Colin Firth Books

Loved the actors interviews, the photos and all the back story. To learn that Jennifer Ehle (Lizzy) is blonde and to see her as such without the Lizzy dark-hair wig, was worth the buy in itself!

This book is a must for those who love A&E's version of Pride and Prejudice. It's very informational and gives the reader even a greater appreciation for the work and detail put into this magnificent movie!!

An interesting inside look at how the series Pride and Prejudice was made. As always accuracy and attention to detail showed in this excellent production. Even the fabric chosen for dresses was in keeping with the time period. Great theatre, great TV, great book!

This delightful book telling of the making of the 1995 mini-series of Pride and Prejudice gives real insight into the preparation of what must be considered the definitive version on film of this beloved novel. Like the featurette on the DVD, it explains a great deal about the costumes, the choreography, the musical score and determing locations for the various well known places that the audience visits during the program. What is not on the featurette and is in the book is insight into what the performers were feeling during this major film event, expecially the primary characters of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy portrayed by Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. It is very interesting to hear their thoughts as they approached their roles. And it is also very apparent as you go through this book that everyone responsible for actually getting this on film loved the book and are fans of Jane Austen. Very nice indeed.

For the first time, I recently watch the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This adaptation created a desire to know more about the filming and the cast & crew. I was pleasantly suprised to discover this wonderful book of trivia.

The photographs of the cast out of character gave a truly amazing picture of the quality of the makeup artists and costumers. Some of these actors, you'd NEVER recognize on the street!

I genuinely enjoyed the insights into casting the miniseries and the search for the perfect locations.

For me though, the best part of the book was the interview with Colin Firth, what a joy! He is such a gentleman.

The book while short is jam-packed with trivia from where specific scenes were shot, what scenes were shot first/last and how the actors costumes developed over time!

Truly a purchase that I'm glad that I made

A nice book with the screenplay of the movie, some photos from the backstage and a very small interview to most of the main characters. For all the people (like me) who have loved this movie and its marvellous all-star cast.

WHAT IT IS
This is one of the best presentations of a script I've purchased in recent months. There's loads of extras in this paperback including some queries with the principle actors, bascstories on characters, cut scenes and storylines, great photos (behind the scenes as well as infront of the camera) and of course, the full screenplay.

WHY I PURCHASED IT
In general this is one of my favorite movies, but I am also an aspiring screenwriter and am currently using this screenplay to assist me with formatting my own intersecting lives in my screen play. It's a relief to see a screenplay with such depth be easily read and translated by enve a novie like me. Love Actually is proof positive that the best screenplays are rewritten, not written. Thank you Richard Curtis!

amazing movie, soundtrack AND book. i love love love it. when i got it i basically flipped out and sat down and read the whole thing through. this is a must have for anyone who loved the movie!

This is a film for people, like myself, who like movies that make them think, but occassionly need a feel-good flick with just enough complication to keep it interesting. I laughed, I cried, I got up on my feet and danced, I clapped my hands and I'm telling everyone I know that Love Actually is, actually, a must see movie!!!! And, so the screenplay is, also, a must read!

Richard Curtis is a genius! Although I haven't seen the movie version yet, Love Actually the screenplay heightened my excitement for the movie. The screenplay will leave readers giddy with excitement, eagerly anticipating the turnout of every character's story.

All characters are very human and everyone is looking for love in different forms, which anyone can easily relate to. Readers will find themselves rooting for all characters. The book is also complemented with photos of the movie and budding scriptwriters can pick up points on how to make a screenplay.

The book is masterfully written and it is a great read for those who are looking for love because, as Hugh Grant's character says in the opening scene, "I've got a sneaking suspicion you'll find that love actually is all around."

I really enjoyed this book. It says so much - the beginning of the end of the UK class system & sexual repression; as well as how people dealt with the horrors of the Great War.

The main theme of this charming novel is how important it is to understand the irretrievable passage of time and to savor the good times that come along. The narrator tells the story of an enchanted summer he spent in Cornwall uncovering an ancient painting in a country church. He looks back upon this time (1920) as one of the most wonderful, important periods of his life. He meets several villagers who make an indelible impression upon him and pleas with us to appreciate our own little "months in the country"--those days when things are going well. Such a good, kind, fully-alive character. I was moist-eyed by the final pages (it's a very short novel) and didn't want it to end. Sweet, powerful, and as lovely as a summer day in the country.

When I was reading this book I often felt as if i was either there or the author was telling the story directly to me. My only objection is that it was too short!

This is one of those works of art that falls into a category of its own. Carr's writing is impeccable and it took on a magical quality where the past and future were perfectly brought together through the voice of the protagonist Tom Birkin. I'm on my fourth reading of it.

If you have seen the movie you will love the book.If you have read the book then you will love the movie.1920 England has slowly climbed out of the Great War and many are still finding their way in the aftermath of it all.Tom Birkin is an art restorationist who is called to the North English town of Oxgodby in order to uncover a 500 year old painting in the the nave of the village Church.There he is met with the most unusual likeable and unlikeable characters who are there to help,hinder or confuse Birkin during the hot summer months as he tirelessly and obsessively works to reveal a Judgment Scene that will play as the key to unlock his troubled heart and soul.J.L Carr's book is extremely intimate and personal,told more from the thoughts and observations of Birkin than dialogue from supporting characters.The 1987 film version is incredibly accurate and is extremely good in bringing out the subtleties of the book.I highly recommend both.

Gwyn Cready has created a remarkable story. I don't read romances a lot. In fact, I hardly read them ever. But this book isn't what I expected a romance to be like. It's very funny, for example. Like Bridget Jones's Diary or Janet Evanovich, maybe. The latter comparison is quite apt, actually, as the heroine, Seph, flips back and forth between two great guys, a la Ranger and Joe. I was surprised as I was reading that I didn't know which guy she would end up with. Made a page-turning read for me.

In addition, the plot is really unique. Seph is transported back in time to a setting that she has in mind for a book she'd like to write someday. And Drum, the privateer she meets, is supposed to be the hero of her story, but he isn't anything like she imagined.

I would recommend this book to romance and non-romance readers alike. It's funny and sexy and romantic and just a great story all around.

And I can't wait for her next book, Seducing Mr. Darcy, to come out. I'm a huge Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth fan. From the description, this is one I and about a million other women have been waiting for a long, long time!

Being a Pittsburgh native, there were a lot of small references in this book which tickled me. But they only hold so much weight.
Having been in a triangular relationship with someone named Tom also piqued my interest. But that is irrelevant.

The humor carried throughout the book can be refreshing, yet also tiresome. The historical references got dry for me, and almost seemed cut-and-pasted. I even found a spelling mistake (Nock Nock instead of Knock Knock) I know I sound like I am being overly picky, because I did enjoy the story as a light romp type of thing.

The book needed to be rounded out. The character of Mrs. Kenny, (the gypsy) had it been further developed, would have added a bit of intrigue. Why did she make the shoes? What were her motives? The sex scenes were neither here nor there, could have benefitted from more detail, or would have been better with less humor.

There were some things never answered, like the tattoos which appeared on Seph. That could have been better explained. And the ending was like a slap in the face, but Seph seemed not to mind.

Although I liked the book, and did not feel ripped off for buying it, I got the same feeling as when I read a Patricia Cornwell novel. It is like going to a good restaurant, reading the menu, ordering a tempting appetizer, and being brought out Jeno's Pizza Rolls. They are cute and crispy, but hardly satisfying.

Quite honestly, I was expecting more from this book considering the interesting synopsis I had read. It was enjoyable, yes, but the plot became too convoluted with all the intrigue and shifting between centuries. The descriptions of the tricks Tom and Drum just didn't make sense to me, someone who knows nothing about naval maneuvers. I loved Seph Pyle, but the relationships she had with both Tom and Drum seemed odd and there was a lot of emphasis on characters who really had no role in furthering the storyline. I guess some people would be happy that the ending wasn't tied in a neat little bow, but it left me saying, "Huh?" The whole mystery of the missing papers left me confused, having Seph be the author but completely lacking control of any of the occurances was weird, and while admittedly funny, I was left feeling unsatisfied. Overall it was enjoyable (well...the parts I understood) and I am hoping the author will redeem herself with Seducing Mr. Darcy later this year...she seems to have potential minus a few glitches.

Not your typical romance novel!!!!! I loved "Tumbling Through Time". Gwyn Cready has created an irreverent "Cinderella" story without all the Disney fluff and with an historical flair. A great read. Do not be fooled by the hideous and deceptive cover!

Although I am a fan of all sorts of time travel and historical romances, I do not appreciate the language Ms. Cready used to assure us of the "21st century woman" validity. Although somewhat clever writing without the cursing and slang sex words, she took the romance out of the book and made it merely a desire for a great one night stand, regardless of time and place. I didn't even bother reading past the first 2 chapters.

Where do I make a reservation!??? If only there was a real Austenland (sigh...)

I admit that I didn't buy this sooner because I thought the premise was kookey --obviously I have been taking myself way too seriously. Kicking myself now for not having read this when it first came out!

This story was a delight and quite a page turner. Excellent melodrama that had me captivated by the first pages. I loved Hale's Jane and could totally relate to her Darcy/P&P obsession -- and found myself caught up in her real life angst and disappointments. My Janeite sensibilites never were in danger of offense, even by Hale's blatantly, contrived happy ending. (Because we all know, happy endings were one of JA's speciality.) This book left me with a happy heart! A must buy! sooner than later.

I really enjoyed this book. Shannon Hale has a great sense of humor and can totally laugh at herself in this book (and we can laugh at ourselves for wishing we were in the same kind of situation). I think most people who are obsessed with Austen books--and especially the movies--will really enjoy this book, but only if you can see the humor in the situation and not take it too literally, like some reviews I've seen. Just enjoy the ride!

I really like Shannon Hale's writing. This was wry and funny. It made me laugh. One of my favorite parts is the piano solo. I've read it twice so far, and probably will again and again.

Jane Hayes has a serious problem. And that problem is an obsession -- an obsession with Mr. Darcy, the immortal hero of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

When a well-off great-aunt gives Jane a vacation to a Regency-era resort in England, Jane hopes she can finally overcome this obsession of hers. But as she finds herself dressed to the nines in time period apparel and flirting in true Austen fashion with the ever-charming male actors, fantasy and reality blend together until the two are indistinguishable.

This novel, while at times a little unbelievable, was wholly enjoyable and amusing. Not lacking in wit or intelligence, AUSTENLAND is a carefree and lighthearted story that will delight even the most die-hard Austen fans.

Austenland is the story of Jane, a thirty-two year old woman is is more than mildly obsessed with Jane Austen, especially the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. When her elderly great-aunt dies, she leaves Jane with an unusual and bizarre bequest: a three week vacation to live out of one of Austen's novels, to step back into the year 1816 and have a romantic adventure of one's own. It's a cute, creative premise, but one that doesn't hold up well in this book.

First of all, the characters were all shallow stereotypes, completely cookie-cutter and unbelievable. It's difficult for me to believe that Jane could be so delusional and NOT have a good therapist standing behind her. Jane is completely unlike any successful New York woman I know. In addition, her "romance" was completely unconvincing ("Mr. Nobly" needs some acting lessons, it would seem). And bizarre. The setting, both in New York and LA, is vaguely sketched and seems isolated from the outside. And yet, Jane never seems to question anything, just goes along with the playacting. The ending of Austenland should come as no surprise to anyone (except Jane herself).

And, about the writing style: I understand Shannon Hale's forte is writing YA novels, and you can tell by the writing style of this book. The plot had promise, however--if the book had been about 150 pages longer and the characters and setting had been fleshed out more, it could have been an interesting read. There have been many Jane Austen spin-offs in the past few years, but this was the most disappointing of those that I've read.