Jane Austen's Letters

by Jane Austen
Jane Austen's Letters  
published April 3rd 1997 by Oxford University Press, USA
first published 1995
binding Paperback
isbn 0192832972   (isbn13: 9780192832979)
pages 672
description Jane Austen famously labeled her literary ambit a "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory." Luckily, her personal travels and those of her fa...more
date added
10-10-06



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 119)



Nikki
Nikki rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
02/02/08

bookshelves: jane-austen
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for: Die hard Jane Austen fans
I ordered Deirdre Le Faye's edition of Jane Austen's Letters with a certain amount of trepidation, which only increased when I received the book and realized its size. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, but I was afraid her personal letters might be boring, confusing, and hard to wade through. I was wrong!!! The very first letter, with its mention of Tom Lefroy, had me hooked! Jane Austen's letters are every bit as engaging as her novels. They are full of the wit and humor with which those...more
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  4 comments

aisha
aisha rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/01/08

bookshelves: my-jane-austen-obsession
Read in June, 2008
OK, so I mostly skimmed through most of the book. Although I was quite diligent in reading the first parts [and even came across my all-time favorite Jane Austen quote:], I found that without knowing exactly what was happening at the time[who, what, where, etc:] it wasn't exactly scintillating reading. Plus, the enormous time gaps between letters [thanks to sister Cassandra's pyromania:] made it difficult for me to stay interested. Lots of talk about trimmed caps and gowns-Jane must have been...more
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Siria
Siria rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/04/08

bookshelves: letters, nonfiction
Read in January, 2003
Suited to either reading straight through, or dipping in and out of as the fancy takes you, Jane Austen's Letters is nicely arranged and presented and meticulously annotated. Austen's letters are frequently witty and always entertaining, with just enough of a hint of mischief to them to make me regret even more that her sister, Cassandra, burned so many of her letters after her death. As hefty a volume as this is, it really
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Sharon
Sharon rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/21/08

Read in August, 2007
recommended to Sharon by: A Librarian
recommends it for: Anyone who loves Jane Austen
Written by her brother some years after here death & includes family opinions (very vague at times) and letters. Caroline burned most of the letters she & Jane shared just after Jane's death. What a shame. We do get an insight to her family, the times & the people around her.
My personal opinion - she was MUCH too nice to certain people.!
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Angela
Angela rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/14/08

Read in July, 2008
I thought this book was interesting, mainly to learn what type of things author Jane Austen did during her lifetime. I do wish the publisher has included footnotes throughout the book to give a better insight to the things that were referred to in her letters. I think footnotes would have made the letters that more interesting.
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Heather
Heather rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/29/08

This was hard read. It was tiring to keep my finger in the back of the book so I could reference the notes every five words or so. Without the notes, you have no idea what she is talking about. It would be nice to have an annotated type book so you wouldn't have to flip back and forth so much.
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Melissa
Melissa rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/26/07

bookshelves: nonfiction
a great resource as to what Austen was thinking and reading when she was writing. Unfortuneately it is a flawed resource as her sister Cassandra was a very strict editor and cut away those parts she deemed "unsuitable." All in all, there is some very funny stuff left behind.
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Linda
Linda rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/15/08

Read in April, 2008
this was an incredible insight into Jane Austen's life and the life of those of that period. I find it amazing the letters have survived and am so thankful they have. I started it while reading another good book then couldn't put it down! A must for Jane Austen fans.
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Laura
Laura rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/16/08

Her wit and humor resonate on every page—find out just how delightful Jane would be to sit next to at a dinner party, and how much more clever her catty observations would be than your own. Exceptionally footnoted by scholar (and Austen devotee) Deidre Le Faye.
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Rebecca
Rebecca marked it as to-read
01/27/08

bookshelves: to-read
I was unaware that these letters were published and while I am saddened by the thought that they were not all retrieved I am excited at the little peek into her daily life. Maybe her hum-drum will spice my every day up just a bit.
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Jill
Jill rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
12/12/07

Read in December, 2007
It was interesting to read some of these letters, but some of them were just daily updates to her sister and got a little boring (especially since her sister burned most of the juicy letters late in life).
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Jenn
Jenn rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/20/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
so far, these letters are a lot of fun... much of what jane says has to do with dresses and the weather and dancing, but she's still terribly witty.
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Judith
Judith rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/26/07

Read in January, 2005
I was disappointed when I learned that Cassandra burned most of their most intimate correspondence, there wasn't enough substance left for my taste
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Carrie
Carrie is currently reading it
03/18/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for: Jane-ites
I love immersing myself in Jane Austen's world and pretending like I'm sharing it with her over a warm cup of English Breakfast.
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Florencia
Florencia is currently reading it
03/12/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Not the kind of book that you read in one sitting. I love letters and I love to read about Austen's life in her own words.
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Kelly
Kelly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/09/08

Life for women in 18th-19th century rural Britain was pretty uneventful. And that movie, "Becoming Jane," is a disgrace.
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Garnette
Garnette rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/17/08

bookshelves: to-read
My daughter says this collection is well worth reading so I will.
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Felicia (Texas)
Felicia (Texas) rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/19/08

bookshelves: austen-austen-inspired
A Must-have for all Jane Austen lovers!
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Leslie
Leslie marked it as to-read
09/05/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Alison
Alison marked it as to-read
09/01/08

bookshelves: to-read
 


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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.00 (119 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 4.03 (117 ratings)
number of reviews: 18






other editions

Jane Austen's Letters (Paperback)
Jane Austen's Letters (Hardcover)









quote

"What should I do with your strong, manly, spirited sketches, full of variety and glow? How could I possibly join them on to the little bit (two inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after much labour?" more quotes »