Unfortunately, they fall for the same one - and Julie undergoes a Fanny-Price-like martyrdom at the hands of her best friend (not that Shulman refers to anything in Austen's body of work outside of Pride & Prejudice). Julie is doubtful about Ashleigh's scheme to gate-crash a dance at a local boys' prep school, but somehow it all turns out happily and the girls find themselves striking up quite a friendship with some of the young men they meet there. Overnight Ashleigh decides to think, dress, and behave like an Austen heroine, and this of course includes attending a ball to meet young gentlemen. Which is all right, until Ashleigh becomes enthusiastic for one of Julie's enjoyments - Jane Austen. From candymaking to King Arthur to the Little House on the Prairie, Ashleigh's bursts of enthusiastic interest usually include Julie being dragged along for the ride. But any book that cites Pride & Prejudice as a primary influence is already set up to fail, and this is no exception.Julie's best friend, Ashleigh, is an Enthusiast. It was touted as a fun read inspired by Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice - and I guess I'm a sucker for descriptions like that. So when the girls get a part in the boys school musical, what follows is naturally equal parts comedy and romance, as a series of misinterpreted and missed signals, dating mishaps, and awkward incidents make Julie wonder if she has the heart for True Love.I picked up Polly Shulman's Enthusiasm on the glowing recommendation of a fellow LibraryThinger. The problem with Ashleigh s craze this time, however, is that there is only one Mr. And so Julie finds herself with Ashleigh, dressed in vintage frocks, sneaking into a dance at the local all boys prep school, where they discover some likely candidates. But Ashleigh can t just appreciate it as a great read she insists on emulating the novel s hero*ines, in speech, dress, and the most important element of all finding True Love. Ashleigh s latest craze is Julie s own passion, Pride and Prejudice. Julie never knows what new obsession will catch Ashleigh s fancy, but she does know she s likely to be drawn into the madness. Julie’s best friend, Ashleigh, is an enthusiast.

Enthusiasm by polly shulman