NEW RELEASE
The Jane Austen Marriage Manual - Kim Izzo (2012)
The recession hits and Kate finds herself without a job, savings or a home. When her magazine throws her a lifeline to write an article exploring whether she's too old to marry well, she jumps at the chance. Her quest for a rich husband takes her to follow the polo trail from Palm Beach to St Moritz. Helped along by her new title of "Lady Kate" she soon has rich men in her sights, from Vlad the Russian billionaire to Scott Madewell, the financial whiz. But will Kate's article get the ending she desperately wants? This book is laugh-out-loud funny in places, and the ending properly made me swoon. I have to admit I was expecting a completely different book from the title. While the storyline is reminiscent of a modern take on a Jane Austen novel, I found the actual references to Austen in the novel a little clumsy. That aside, it is an entertaining read and a good debut novel. (AB)
"It's a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen knew more about marriage than anyone else. (Never mind that she never got married herself...)"The Jane Austen Marriage Manual, the debut novel by Kim Izzo, is about a magazine editor who's asked to write a freelance article about whether it's possible, in these modern times, to marry for money. The summary says: "It is Fall 2008, the recession is in full swing and Kate Shaw is about to turn 40. As an acting beauty editor for a fashion magazine, Kate has glided from contract to contract only to be told that, due to cutbacks, her services are no longer required. Through no fault of her own she finds herself single, homeless and desperate to help her family survive its own financial and emotional crises. Known for her love of all things Jane Austen, Kate is given a freelance gig that changes everything: is it possible, in these modern times - and at a certain age - to marry well? What starts as an article quickly turns into Kate's real-life quest. From the polo fields of West Palm Beach to the slopes of St. Moritz and the glamour of London's social scene, Kate, who gets mistaken for an aristocrat - Lady Kate - chases the man of her dreams, a charming and elegant older financier. But she keeps running into a brooding Englishman, Griffith Kent, who works at an impeccably Austenesque estate called Penwick Manor. Caught between Mr Rich and maybe Mr Right, Kate must choose what she really wants out of life: to marry for money or marry for love." The Jane Austen Marriage Manual is out in April (The US cover is pictured left, the UK cover right). Izzo, who lives in Toronto, is the co-author of two non-fiction titles, The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Decorum and its sequel, The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Grace Under Pressure.