Heidi L.M. Jacobs

So the book is amusing and entertaining and overflowing with references to 19th century novels and novelists, so why didn't I love it? Well it lacks characters. There are names, and a few foibles, a bit of gossip, but even the narrator seems curiously absent except for displays of literary wackiness under academic pressure. She has a best friend Genevieve and when I realized I hadn't one bit of feel for Genevieve or a hint of what drew Genevieve and Molly together, well, I noticed that only her connection with her father had a hint of feeling associated with it and everything else just was a pile of words. Clever words, but lacking any involvement or entanglement. Plus, Molly includes Jane Austen with the romantic writers.… (mere)

Working at a mall shoe store doesn't exactly provide scope for the Great Canadian Novel that Molly dreams of writing. Despite being named for Moll Flanders, one of literature's most unromantic heroines, Molly has a deep appreciation for classic literature, particularly the works of Jane Austen. She dreams of falling in love, but her prospects seem limited. Will it be one of the boys she's known since kindergarten? A family friend who used to date her older sister? Or the mysterious stranger she meets in a bookstore, who shares her appreciation for Penguin Classics?

Molly is a delightful character, and I was rooting for her all the way through. I was also not entirely sure which suitor she would end up with, which is unusual in a romance novel. Recommended to current and former English majors, Jane Austen fans who enjoy the occasional contemporary story, and anyone who has ever worked at a shopping mall.… (mere)

In May of 1995 Molly McIntyre has just finished her second year studying English at the University of Alberta and is spending her summer working at a shoe store in West Edmonton Mall. Not exactly the best place to find scope for her to write the great Canadian novel or even just to inspire a long-time lover of Jane Austen such as herself. As Molly struggles through a summer of selling footwear and heads into her third year of university, she'll encounter old friends, make new ones, question what it means to be named after Moll Flanders, and wonder just what love feels like anyway. And through it all she'll constantly wonder, what would Miss Austen advise?

Have you ever encountered a book that surprises you by how absolutely perfect it is for you? This was such a one for me. Molly's tale is uproariously funny in parts (that Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour sticker on the cover isn't lying) but also so evocative of what it is to be in your early twenties and realizing that while you're technically a grown-up, you still don't feel it at all. Molly is a massive fan of classical literature (likely the influence of her English professor father) and her great love for classic novels and particularly Jane Austen felt extraordinarily familiar. The descriptions of attending English lit classes also aligned with my own experiences (despite the 20 year gap between when the novel is set and when I was in undergrad) and I got great delight out of Molly's assignments included throughout the novel. I found extra joy in her local descriptions as I've lived in and around Edmonton for most of my life and Molly's feelings about Edmonton often mirror my own. Ultimately, the book is both tremendously funny while also just a compelling tale of a year in Molly's life that has a decidedly Austen-esque vibe. And the ending made me so happy I cried (and then ordered a copy for my shelves). There are no words for how highly I recommend this novel.… (mere)