Jane Austen

Nov 20, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, re-read

I purchased and first read this book in Bath in 1999, after visiting Chawton (where Austen lived in the latter part of her life and wrote her last three novels) and Salisbury (where she died and was buried). After that albeit rather limited literary pilgrimage, it seemed appropriate to acquire and read a biography of the writer while I was still in what had been her environment. Although I have re-read Austen's novels in the intervening years, I have not looked at the biography again. This weeke...more
I purchased and first read this book in Bath in 1999, after visiting Chawton (where Austen lived in the latter part of her life and wrote her last three novels) and Salisbury (where she died and was buried). After that albeit rather limited literary pilgrimage, it seemed appropriate to acquire and read a biography of the writer while I was still in what had been her environment. Although I have re-read Austen's novels in the intervening years, I have not looked at the biography again. This weekend, I re-read it in two sittings. It was good to become reacquainted with Austen and her family, to become lost in the complexity of her extended family relationships and to immerse myself in the influences on her writing.

In The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett has his central character - the Queen - conclude that authors "were probably best met within the pages of their novels, and were as much creatures of the reader's imagination as the characters in their books". I agree with this sentiment in general terms. While I love Austen's work, I am less keen on the industry which has grown up around it and around her. The prequels, the sequels, the re-imaginings, the films, the television adaptations: while some of them have undoubted merit, all pale in comparison with the wit and intelligence of her prose. It is in her novels that Austen's genius is most apparent and it is in her novels that the reader can really come to know her.

However, while I don't believe that a reader needs to know a lot about a writer's life, sometimes a well-written biography can give insight and add to an appreciation of the writer's work. This is one of those biographies. It is easy to read, not overly academic and contains excellent notes. That said, I skimmed some of it this time around. Biographical material concerning Jane Austen is not extensive (her relatives having destroyed most of her letters after her death), and Tomalin possibly writes a little too much about neighbours and acquaintances about whom more is known. However, this is not a major flaw: it's very interesting on a first reading, but less so on a re-read. Given the lack of biographical material, Tomalin mercifully strays into "she must have thought", "she must have said" territory relatively infrequently. When she does so, her speculation appears reasonable.

Possibly the best thing I can say about Tomalin's writing is that I was moved to tears on two occasions. First, as she describes the joy Austen felt when Sense and Sensibility and then Pride and Prejudice were published. Then when she describes the period leading up to Austen's death and the death itself. Inspiring tears of joy and tears of sadness in the same work is not a bad indicator of a biographer's skill.

Recommended to any reader who loves Austen's novels and wants to know more about the writer. (less)

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Mar 18, 2013 Jennifer D. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books, non-fiction

the short take: okay, so i found this book really clunky. the information was interesting and painted quite the picture of life during austen's time but it really took a lot of tangents. it's not so much austen's life as it is her family's life (though of course jane features more). and that's fine...but not what i expected nor what i was hoping for. i have come to understand that biographical information about austen is limited and very few letters she wrote survived. a brother and nephew each...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: criticism

Fragmentary records make for suggestive biography. Tomalin must delve archives as a detective, stretch and scrutinize the old paper, and compensate for gaps in the lone life with a narrative of the familial-social surround in which the maturing writer is presumed--and occasionally observed--to lurk and flash. “From what we know of this or that it may be supposed that Jane thought this or that.” Tomalin’s speculations seem just and her account of the surround is interesting, Olenska-like Cousin E...more Fragmentary records make for suggestive biography. Tomalin must delve archives as a detective, stretch and scrutinize the old paper, and compensate for gaps in the lone life with a narrative of the familial-social surround in which the maturing writer is presumed--and occasionally observed--to lurk and flash. “From what we know of this or that it may be supposed that Jane thought this or that.” Tomalin’s speculations seem just and her account of the surround is interesting, Olenska-like Cousin Eliza echoing with particular poignance. In the documentary gaps, Austen--ripening genius--reads as appropriately mysterious. Drafts of all novels but Persuasion lost and many letters censoriously scissored, or burned, Austen’s rag-and-bone shop remains mostly hidden; hers is a life in art.

Pushkin, though he did not know it, chiseled a tribute to Austen in the last of the Tales of Belkin:

Those of my readers who have never lived in rural parts cannot imagine how delightful these provincial young ladies are! Brought up on fresh air, in the shade of their apple orchards, they draw their knowledge of life and the world from books. Solitude, freedom, and reading are quick to develop emotions in them unknown to our light-minded beauties. For a country miss, the jingle of a coach bell is an adventure, a trip to their nearest town marks a stage in life, and a guest’s visit leaves a lingering, even permanent memory. Of course, anyone is at liberty to laugh at some of their oddities, but the gibes of a superficial observer cannot efface their essential virtues, of which the chief is: distinction of character, originality (individualité), without which, in the opinion of Jean Paul, human greatness cannot exist. In the capital cities women receive a better education, perhaps, but the ways of society iron out their character and render their minds as indistinguishable as their hats. The above is not meant as a judgement, nor yet a censure, however, nota nostra manet, as one ancient commentator puts it.

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Mar 12, 2012 Dolores rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Through diaries, journals, and letters, Claire Tomalin brings Jane Austen to life. So much so, that I provided real-time updates to my husband. "Sense and Sensibility" has been published...Jane's not feeling well...Jane's dying. The biography reads like a novel, and you can recognize the inspirations for many of Austen's characters.

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Feb 13, 2009 Marian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: quit

What I was hoping to find in reading a biography of Jane Austen I did not find in this book. I've often wondered if the stories she wrote had been patterned after actual people in her life. The book did not make any such correlations. I cannot hold that against it, however. If Mr. Darcy did not, in fact, live next door to Jane it is by no fault of the biographer.

To be honest, I skimmed the last half of the book. There is little information left on Jane Austin so the biography centered around th...more

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Apr 16, 2008 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Generally regarded as one of the best biographies, it focuses heavily on Jane’s family, connections, and time period. Not as quick and easy a read as the Penguin biography, but lots of well-written information without too much dubious psycho-analyzing (always a danger because although we have many of Jane’s letters, we don’t have them all, nor do we have opportunity for a Q&A session, nor are our social/family/child-rearing views and expectations necessarily the same as hers). Great details...more

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Nov 04, 2008 Siria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

Tomalin has produced a very readable biography of Jane Austen. While the source material Tomalin has to work with is limited—her sister Cassandra unfortunately destroyed many of Jane's letters after her death—she is a sensitive interpreter of what does survive. She is good at correcting the traditional image of Austen as a somewhat prim, retiring, romantic old maid, replacing that with the kind of woman we see reflected in her surviving letters: independent, self-assured, extroverted, and flawed...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was one of the best literary biographies I've read in a long, long time. Written with the "voice" of Jane Austen's own cadence, almost as if one was reading a Jane Austen novel, Tomalin's painstaking research brought Jane to life in a way that no other biography of Jane has for me. I was drawn in from the first chapter, and by 1/3 of the way through, I was so into the book that I even took it with me as I stood in line to vote in November 2004 (a process that year that had me standing in li...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this engrossing. Claire Tomlin should be commended for her thoroughness and perception. However, given the lack of available letters and diaries of Jane Austen, I found it a little frustrating that we could not be privy to Jane Austen’s wicked sense of humour or take on things; not that this is the author’s fault. I felt I was reading about Jane Austen concealed behind a white mist.

Her family, on the other hand, I learned a great deal about not that I was that interested truth be told....more

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Nov 04, 2012 Ulfah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

so i finally get myself to finish miss austen's biography written by claire tomalin. i have difficulties in starting to reading it, is just i've already known that not so much thing can be extracted from her life (the burnt letters, no appropriate picture of her survived, etc etc) and she's also a very private person and she rarely wrote to express what she really feels (most personal letters were burnt by cassandra and jane also didn't keep a personal diary). and the starting chapter of the bio...more so i finally get myself to finish miss austen's biography written by claire tomalin. i have difficulties in starting to reading it, is just i've already known that not so much thing can be extracted from her life (the burnt letters, no appropriate picture of her survived, etc etc) and she's also a very private person and she rarely wrote to express what she really feels (most personal letters were burnt by cassandra and jane also didn't keep a personal diary). and the starting chapter of the biography was giving on details of her very huge family (while i just wanted to know about her, but it's inevitable, i guess) in which i just finished a brilliant biography on queen yolanda and joan of arc with its battles, intrigues, and mystisity, etc, so suddenly going down to domestic life of victorian era in a brit village is a bit difficult to start with. but as we all finally meet jane in the biography, things get better.

in fact, there you find her all over again. the woman who found the world of imagination in her head. she might read many books, experience an amazing neighborhood and family, not just it's local intricts, but also some scandals and adultery, etc. or the on going war with the french. the world was moving in its amazing speed. yet she found her perfect world in her head, and shared it with us. she was, after all, one of the liveliest person i've ever encounter (at least through books) and she and her seemingly quiet life actually had to go through so many things as a person, which she managed to make the best out of it. when you read the biography, i don't think that she ever had any regrets except maybe not being able to finish Sanditon. oh yes, she might have had some broken hearts. and she might have a wedding proposal which she accepted and then put down after thinking about it after a night (nope, she wouldn't marry into a loveless marriage). but she's the kindest aunt her nieces could have. and to think about the men at that era, with their endless want of babies, babies, and babies, i guess it's best to leave jane alone and do what she's best at. she has the best understanding of people who are forgotten (clearly seen on the books she wrote). she finished her three first novels by the age of 24. she was lively, intelligent, always able to observe people around her with a clear head, and she effuses positivity! despite her proverty, her under appreciated novels (first time p&p presented to publisher, they rejected it. why would one accept a book from a country reverend to be published), her inability to control things around her (moving to bath, no permanent house after the death of her father until chawton), despite all that, she kept up with comic, lively, positive letters written to cassandra! (that's why people shouldn't complain. jane had all this, yet she managed to keep it to herself and still bring the best out of it) i cried when she finally able to publish her book! her babies! the one thing she can create with a true freedom of herself. and then the first time she got her own money, i was so proud of it! (God, i love her so much)

as her health detoriate, things went downhill. but she still managed to finish up persuasion (even revised the last two chapter to that brilliant letter of cpt. Wentworth) and wrote 12 chapters of Sanditon (noted for it's unimaginable possibility to go to places she never walked through! an almost modern tone, and i almost doubt that there will be romance in it, bcs it seems she was just making jokes about her own illness through the book). and it's heart breaking as she fell weak and helpless then die. she surely was one amazing human being.

her novels are all her babies. her lifetime work. and if one can only learn how to appreciate it. its brilliance in so many places. its understanding of how people actually act and think. its perfect depiction of so many characters we met in life. and how to not take life too seriously. laugh it out once in a while. there are too many sadness and horror and sorrow, let's just have a look at it, and think, well, we're here only once, might as well enjoy it. maybe even laugh at it every once in a while.

*thank you miss austen.(less)

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Oct 03, 2012 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As one who does not enjoy other readers reliance on "fictional biograghy" or things like that, I admired the scholarship which Ms.Tomalin put into the study. There are a lot of resources of writings from friends and relatives who knew Jane Austen, so this work benefits from those, even though humans can interpret things incorrectly, at least we have recapitulation of first hand witnesses. At times, the author did venture into her own conjecture, but this would only occur after she stated dates,...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Kate McLachlan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I already knew that Jane Austen was going to die at the end of this book, but I still cried. That night, I lay in bed thinking about her life and her death, and I cried again. I loved this story of her life.

Sometime about 30 years ago when I was first enthralled with Jane Austen, I read a biography of her life. For some reason, I never felt the need to read another one because I thought I already knew all about her. As I've grown older, though, I've learned to read her books differently. I...more

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May 05, 2012 Kristi added it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

Recommended reading for graduate class (years ago), but not required, so I actually read it. and enjoyed it.

I hate required reading for classes. I did everything I could to avoid reading anything actually required of me in high school and college classes. The years between the now-me and the intensely-in-classes me give me permission to go back and read those required books. Amazingly, I really do like those books. My own attitude makes me teach differently, though: no required reading unless I...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Judy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My biography kick continued with this one about Jane Austen, by the same author of the Charles Dickens biography that was also excellent.

Thank goodness our greats of several hundred years ago didn't have email, or we would not have had the copious letters and diaries that were usually kept by people who had education. This is how we know so much about Austen's life, her travels, her feelings, and her astute observations. And this despite her sister and one of her nieces having destroyed hundreds...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ms Tomalin writes well and is very comprehensive, drawing on her own extensive research, established works already published regarding Jane Austen's life & work, letters to and from family members, diary entries etc. and you become acquainted with Jane's life & that of her immediate family in the context of the time they lived. Claire doesn't jump to conclusions but rather puts forward her own interpretations of words written by or about Jane (and actions such as family members destroyin...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Natasha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, non-fiction

Part biography, part literary criticism.

I’ve only read one book by Jane Austen and that was Pride and Prejudice. I read it for an English class and while I enjoyed it, I wasn’t terribly blown away by it. I do seem to be interested by the retellings of her stories. I read this book for a challenge and also because I wanted to learn more about Jane Austen. From what I gather, there really isn’t much to learn since so many of her letters were destroyed. I understand the reasons for destroying pers...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: jane-austen-around

Bizarrement, et bien que je fasse continuellement de nombreuses recherches sur Jane Austen, je n'avais jamais lu aucune de ses biographies.

Dès les premières lignes, je suis happée par l'écriture de Claire Tomalin. Tous ces détails qu'elle nous donne, comme le temps qu'il faisait le jour de la naissance de Jane, nous donnent l'impression d'y être. C'est comme si l'auteur levait un voile très discrètement, marchait sur la pointe des pieds pour ne pas déranger la famille Austen et nous emmenait l...more Bizarrement, et bien que je fasse continuellement de nombreuses recherches sur Jane Austen, je n'avais jamais lu aucune de ses biographies.

Dès les premières lignes, je suis happée par l'écriture de Claire Tomalin. Tous ces détails qu'elle nous donne, comme le temps qu'il faisait le jour de la naissance de Jane, nous donnent l'impression d'y être. C'est comme si l'auteur levait un voile très discrètement, marchait sur la pointe des pieds pour ne pas déranger la famille Austen et nous emmenait là-bas avec elle!

Comme souvent dans les biographies, Claire Tomalin fait parfois des sauts en arrière pour revenir sur l'histoire d'un tel ou un autre. C'est malheureusement souvent ce qui me perd, d'autant plus que le nombre de personnages est ici élevé et qu'il n'y a pas de chronologie récapitulative. Cela nuit quelque peu à la compréhension de l'histoire mais au fur et à mesure que l'on se familiarise avec l'entourage de Jane, les choses s'éclaircissent.

Il y aussi certains passages qui donnent plus l'impression d'appartenir à la biographie d'Eliza, la cousine de Jane, qu'à celle de Jane elle-même. Malheureusement, nous savons fort bien que l'auteur ne dispose pas de beaucoup de matériel pour retracer l'enfance de Jane et il est donc logique qu'elle se concentre parfois sur son entourage, ce qui permet au moins d'établir le climat dans lequel elle a grandi. Claire Tomalin fait malgré tout, selon moi, un merveilleux travail en maintenant tout au long de son ouvrage un difficile équilibre entre l'impartialité de rigueur et son admiration pour Jane!

Elle ne s'arrête pas à la vie de Jane Austen et fait aussi une analyse de ses romans qu'elle juge tous d'un style différent: Northanger Abbey est une satyre, Sense & Sensibility un débat, Pride & Prejudice, une histoire romanesque. Elle dit que Jane Austen ne s'est pas cantonnée à une forme de livre, à ce qu'elle savait faire. Elle a exploré, s'est sans cesse renouvelée. J'ai beaucoup aimé cette partie d'analyse de texte, qui nous apprend beaucoup de choses et met en lumière des significations auxquelles nous n'aurions pas pensé. D'un autre côté, j'ai toujours trouvé cela très subjectif d'attribuer aux auteurs des intentions qu'ils n'avaient peut-être pas et de plus, chacun aime avoir la liberté d'interpréter les textes comme il le veut. Malgré tout, on sent une fois encore que cela est fait ici avec beaucoup de respect. Son analyse de Lady Susan et du génie de Jane Austen est paticulièrement percutante et porte à reflexion! J'ai souvent été d'accord avec ses opinions, quand elle remet Mrs Bennet à l'honneur par exemple, mais ce qu'elle pense de la fin de Sense & Sensibility ferait sûrement hurler plus d'une fan du Colonel Brandon!

Pour finir, je voudrais retranscire ici les dernières lignes de cette biographie que je vous incite à lire, la magnifique conclusion dans laquelle transparaît tout l'amour que Claire Tomalin porte à Jane Austen: "La Jane Austen que je préfère est celle qui se moque des opinions du monde. C'est une chance qu'elle ait eu une telle faculté de rire. Aujourd'hui, le volume des opinions a enflé dans de telles proportions qu'elle aurait de quoi rire pour l'éternité."
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Sep 14, 2009 Sandy Tjan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, british-literature, 2009, pemberley

Jane Austen's life might be one of the most elusive of major English writers; she left no diaries (although she almost certainly kept them at different points in her life) and many of her letters (no doubt including those which are most pertinent to biographers) were destroyed by her sister Cassandra or other heirs, either deliberately or through simple carelessness. Even the memoir written by her nephew is closer to hagiography then the truth, thus further obscuring her true character. Tomalin...more Jane Austen's life might be one of the most elusive of major English writers; she left no diaries (although she almost certainly kept them at different points in her life) and many of her letters (no doubt including those which are most pertinent to biographers) were destroyed by her sister Cassandra or other heirs, either deliberately or through simple carelessness. Even the memoir written by her nephew is closer to hagiography then the truth, thus further obscuring her true character. Tomalin acknowledges this difficulty in writing about her in this brisk, page-turner of a biography, and wisely refrains from speculating too much beyond the few known facts about her. The result is that we read almost as much about her numerous relatives, neighbors and friends than the main subject herself. The story of their lives provides us with a panoramic view of Austen’s milieu, and the historical and social events which served as the background of her novels. That said, at times one feels that the profusion of details about these other lives threatens to overwhelm Jane’s story, which remains rather shadowy in contrast to the her siblings’. This lack of details is compensated by Tomalin’s empathetic and sensitive assessment of her character; the Jane Austen that appears before us is a tough, intelligent woman who could be both kind and defensively prickly, an astute observer of life who also longed to retreat into her imagination from time to time. She suffered from depressions, and did not always bear her lot as a poor spinster aunt with equanimity. Her literary success in her late thirties brought her joy and a modest income, things that were sorely needed in her life. An illness cut short her life at 41, and Tomalin poignantly tells us about her stoicism in the face of death. The book ends with a short section on Austen’s changing literary reputation through the centuries and some postscripts about the various characters that we have been following, some of them almost as interesting as Jane herself.(less)

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Jun 17, 2010 Eva rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A biographer of Jane Austen is hampered by the lack of extensive correspondence between Jane and her relatives. While she wrote letters daily, most of them were destroyed by her family. Claire Tomalin was reduced to writing the history of three generations of Jane's large, extended family, with side trips into the lives of her neighbors and friends.

Between attending balls and house parties, entertaining her brother's children and wives, traveling with her mother and sister, visiting cousins, fr...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, united-kingdom

Tomalin does an excellent job recreating the context for Austen's life. Her book takes a broad view of Austen's large family and her neighbors so that we can see the families, the landscapes, the economy and the major events that shaped this author's life and influence her novels. True, this broad scope is necessary given that we have no diary and very few letters penned by Austen herself. Nevertheless, the biography gave rich detail from the perspective of those surrounding Austen. So many ency...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-history

I so enjoyed learning more about Jane's life. Unfortunately there is a lot we will never know. Tomalin researched well the times and the family members to try to paint a picture of Jane. Many of her letters were destroyed by her favorite sister Cassandra so I am not completely satisfied after reading this book. But I don't believe Tomalin could have written any more than she did. Honestly I do not like the Jane that is revealed in this biography. She seems very sarcastic to the point of caustic....more

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Aug 15, 2012 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

Given Tomalin's characteristic, thorough research, I'm almost convinced that another Austen biography will not come along to bring us closer to Austen herself. Tomalin openly admits that Austen's large family, not to mention many of her neighbours and friends, come across more vividly than she does. With a lack of much to go by regarding Jane herself, we have to get by with the more numerous and detailed accounts of those around her. Jane remains frustratingly silent and mysterious, the quiet ce...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Elise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I found this book to be interesting I also found it to be mainly consisting of the author's perspective and opinion. The facts about her life and the people in it was well researched but there is a lot of Austen's character that will never be known because most of her correspondence was destroyed. I found her life to be kind of sad. For someone who has reached world wide fame today, in her time she was just a footnote who did not make very much from her books. Although she did not become a...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Tanya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

I sympathize with the author. It must be a daunting task to write a biography of someone who has been dead for over a hundred years, whose letters and diaries were destroyed, and who, by most accounts, had an uneventful life. Tomalin works around these handicaps by taking a sort of black hole approach - that is, lacking any means to measure the thing she's interested in, she reports on the behaviour of everything around the point of interest as a way of roughly sketching out the dimensions. It's...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Rikke rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, owned-books, biography

As a devoted Jane Austen-fan, I am always on the lookout for new insights in her simple and short life. As this was praised as one of the best biographies ever written about her, I was intrigued. While it indeed was a very enjoyable and interesting biography, it tended to focus more on Austen's neighbors and her family, rather than Jane Austen herself - and as a result, I ended up skipping several chapters.
Some parts of this biography almost became an analysis of Austen's novels - which was rath...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Nelson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Raking old coals for new flame--that's pretty much what Austen biographies are relegated to, since there are a limited number of new facts and letters. And that places a premium for any biography on clear writing and at least some new purchase on relatively well-worked material. Tomalin succeeds on both counts. Her style is accessible, occasionally throwing off Austen-like sparks of wit and irony. Tomalin's fresh perspective on what biographical material exists is to focus heavily on the constel...more Raking old coals for new flame--that's pretty much what Austen biographies are relegated to, since there are a limited number of new facts and letters. And that places a premium for any biography on clear writing and at least some new purchase on relatively well-worked material. Tomalin succeeds on both counts. Her style is accessible, occasionally throwing off Austen-like sparks of wit and irony. Tomalin's fresh perspective on what biographical material exists is to focus heavily on the constellation of siblings, neighbors and in-laws that made up the tessellated fabric of Austen's extraordinarily rich domestic life. She draws what insights she can about the novels and the letters from the extended Austen clan, always with tact and delicacy--there are no clumsy one-for-one identifications of characters with associates from Austen's life, much as some readers might wish for such connections. Tomalin's other entry to the world of Austen comes from her own experience as a busy woman of letters and, perhaps, from her marriage to a novelist and playwright (Michael Frayn). She understands intimately how the demands of daily life impinge on the time and imagination of a writer and, as a result, frequently achieves persuasive insight into Austen's work as a negotiation between the expectations of a spinster aunt (often the child caregiver of first resort for her many brothers' numerous offspring) and budding, innovative novelist. The portrait that emerges is not one of a shrinking, shy wallflower scribbling in the corner, but of a steely-minded, wry, self-possessed woman of letters groping toward something like a professional career as a writer where few models for such a path existed. She ended before she had really begun, in the process throwing off a half dozen extraordinary works of fiction. Tomalin is a good guide to how all this happened; her readings of the novels are blessedly free from Jane worship, recognizing highs and lows within novels that seem increasingly immune to balanced criticism.(less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Devina Dutta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Giving my obsession with Jane Austen's love, it was only natural to be curious about the creator herself and as to whether all that stuff happened to her or not, Claire tomalin's Jane austen was recommended by many and was termed as the best biography of Austen ever written. They were right. Tomalin makes you laugh with the Austen family , cry with them, pray with them ,enjoy with them. Although at the start it can tire you to only read about Austen's many relatives scattered around the world ri...more

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Oct 23, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Probably owing to the paucity of letters and documents directly written by Jane Austen (other than her books), Claire Tomalin understandably refers to and relies heavily upon letters and diaries written by Austen's family, friends and acquaintances. As a result, at times the book felt a little about Austen's family and times, rather than her. Given the circumstances, this is an observation and not a criticism.

Indeed, the book is wonderfully well researched and, despite the limitations I have me...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Disclaimer: I rarely read biographies, because I miss the narrative arc of fiction, and I just can't get into them the way I do other genres of nonfiction. It's the incessant march of time leading to death that I don't really enjoy. However, I breezed through this one (except for a few of the chapters detailing all the family members with the same name - I got a little glazy for those). Tomalin is very thorough, and presents a completely believable portrait of an actual human. Yes, obviously she...more

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Mar 04, 2010 Rebecca Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While interjecting an authorial tone that rings a bit melodramatic or hyperbolic (at points, Austen sets characters down with "perfect sureness of touch" and lays down the best prose in the English language), Tomalin does a good job of constructing the story of Austen's life from very little evidence; few letters survive, and no journal, and Tomalin looks to those few letters, histories of Austen family and friends, and the texts of Austen's writings to draw up a picture of a woman who is not ne...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827522.Jane_Austen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348604181l/827522.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827522.Jane_Austen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin[/url]

Jane Austen: A Life

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