal life (and even offers to be her “fake date” to try and get Daniel’s attention), however, Louisa starts to wonder what Austen herself would think of this new “hero” she’s encountered, one who seems nothing like the men she’s read about in novels.

Genres: Audiobook, Romance, Fiction

86 pages, ebook

First published July 31, 2020

Reviews

[Raynee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got to love the weird short stories you find on Scribd at 2am :)

[Tiffany (Bluestocking) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this Novella. Light, quick, fluffy and clean.

[Rachel Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was a fun little novella about graduate students in a University’s English Department. As a English graduate student myself I enjoyed parts of it but I think a lot of the problems with it for me was with how short it was. There wasn’t enough time for the romance and character to develop in my opinion but fun little quick read.

[Emma Maples · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more like a 3.5 or 3.75 rating. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. My main complaint is that I just wanted more. I know this is a novella, but I think maybe this story would have been better suited as a full-length novel. I believe certain stories are more suited to be novellas and I also believe them to be a lot harder to wtite. For me, at least, I've always struggled with getting what I want to write or say into a small and concise amount of words. I think that was the issue for me with this book. I wanted more development and more characterization. There were also moments that I think were kind of skimmed over which made it feel a little rushed. When Emilio is seen by Louisa making out with that girl we never really got his narrative on that. I think that would have added a little more depth to his character, especially because at times we did get his perspective. Another aspect of the book that felt bereft was after the party when Daniel and Louisa went out those few times. I think the author was trying to portray the insignificance of Daniel. However, I think it would have been worth it to the reader. Throughout, the novella I was also wondering about what exactly Emilio looked like. I assumed he was Hispanic based on him knowing Spanish so well and his name, but I don't recall if that was ever confirmed 🤔. I also remember him being close to Louisa's height. Again, I'm not sure if this was a conscious decision in order to forgo his appearance or if the author kind of forgot🤷‍♀️.

Having given those critiques I loved reading this book and just wanted it to last longer. I loved what Emilio said to Louisa about how after she started dressing differently, he said that "she looked more like herself". I would love for someone to tell me that. I also enjoyed Emilio and Louisa's discussion on Persuasion by Jane Austen (even though I've never read it). Emilio also made a good and interesting point about the possible negative effects of Jane Austen's novels on our romantic relationships since she was published.

[Hollie Smurthwaite · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might have worked better for me as a fully flushed out novella or novel. There wasn't enough character development for me. Though, I will say that I liked the Austen references and the discussions around her work.

I liked the way Persuasion was used not as a template or retelling, but as a theme and linchpin. There were a few plot moment I also really enjoyed - almost stuck in the elevator but with the wrong/right guy.

It was a quick listen, and die-hard fans of Austen might enjoy it. For me, there wasn't enough there to make it more than an okay read.

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adoro livros que falam de livros, e neste a referência está no próprio título. É uma leitura leve, mas que pode nos levar a discutir a realidade de alunos de pós-graduação envolvidos na luta diária de aulas, atividades, estágio docência, e a escrita de uma tese, tudo isso enquanto tentam também ter uma vida social e afetiva. Gostei bastante da protagonista, e achei muito interessante a questão do vestuário, como se o conhecimento que você adquire se refletisse a partir da roupa que você veste. Adorei o final, muito Jane Austen.

[belkais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Austen, Ph.D., a delightful novella set in the academic world, where our protagonist, a Ph.D. student immersed in the world of Jane Austen, navigates romance. As I read, it made me question my own choices in pursuing didactics of foreign languages. The more I read about lives of academic folks, the clearer it becomes that my true resonance lies in literary studies or linguistics but never didactics of foreign languages

[Tizu · Rating 2 out of 5]

...insta love fake dating story without any of the fluff that normally makes such stories at least somewhat worth the read. I have a hard time figuring out why this book exists...manual of how NOT to use these tropes?

[Jemina Linnama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely short story with beautiful ending. I'm new to listening such short stories, but this made me want more!

[Karmen]

I only listened to this book because Scribd blocked my usual audiobooks.
And you guys. It had me rolling my eyes.

[Nandini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly witty, sweet and romantic novella that can be read in less than an hour!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just when I started getting into the story, it ended.

[Vicki Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

2022 Reading Challenge prompt # 18 - a Jane Austen inspired novel.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light based-on "Persuasion" update that I enjoyed very much.

[Alison (Ali's Books) Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Tamara M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sweet & short story with predictable ending. Perfect to listen to while you are taking an 'everything bath'

[Eve Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little jaunt for Austin lovers. Fluffy and perfect for a rainy morning read.