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Aerendgast: The Lost History of Jane Austen Kindle Edition

by Berman Rachel (Author), Diaz-Lupitou ZoryLee (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 16 ratings
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What if Jane Austen was secretly married? What if she had a baby whose descendants are still alive today? Violet Desmond has just learned that her life is a lie. With sparse clues, she sets off to discover her hidden history and, simultaneously, an explanation for her vivid dreams-dreams in which a woman from the past narrates an impossible story involving a secret marriage and a child-a story intimately connected to Jane Austen. Violet reluctantly agrees to receive help from cavalier Peter Knighton. Blacklisted from his profession, Knighton can almost taste the money and accolades he'll receive for digging up something good on Austen. The unlikely pair begins a quest for answers that leads them to Aerendgast Hallows. Knee-deep in hidden crypts, perilous pursuits, and centuries-old riddles, Violet must put her literary expertise to the test as she battles to uncover the secret that her loved ones died trying to reveal-before an unknown enemy silences her as well.
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  1. Print length
    330 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    March 2, 2015
  5. File size
    901 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00U6V3Z3M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Meryton Press (March 2, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 2, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 901 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
16 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dan Vining
5.0 out of 5 stars Lost History Found!
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
A book with lots of life, an intriguing plot and a main character I'd be happy to follow along after for a good number of years. Rachel Berman writes with real assurance. The story is easy to follow even as it juggles multiple time periods, shifting locations and a large cast of characters. I don't know as much about Jane Austen as I should -- or share the protagonist's fixations -- but that didn't prove a hindrance to enjoyment of the book. And now I'll pull "Pride and Predjudice" and "Emma" off the shelf again, while I'm waiting for Violet to charge off on her next adventure.
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Rita (From Pemberley to Milton)
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and challenging plot
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
I was captivated by the cover and the premise of Aerendgast, so even though it had been released several years ago, I decided to pick it up and read it this winter.

This book tells us the story of 3 different women that lived in 3 different times, Violet, Margaret and Jane. Violet Desmond is a British Literature Professor who lives in modern London and is the piece that brings the lives of these 3 women together when she is suddenly pulled into an adventure to discover her hidden history, and the one of her family. She starts to realize this is closely connected to the vivid dreams she is having of Jane Austen’s unknown life, and as she begins to put all the pieces together, and understand the clues present in Margaret’s old journal, she comes across those who will do everything to keep Austen’s secret life hidden.

The prologue of this book is strong and compelling. It sets out the tone of the book with a mysterious first-person narrative that pulls the reader right into the story. I loved the author’s choice to tell Austen’s life events in the first person and current events in the third person as this brought more impact to the book, increasing the sadness and mystery surrounding Austen’s life, but also allowing the reader to clearly separate the two timelines. As for Margaret’s journal passages, they tend to become detailed recollections of her life with dialogues being introduced, something I wasn’t so fond of because it wasn’t clear when she was writing something in her journal, or events taking place.

I love the idea behind this book, not only the premise, but also the manner in which the author wanted to execute it with 3 different timelines being told simultaneously and converging to the same outcome. I believe this was very interesting and clever, however, sometimes the passages between the timelines were not as smooth or linked as I would have liked.

I also enjoyed the initial dynamic and chemistry that was established between Violet and Peter, even if their relationship didn’t feel overly romantic. Jane and Fulham’s story on the other hand, was sad but captivating, and even if it the injustice of it all made me furious several times, I enjoyed reading about their lives.

As Violet’s investigation progresses and she finds herself in a dangerous chase through secret chambers and catacombs, the story becomes overly complex in an attempt to continue with the action. Violet and Peter are able to flee one opponent, to find themselves in a ball, only to flee again and find another opponent from whom they are able to escape, only to be greeted by the first opponent once more. I believe that at this point the book would have gained from finishing off the story without so many action-packed scenes that made the narrative a bit complicated to follow.

Summing up, Aerendgast has an intriguing yet challenging plot that will captivate readers and keep them interested with its fast-paced storyline. It is a good choice for those who like Jane Austen but also everyone who enjoys historical adventures with a slight paranormal twist.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very good story hooked you in to find out the truth.
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Sophia Rose
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Story of a Present Day Couple and an Incredible Secret Connected to Jane Austen
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2015
A mysterious connection between a modern English Literature scholar and historian with one of the greats of English writing, Jane Austen, leads to a quest turning what is known about that famous author's life on it's ear. A locket with secrets, a cryptic clue, dangerous adversaries, a roguish treasure hunter, and a determine woman made this an incredible journey to the truth and no life is left unchanged as a result. It's a dark, bittersweet fantastical tale that grabbed my attention from the beginning.

Violet Desmond learns on the death of her grandmother that her whole life has been a lie and that the last words the woman speaks and the gift of a locket lead Violet on a quest led by none other than Jane Austen herself. Violet is a practical sort, but even she must concede to the evidence that the night time dreams, voices in her head and day light visions of Jane Austen's past may mean that she will go mad if she doesn't find the truth for Jane. Strange happenings and coincidences, dangerous near death experiences and the timely introduction to people leave her not knowing who she can trust. Is the powerful Lord of Aerendgast Hollows merely a concerned godfather or a man who won't stop at murder to get what he wants? Against her better judgment, she takes on a treasure hunter as her partner as they try to beat their adversaries to the clues that will fulfill Jane's quest and lead them to incredible finds.

Peter Knighton made a mistake that cost him dearly. He is a treasure seeker and now has been blackballed by those who would send him on his hunts, but one stupendous find would restore him in the eyes of the antiquities community. One glimpse of Violet's locket and the clue hidden within tells him that he's onto a huge find. It's not long after he gains Violet's trust that he realizes that breaking it when he seizes the locket and any other artifacts discovered in her quest might not be so easy. He has come to care for the strong-willed prickly woman and wishes to protect her from the others who would see her and the secrets she seeks remain long buried.

This story is an incredible 'what if' regarding the life of Jane Austen. What if she fell in love, secretly married and had a child? This alternate past sets a series of events in motion with ramifications that affect people two hundred years later. It was like getting a story within a story as there is Violet and Peter's life in the present and Jane and Edward's lives in the past. I was utterly fascinated by a conspiracy theory type story that also included a tragic love story and a modern one.

The story has the feel of an early effort- not entirely polished. Transitions between scenes and even dialogue took some adjustment. There is also a passive feel once in a while that caused distance and didn't always allow me to fully engage with the characters and plot. Some scenes that would have been really intense if teased out a bit were summarized or glossed over. This is not to say that I couldn't engage with the story at all because trust me I teared up a few times, laughed and flipped pages hard and fast during some really intense moments, but I felt that it could have been even better.

The characters were drawn well and I liked how there was a sense that every character around the heroine other than her old school chums were suspect. The twists and turns of the plot had me switching opinions often. I will say that I struggled to understand Edward, Jane's love interest. The author wrote him well, but I learned to feel such disappointment in him. I don't want to say too much and spoil it for others, but his actions were pivotal particularly when he failed to act. He was in such stark contrast to Violet's Peter. Peter started out a rogue who was struggling when everything he felt that defined him was taken away and he wanted that back at any cost- at first. Then he realized that some things would cost to much and he started to develop and grow as he worked alongside Violet. Peter slowly restored Violet's faith in relationships and trust along the way.

The end was exciting and the denouement offered yet one more twist that left me laughing. It also left things open-ended. I couldn't tell if it was the sort of tantalizing finish that was meant to leave the reader wondering or if it was left that way because there is more to come. Either way would be brilliant.

All in all, I had a fantastic time reading this book and would recommend it to those who would enjoy an alternative history for one of their favorite authors. There are many references to people, places and scenes from Jane Austen's books to hook the Austen lover, but the overall story would be of interest to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense with a paranormal twist.

My thanks to Meryton Press and Leathensberry Tours for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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