Though a tacked-on romance and some flimsy plot twists strain credibility, Hale's fans will be thrilled to revisit Pembrook Park and reunite with its regulars. After Charlotte catches a fleeting glimpse of a dead body in a secret room, she's not quite sure if it's part of the game or there's a real murderer lurking. Her vacation becomes more Northanger Abbey when the guests visit a Gothic ruin and uncover a centuries-old mystery. At first the estate feels 'more like a Terry Gilliam movie than a Masterpiece Theatre episode,' but once settled, Charlotte plays parlor games, learns country dances, and even lets herself be courted by her assigned suitor, the brooding, magnetic Mr. When friends suggest a vacation, Charlotte's travel agent has just the thing: a trip to Pembrook Park, a proper English estate in Kent where guests and staff immerse themselves in Regency customs and culture. A year after her messy divorce, Charlotte Kinder buries herself in her job, her children, and her beloved Austen novels, but moving on feels impossible. Hale sends another lovelorn American to Jane Austen fantasy camp in this gothic-tinged follow-up to Austenland. How could it not turn out right in the end? The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world.

Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love? And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.Įveryone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale offers up mystery, romance, and a lot of fun in this follow-up to Austenland.

Midnight at austenland