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57th out of 558 books
—
445 voters
Just Jane (Ladies of History #2)
by
Nancy Moser
Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma...these titles conjure up a romantic world of rolling English countrysides, elegant balls, noble gentlemen, and headstrong gentlemen's daughters. But how much do we know about the woman who immortalized those times and names like Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett? Growing up in a clergyman's home gave Jane Austen opportun...more
Paperback, 364 pages
Published
September 1st 2007
by Bethany House Publishers
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Just when I told myself I was finally done with my Jane Austen habit for a while, I saw this book and had to read it...so I did! It's essentially the same story that is presented in the movies "Becoming Jane" and "Miss Austen Regrets," as well as the book I recently read, "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen." It's about the woman behind the famous novels, whom I find utterly fascinating. It's written in first person, and I was uncertain at first if I liked or disliked the fact that the author did n...more
May 05, 2008
Margaret
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Jane Austen fans
Shelves:
christianfiction,
pines,
historical,
bethany-house,
own,
favorites,
1810-1820-england-regency
Jane Austen of course is legend to us today. Although I have heard some historical discrepancies from one or two things in this novel of her life, I really see this as a depiction that is the most true to how I see Jane's life. Nancy Moser did a wonderful job bringing the light of Jane to a realistic picture for me and I could imagine every scene of her story. At first I was reading on a depressed note, thinking of the Jane movies I have seen recently just knowing that it will end with her deat...more
I enjoyed reading this fictional account of Jane Austen's life, based on actual facts. I learned about some things I didn't already know, such as her marriage proposal. I also appreciated the insight into the feelings of Jane during the different stages of her life. The writing style, however, was slightly distracting as the author tried to write like Jane Austen. I suppose it was necessary, though, because she tried to use Jane's actual words whenever she could. It did get better as the book we...more
It’s no surprise to anyone, if ever reading my reviews, that I am an extreme fan of the incomparable Jane Austen. I have always believed this woman was the "end-all and be-all" of fictional works, so I really desire any author who embarks on this subject to do this lovely woman justice. I am happy to report that this author has done just that.
In this realistic and emotionally moving portrayal of Jane Austen’s early life, the author takes us through the circumstances that molded this young girl...more
In this realistic and emotionally moving portrayal of Jane Austen’s early life, the author takes us through the circumstances that molded this young girl...more
Another of Nancy Moser’s series on historical women. This one is about Jane Austen, who has been a long time favorite of mine. It was interesting to learn a little more about her life. At the beginning of the book there is background information on Jane’s family which helps to keep them all straight. For different reasons, Jane and her sister, Cassandra, never married. They were very close and much of the factual information about Jane comes from her letters to Cassandra. Moser depicts Jane as r...more
(Two and one-half stars: I definitely thought it was OK and I nearly liked it).
The life of Jane Austen reads like one of her novels – in most ways. There are balls, flirtations, close friends, tiresome family members, adverse financial situations which make marriage an apparent necessity and choices which hold out for love despite adverse financial situations. In one major aspect, however, the biography and the novels of Austen diverge: a happy romantic ending. Austen died at the age of 41, havi...more
The life of Jane Austen reads like one of her novels – in most ways. There are balls, flirtations, close friends, tiresome family members, adverse financial situations which make marriage an apparent necessity and choices which hold out for love despite adverse financial situations. In one major aspect, however, the biography and the novels of Austen diverge: a happy romantic ending. Austen died at the age of 41, havi...more
This was a good read, and I really enjoyed reading more about Jane Austen's life. This book has inspired me to read the biography written by her nephew - James Edward Austen-Leigh. As historical fiction, it does draw many conclusions about her life that are not actually based in fact. At best, it uses Austen's books, Austen's biography by her nephew as well as other biographies and references. These are pulled into a novel format for entertaining reading. I feel it an accurate portrayal of the a...more
Summary: An imagining of Jane Austen's life following her from her early writings to her death.
Likes: I LOVED Cassandra and the relationships Jane had with other females in her life. Cassandra is an awesome sister and a friend to future generations as portrayed here because she encouraged Jane to write, write, write throughout their lives. Unfortunately Cassandra also burned what were probably some very enlightening letters written by Jane but book>letters so I can forgive her for that.
I like...more
Likes: I LOVED Cassandra and the relationships Jane had with other females in her life. Cassandra is an awesome sister and a friend to future generations as portrayed here because she encouraged Jane to write, write, write throughout their lives. Unfortunately Cassandra also burned what were probably some very enlightening letters written by Jane but book>letters so I can forgive her for that.
I like...more
"Just Jane" is a novel about Jane Austen's life. The author, Nancy Moser, strove to discover as many facts as possible for the book. However, because many of Jane's letters were destroyed after her death, there are gaps in her life, which Moser had to do her best to fill in. In the back of the novel, Moser was kind enough to list what was fact and what was fiction in her book. I appreciated that.
As for the story, I enjoyed it. It was quaint and cozy. Jane led a simple, quiet life. She was a genu...more
As for the story, I enjoyed it. It was quaint and cozy. Jane led a simple, quiet life. She was a genu...more
This is a fictional account based on some of the factual events of Jane Austen's life. I didn't really like it all that much and found Jane to be a bit whiny, a little spoiled, and kind of rude. Her remarks are supposed to be witty and some of them were. Some were more annoying than anything else. At one point I wanted to slap her and say "boo hoo, I know your life isn't what you want but do something about it". When she finally did the whiny Jane went away. For the Austen fan, this may appeal....more
I read this for a genre study at work - inspirational fiction. They story itself was not bad and the inspirational part was kept to a minimum. I mean at least she didn't have conversations with God. I think it is the whole genre of inspirational fiction that I disagree with - why label everythhing? Where is the serendipity of coming across a new author ot book you love if you have to analyze what it's about to find it? The historical aspect appealed to me and I felt Jane had a little more spunk...more
I really enjoyed this one. It is a fiction book based on real-life events of the author Jane Austen. It's written in 1st person, and I liked how the author made a disclaimer at the end that she wasn't trying to copy Jane's writing voice ('cause in the last book I read, I felt the author was trying to do just that). She also includes what is real and what is fiction or inferred, which I appreciate. Needless to say, I learned a lot about Jane Austen and simply enjoyed the story, imagining what Jan...more
It started out a little slow and choppy, where it was obvious that spots were actual quotes from letters, her works, etc. and with almost glaring conclusions of the connections between her family and friends and her novels' characters. But, then it improved. I loved the beautiful prose, that is reflective of Austen's style, but does not try to be Austen. Moser's insights into what could have been Jane's motivations and feelings were interesting with numerous real-life profound conclusions. Maybe...more
Did your interest in Jane Austen's novels ever make you want to learn more about Jane Austen? Did you see that there were many biographies written about her but not really want to read a biography? If you are like me and prefer the fiction/literature genre more than the nonfiction/biography genre,this would be a great book for you.
This is the story of Jane Austen's life from the age she met her first love, Tom Lefroy (age 20) til the time she died (age 41). In parts the story is a very truthful...more
This is the story of Jane Austen's life from the age she met her first love, Tom Lefroy (age 20) til the time she died (age 41). In parts the story is a very truthful...more
This book was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting just to read a fictional account of Jane Austen's life, but what I got out of Just Jane is so much more.
Nancy Moser writes this fictional biography of Jane Austen in the first person, speaking in a way that Austen herself may have spoken. While the character interactions and dialogue are created by Moser, much of it is based on fact, as researched in Jane Austen's letters. Just Jane follows Jane Austen's life as she starts to write her now famou...more
Nancy Moser writes this fictional biography of Jane Austen in the first person, speaking in a way that Austen herself may have spoken. While the character interactions and dialogue are created by Moser, much of it is based on fact, as researched in Jane Austen's letters. Just Jane follows Jane Austen's life as she starts to write her now famou...more
I really hate to write anything sometime, about a book I've read, but I do always like to go back and remember what I thought about the book. My memory is so bad, that I can't usually remember unless I make a note of it sometime.
That said, I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I wanted to really, really like it, but I really sort of struggled through it. That could have just been me, though. I've read two others by Moser (Mozart's Sister and Washington's Lady and I have another yet to read),...more
That said, I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I wanted to really, really like it, but I really sort of struggled through it. That could have just been me, though. I've read two others by Moser (Mozart's Sister and Washington's Lady and I have another yet to read),...more
Dec 30, 2011
Nina
added it
I so love anything by or about Jane Austin...I am one of thousands, I know. This book is not high literature but don't we all need a little respite once in a while and this is my cup of tea. In fact I do have a cup of tea along with "jane" and can't wait to indulge at the end of the afternoon with her....
Happy Valentine's Day. Tomorrow my daughter and I are having a Valentine Tea in honor of Jane Austin for my Jane Austin Book Society organization at my daughter's home. Wish all my goodreads fri...more
Happy Valentine's Day. Tomorrow my daughter and I are having a Valentine Tea in honor of Jane Austin for my Jane Austin Book Society organization at my daughter's home. Wish all my goodreads fri...more
I started reading this with a critical eye, deeming it rather dull and Jane's character lacking. The writing seemed either overly simplified, or as if the author was trying too hard to make it sound like Jane Austen, without much success. But it managed to draw me in after a while, and I believe if it were written as much like the author herself might have written it, it would be a harder, duller read. And of course, it was better written than I could have done. I did dislike some of Jane's comp...more
I was disappointed by this book. I was expecting a compelling plot, but it was very uneventful for the first 250 pages. I was very tempted halfway through to just put it down and not bother finishing the book, but I wondered if anything would actually happen by the end, so I kept reading. What did happen during the last 100 pages really wasn't enough to redeem the intense annoyance and boredom from the beginning of the book. It's mostly a group of vignettes about the author's life. There wasn't...more
I really expected quite a lot from this. I love Jane Austen, and seeing as her story is quite like that of one of her characters (without the happy at the end) I had thought I would quite like this. But I did not.
The writing style of the book was the biggest problem for me. Nancy Moser says herself she did not try to write in Jane's unique voice, merely tried to hint at it. The hints were too few, in my opinion, and I found it quite hard to connect this Jane to the Jane I have read about before....more
The writing style of the book was the biggest problem for me. Nancy Moser says herself she did not try to write in Jane's unique voice, merely tried to hint at it. The hints were too few, in my opinion, and I found it quite hard to connect this Jane to the Jane I have read about before....more
Loved! Namcy's other book, Mozart's Sister was also very good. It made me sad that when Jane talked about how her mother had her christened around 14 weeks or so, and then sent her out to live with another family until she was 2! How sad! I couldn't do that to Laura! Send away my sweet baby and not see her for two years!
It wss interesting to see into Jane's life, especially what she was thinking about while she was writing her books. If you would like to borrow this, let me know!
It wss interesting to see into Jane's life, especially what she was thinking about while she was writing her books. If you would like to borrow this, let me know!
This isn't usually the sort of book that is at the top of my to-read list. There are so many books about Jane Austen and about her characters it's absurd! I picked up one in Costco once while I was waiting for my mom... oy. That book had my gagging over the stupidity of Mr. Darcy's thoughts and his obsession with Lizzy. Good grief! It made me so mad that just because Miss Austen is dead and gone people think they can steal her characters and ruin them.
However, I bought this book at a used books...more
However, I bought this book at a used books...more
An interesing take on the life of Jane Austen, my favorite author. I found it to be a quick read mainly because I skimmed over some of the more wordy parts of the text that didn't contain much meat about her life.
As in the author's earlier book about Martha Washington, Ms. Moser did not have much true history via letters and personal papers to draw her text from.
All in all, interesting, but not overly exciting or revealing in it's content.
As in the author's earlier book about Martha Washington, Ms. Moser did not have much true history via letters and personal papers to draw her text from.
All in all, interesting, but not overly exciting or revealing in it's content.
This was so fun to read at the 200th year anniversary of Pride and Prejudice! I thought it was fairly well done, and I learned some knew things about Jane Austen. It's a fictional first-person telling of her life. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars, but I felt like the author made a good attempt at showing her flaws as well as making her a heroine. Apparently it's part of a series about notable women, but it can be read on it's own.
I enjoyed this book well enough, but it has its flaws and was a bit annoying at first. The writing style bothered me somewhat as it abounds with sentence fragments and redundancy-- I question whether it truly captures Jane's voice. I also didn't really appreciate how sometimes the endings of Jane's novels are given away, as I, and probably others reading this book, am not familiar with all of the stories yet. However, this book was interesting enough to keep me reading.
I loved this book, it made me want to be jane austen. Really Jane Austen not just one of her characters. I really enjoyed the history and the author giving a story so we can imagine the thoughts and of feelings of Jane as she comes up with her stories and characters. This will be one of those books I keep on my shelf for a fun read, when I want my mind to escape for a few moments and feel inspired by ideals I love.
Having visited Jane Austen's Bath, England home during the summer of '06, I was drawn to read this book. Also knowing that Austen fairly regretted the time she spent in Bath, I wanted to read about her life and times. Having no other such volume with which to compare Moser's book, this was an informative read and one that seemed to put readers into Austen's head as she and her sister struggle with their "spinsterness" in the face of most women of the day who chose marriage as their only option i...more
When I began reading this book, I was not sure I was going to like it. The fact that it is written in the first person did not sit well with me at first. However, I did not have to read too far before I became completely engaged in the story. I found this to be an entertaining way of getting an insight into what life must have been like for Miss Austen and to (finally) grasp how her family was put together. I had never been able to keep track of all the brothers and nieces and nephews, but havin...more
I'm participating in a Jane Austen challenge this year and thought it would be a good idea to learn more about Ms. Austen herself. While this book is considered fiction, the author undertakes copious amounts of research and does her best to write a novel true to the actual women of history. I think I would have really enjoyed getting to know Jane Austen in person. I just can't help but wish she had found her own Mr. Darcy.
I have really enjoyed this entire series of historical novels. I can tend to be wary of books that involve Jane Austen, but this one does a nice job of giving a sense of the way things might have been without copying too much of the author’s original language or voice. I actually had seen this one mentioned at Home With Purpose in February and decided to pick it up from the library for myself.
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Nancy Moser is the author of three inspirational humor books and a eighteen novels, including Mozart's Sister, Just Jane, and Time Lottery, a Christy Award winner. She is an inspirational speaker, giving seminars around the country. She has earned a degree in architecture; run a business with her husband; traveled extensively in Europe; and has performed in various theaters, symphonies, and choirs...more
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“When I read a novel I am not here. I am transported to far-off places, my eyes unseeing of the words on the page, busy with a scene being played out in my mind's eye, with my ears engaged, hearing the voices carry from the pen to the present. What a lovely place to be-not here
- Just Jane (Chapter Four Page 35)”
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13 people liked it
- Just Jane (Chapter Four Page 35)”
“When I read a novel I am not here. I am transported to far-off places, my eyes unseeing of the words on the page, busy with a scene being played out in my mind's eye, with my ears engaged, hearing the voices carry from the pen to the present. What a lovely place to be—not here.”
—
5 people liked it
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Jan 23, 2011 06:55pm