Rate this book

The Real Jane Austen: A Life In Small Things (2013)

by Paula Byrne(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0061999091 (ISBN13: 9780061999093)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Harper

review 1: Absolutely a splendid book. I've read biographies etc. on Miss Austen and I nevertheless learned a lot about her and particularly her friends. Even after seeing the movie Belle, I never connected Lord Mansfield with Mansfield Park, in which there is a connection with slavery. Each thing is illustrated by line drawing and by high quality color photographs, as well as a number of B/W photos of portraits of family members and friends. The last chapter brings a new, possible portrait of Miss Austen! I highly recommend reading this book and rereading it.
review 2: This is definitely an unusual biography. Before beginning it, I was reasonably conversant with the events of Austen's life, having read Claire Tomalin's thorough biography some years ago. If the reade... morer hasn't perused a similar work, they might be in for some confusion, as the book's nonlinear structure assumes the reader already has a working knowledge of the author's story. That said, the intimate details the Byrne is able to convey through her focus on specific touchstones bring to life the real woman in a manner much more engaging and enriching than that of a traditional, linear biography. I loved her description of Austen's argumentative marginalia in the pages of her father's books, and her more measured approach to the events so often harped on by others as seismic (specifically, the Tom Lefroy flirtation and the "unproductive" period in Bath). less

Download links for: The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things

Advertising