I hated it.

It meandered, was boring, and had no point. It touches on Jane Austen’s novels throughout the chapters, but I didn’t see how those novels fit into this one, except as references.

I expected more Austen and less Fowler. Some have said this book is character-driven, but I don’t think it had any drive, because it went anywhere and everywhere, without pre- or post-amble. It only…rambled.

I forced myself to finish it only because it was one of the books I chose as part of the Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020.

In California’s central valley, five women and one man join to discuss Jane Austen’s novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens.

I found all characters dull and their existence pointless. It was stream-of-consciousness, with flashback to childhoods and teenagehoods, which didn’t fit into the current plot. And the women didn’t seem to like each other much, even best friends Jocelyn and Sylvie. Most of them seemed like they had some sort of mental illness, emotional hangups, or unresolved baggage. Even with the flashbacks, I still didn’t understand all the characters’ issues.

The book is a series of events, that never connect, don’t make sense, and are as dull as plain wallpaper.