Sex & Sensibility
The Adventures of a Jane Austen Addict
by Rosemarie Santini
List Price: $22.00
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0976411105
Publisher: Saint Books
Can a hopelessly romantic Jane Austen addict (with a wicked sense of humor) even find true love in twenty-first century Manhattan? Is it possible for her to lead a Jane Austen-Inspired life?
Lizzie Parsons really tries.
Lizzie is a witty young film reviewer searching for true love in the frenetic world of Manhattan media. Throughout her romantic travails, Lizzie clings to her Austen mantras, recalls her favorite characters, and insists (with often hilarious results) that those around her act with nineteenth century civility in all sorts of situations, especially those that take place in the bedroom.
When confronted by life's events, Lizzie asks the questions:
What would Jane do?
What would Jane think?
What would Jane say?
Even though she's being courted by two available beaus, Lizzie is totally obsessed with that adorable Brit actor she compares them to. It's not until the end of this zany –- yet totally romantic --- novel that Lizzie comes to terms with her mother's brand of feminism, her idealization of her father, and the realization that her own true love is right in front of her eyes. (And, he adores Jane Austen novels!).
Dear, oh dear! Can a Jane Austen addict ever find happiness with a modern Metrosexual Man?
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1. How can a literary icon like Jane Austen be a moral guide to someone like Lizzie Parsons who lives in a totally different world?
2. What effect does today's sexual freedom have on Jane Austen's rules of social conduct?
3. How did Maggie's feminism impact on Lizzie?
4. What was the effect of her father's absence on Lizzie?
5. Which parent was the stronger influence on her...and why?
6. In what ways does Lizzie's crush on a celebrity actor harm her, or enrich her life?
7. What influence does Fancy, Lizzie's African-American girlfriend, have on Lizzie?
8. How does Lizzie's love of films aid in her survival?
9. The plot takes place in the sophisticated circles of Manhattan --- could this story happen in a small town?
10. How do the Jane-o-holics handle their secrets?
11. What are the most important elements in Lizzie's dreams?
12. Should Lizzie marry her guy?
13. At the end of the book, do you think Lizzie is happy?
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"A Jane Austen-obsessed heroine navigates life and love in Santini's sprightly third novel. With Lizzie, Santini has created a zany character full of kick and spunk."
—Publishers Weekly
"Beautifully conceived and well-executed. Sex & Sensibility is a woman's riveting account of her experience in today's sexually liberated New York".
—Katharine Neville bestselling author of The Eight
"Fans of Jane Austen and Sex and the City will want to read Sex & Sensibility. Rosemarie Santini provides marvelously merry Manhattan misadventures."
—Affair de Coeur
"Sex & Sensibility is a terrific Jane Austen meets chick-lit madcap Manhattan romance, starring a delightfully irrational, obsessed, and wacky heroine."
—Harriet Klausner, The Readers Guild
