Jane Austen And Her Times, 1775-1817

by G.E. Mitton

Inspiring books and movies almost two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is herself a fascinating character. In Jane Austen and Her Times 1775-1817, we meet the woman who sardonically captured Victorian womanhood in such novels as Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Pride and Prejudice (1813). Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. The seventh of eight children, Jane came from a close-knit family. Her father, George Austen, was rector of Steventon, a small town in Hampshire, England. Educated by a relative first in Oxford and then in Southampton, she eventually attended the Reading Ladies boarding school, which made her more educated than most girls during her time.



By 1801, Austen and her family had moved to the posh city of Bath that became the setting for some of her novels. There, she received a marriage proposal, but in the end she never married. Instead, she moved onto her brother's estate in Chawton. She wrote novels there until ill health forced her to move to Winchster to be closer to a doctor. She died on July 18, 1817.



Beyond the usual details of her life, Jane Austen and Her Times, 1775-1817 expounds upon the clergy, contemporary writers, and the navy. It also features chapters like "Society and Love-Making" and "Dress and Fashion," which are sure to delight the reader. The book, written in 1905, includes twenty-one illustrations, as well as tables and graphs.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Classics

323 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

Geraldine Edith Mitton (14 October 1868 – 25 March 1955), pen name G.E. Mitton, was an English novelist, biographer, editor, and guide-book writer. She was the third wife of the colonial administrator Sir George Scott, collaborated with him on several novels set in Burma, and wrote his biography.

Reviews

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some chapters in this book were interesting but there were some rather dull and often confusing sections. It isn't a real biography but more of a description of what Austen's daily surroundings were like, the cities she lived in, style of dress, etc. It was also written in 1905 so there were some things that were outdated. There were still some very interesting observations on her work and comparisons to other authors of her time period. I did not fly through this book but I had no trouble finishing it.

[Terry Filipowicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift from a friend who knows I love Jane Austen's work. I assumed this book would be a biography. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was more about the culture and everyday lives of those in the society in which Austen herself lived. It was also fascinating to read about how a writer in 1905 saw the similarities and differences in her daily life compared to 100 years prior. Thus I had a glimpse into two time periods and not just one.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written.
............

"Of Jane Austen's life there is little to tell, and that little has been told more than once by writers whose relationship to her made them competent to do so. It is impossible to make even microscopic additions to the sum-total of the facts already known of that simple biography, and if by chance a few more original letters were discovered they could hardly alter the case, for in truth of her it may be said, "Story there is none to tell, sir." To the very pertinent question which naturally follows, reply may thus be given. Jane Austen stands absolutely alone, unapproached, in a quality in which women are usually supposed to be deficient, a humorous and brilliant insight into the foibles of human nature, and a strong sense of the ludicrous. As a writer in The Times (November 25, 1904) neatly puts it, "Of its kind the comedy of Jane Austen is incomparable. It is utterly merciless. Prancing victims of their illusions, her men and women are utterly bare to our understanding, and their gyrations are irresistibly comic. "Therefore as a personality, as a central figure, too much cannot be written about her, and however much is said or written the mystery of her genius will still always baffle conjecture, always lure men on to fresh attempts to analyse and understand her.

"The data of Jane Austen's life have been repeated several times, as has been said, but beyond a few trifling allusions to her times no writer has thought it necessary to show up the background against which her figure may be seen, or to sketch from contemporary records the environment amid which she developed. Yet surely she is even more wonderful as a product of her times than considered as an isolated figure; therefore the object of this book is to show her among the scenes wherein she moved, to sketch the men and women to whom she was accustomed, the habits and manners of her class, and the England with which she was familiar. Her life was not long, lasting only from 1775 to 1817, but it covered notable times, and with such an epoch for presentation, with such a central figure to link together the sequence of events, we have a theme as inspiring as could well be found."

"It is an endless puzzle why, when her books so faithfully represent the society and manners of a time so unlike our own, they seem so natural to us. If you tell any half-dozen people, who have not made a special study of the subject, at what date these novels were written, you will find that they are all surprised to hear how many generations ago Jane Austen lived, and that they have always vaguely imagined her to be very little earlier than, if not contemporary with, Charlotte Brontë or George Eliot. So far as I am aware, no writer on Jane Austen has ever touched on this problem before. Her stories are as fresh and real as the day they were written, her characters might be introduced to us in the flesh any time, and, with the exception of a certain quaintness of eighteenth-century flavouring, there is nothing to bring before us the striking difference between their environment and our own. It is true that the long coach journeys stand out as an exception to this, but they are the only marked exception. ... The knee-breeches of the men, their slippers and cravats, the neat, close-fitting clerical garb, these things we owe to the artists, —they are taken for granted in the text. It would have seemed as ridiculous to Jane Austen to describe them, as for a present-day novelist to mention that a London man made a call in a frock-coat and top-hat.

"Yet her word-pictures are living and detailed, filled in with innumerable little touches. How can we reconcile the seeming inconsistency? The explanation probably is, that without acting consciously, she, with the unerring touch of real genius, chose that which was lasting, and of interest for all time, from that which was ephemeral. In her sketches of human nature, in the strokes with which she describes character, no line is too fine or too delicate for her attention; but in the case of manners and customs she gives just the broad outlines that serve as a setting. Her novels are novels of character. But the problem is not confined to the books; in her letters to her sister, though there is abundant comment on dress, food, and minor details which should mark the epoch, yet the letters might have been written yesterday. Austin Dobson in one of his admirable prefaces to the novels says: "Going over her pages, pencil in hand, the antiquarian annotator is struck by their excessive modernity, and after a prolonged examination discovers, in this century-old record, nothing more fitted for the exercise of his ingenuity that such an obsolete game at cards as 'Casino' or 'quadrille.'

"And this is true also of her letters. More remarkable still is the entire absence of comment on the great events which thrilled the world; with the exception of an allusion to the death of Sir John Moore, we hear no whisper of the wars and upheavals which happened during her life. It is true that the Revolution in France, which shook monarchs on their thrones, occurred before the first date of the published letters, yet her correspondence covers a time when battles at sea were chronicled almost continuously, when an invasion by France was an ever-present terror; Trafalgar and Waterloo were not history, but contemporary events; but though Jane must have heard and discussed these matters, no echo finds its way into her lively and amusing budgets of chit-chat to her sister. Of course women were not supposed to read the papers in those days, but with to sailor brothers the news must have often been personal and intimate, and she was, according to the notions of her time, well educated; yet we search in vain for any allusion to such contemporary matters. It may be objected that the letters of a modern girl to a sister would hardly touch on questions which agitate the public, but there are several replies to this: in the first place, few such exciting events have occurred in recent times as happened during Jane Austen's life; our war in Africa was a mere trifle in comparison with the bloody field of Waterloo, where Blucher and Wellington lost 30,000 men, or the thrilling naval victory of Trafalgar; and stupendous as have been the recent battles between Russia and Japan, they affect us only indirectly —England is not herself involved in them, nor are her sons being slain daily. ... Thirdly, letters in Jane Austen's time were one great means of news, for newspapers were not so easy to get, and were much more costly than now, so that we expect to find more of contemporary events in letters than at a time like the present, when telegrams and columns of print save us the trouble of recording such matters in private."

"The epoch was one of change and enlargement in other than geographical directions. In the thirty years before Jane Austen's birth an immense improvement had taken place in the position of women. Mrs. Montagu, in 1750, had made bold strokes for the freedom and recognition of her sex. The epithet "blue-stocking," which has survived with such extraordinary tenacity, was at first given, not to the clever women who attended Mrs. Montagu's informal receptions, but to her men friends, who were allowed to come in the grey or blue worsted stockings of daily life, instead of the black silk considered de rigueur for parties. Up to this time, personal appearance and cards had been the sole resources for a leisured dame of the upper classes, and the language of gallantry was the only one considered fitting for her to hear. By Mrs. Montagu's efforts it was gradually recognised that a woman might not only have sense herself, but might prefer it should be spoken to her; and that because the minds of women had long been left uncultivated they were not on that account unworthy of cultivation. ... "

"As we have said, matters of history are not mentioned or noticed in Jane Austen's correspondence, which is taken up with her own environment, her neighbours, their habits and manners, and illumined throughout by a bright insight at times rather too biting to be altogether pleasant. Of her immediate surroundings we have a very clear idea.

"Of all the writers of fiction, Jane Austen is most thoroughly English. She never went abroad, and though her native good sense and shrewd gift of observation saved her from becoming insular, yet she cannot be conceived as writing of any but the sweet villages and the provincial towns of her native country. Even the Brontës, deeply secluded as their lives were, crossed the German Ocean, and saw something of continental life from their school at Brussels. Nothing of this kind fell to Jane Austen's share. Yet people did travel in those days, travelled amazingly considering the difficulties they had to encounter, among which were the horrors of a sailing-boat with its uncertain hours. Fielding, in going to Lisbon, was kept waiting a month for favourable winds! There was also the terrible embarking and landing from a small boat before such conveniences as landing-stages were built."
............

"During a great part of Jane Austen's life, much of the continent was closed to English people because of the perpetual state of war between us and either Spain or France, but in any case such an expedition would seem to have lain quite outside her limited daily round, and was never even mooted.

"Steventon Rectory, where she was born on December 16, 1775, has long ago vanished, and a new rectory, more in accordance with modern luxurious notions, has been built. Of the old house, Lord Brabourne, great-nephew to Jane Austen, writes: “The house standing in the valley was somewhat better than the ordinary parsonage houses of the day; the old-fashioned hedgerows were beautiful, and the country around sufficiently picturesque for those who have the good taste to admire country scenery."

"The country and the writer suited each other so wonderfully, that one pauses for a moment wondering whether, after all, environment may not have that magic influence claimed for it by some who hold it to be more powerful than inherited qualities. Influence of course it has, and one wonders what could possibly have been the result if two such natures as those of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë had changed places; if Jane had been brought up amid the wild, bleak Yorkshire moors, and Charlotte amid the pleasant fields of Hampshire. As it is, the surroundings of each intensified and developed their own peculiar genius."
............

"In the time of Jane's childhood the old days of rigid severity toward children were past, no longer were mere babies taken to see executions and whipped on their return to enforce the example they had beheld. ... "

"Her own attitude toward children is peculiar. Though on indisputable testimony she was the most popular and best loved of aunts, the fact remains that she had no great insight into child nature, nor does she seem to have had any general love of children beyond those who were specially connected with her by close ties. She loved her nieces, but much more as they grew older than as children."

"The truth probably is that her innate kindness of heart and unselfishness compelled her to be as amusing as possible when thrown with little people, but perhaps because she took so much trouble to entertain them she found children more tiresome than other people who accept their company more placidly. However this may be, it is undeniable that the attitude she takes toward children in her books is almost always that of their being tiresome, there never appears any genuine love for them or realisation of pleasure in their society; and she continually satirises the foolish weakness of their doting parents. It is recorded as a great feature in the character of Mrs. John Knightley "that in spite of her maternal solicitude for the immediate enjoyment of her little ones, and for their having instantly all the liberty and attendance, all the eating and drinking, and sleeping and playing, which they could possibly wish for, without the smallest delay, the children were never allowed to be long a disturbance to him [their grandfather] either in themselves or in any restless attendance on them.""

Author gives examples from her works.

""'I have a notion,' said Lucy [to Elinor] 'you think the little Middletons are too much indulged. Perhaps they may be the outside of enough, but it is so natural in Lady Middleton, and for my part I love to see children full of life and spirits; I cannot bear them if they are tame and quiet.'

""'I confess,' replied Elinor, 'that while I am at Barton Park I never think of tame and quiet children with any abhorrence!'""

"The other instance is a sample of a very nervous, shy child, perhaps drawn from the recollections of Jane Austen's own feelings in childhood, this is Fanny Price, whose loneliness on her first coming to Mansfield Park is carefully depicted, but Fanny herself is unchildlike and exceptional. Her younger brothers rank among the gallery of bad children, for by "the superior noise of Sam, Tom, and Charles chasing each other up and down stairs, and tumbling about and hallooing, Fanny was almost stunned. Sam, loud and overbearing as he was…..was clever and intelligent... Tom and Charles being at least as many years as they were his juniors distant from that age of feeling and reason which might suggest the expediency of making friends, and of endeavouring to be less disagreeable. ... "
............

"Jane Austen was a clergyman's daughter. At the present time there are undoubtedly wide differences in the social standing of the clergy according to their own birth and breeding, but yet it may be taken for granted that a clergyman is considered a fit guest for any man's table. It was not always so. There was a time when a clergyman was a kind of servant, ranking with the butler, whose hospitality he enjoyed; we have plenty of pictures of this state of affairs in The Vicar of Wakefield to go no further. But before Jane was born, matters had changed. The pendulum had not yet swung to the opposite extreme of our own day, when the fact of a man's being ordained is supposed to give him new birth in a social sense, and a tailor's son passes through the meagrest of the Universities in order that he may thus be transformed into a gentleman without ever considering whether he has the smallest vocation for the ministry. In the Austens' time the status of a clergyman depended a very great deal on himself, and as the patronage of the Church was chiefly in the hands of the well-to-do lay-patrons, who bestowed the livings on their younger sons or brothers, there was very frequently a tie of relationship between the vicarage and the great house, which was sufficient to ensure probably at its best, obviating any inducement to servility; but there was a very evil side to what may be called local patronage, which was much more in evidence than it is in our time. Archbishop Seeker, in his charges to the clergy of the diocese of Oxford, when he was their bishop in 1737, throws a very clear light on this side of the question. He expressly enjoins incumbents to make no promise to their patrons to quit the benefice when desired before entering into office. "The true meaning therefore is to commonly enslave the incumbent to the will and pleasure of the patron.” The motive for demanding such a promise was generally that the living might be held until such time as some raw young lad, a nephew or younger son of the lord of the manor, was ready to take it. The evils of such a system are but too apparent. We can imagine a nervous clergyman who would never dare to express an opinion contrary to the will of the benefactor who had the power to turn him out into the world penniless; we can imagine the time-server courting his patron with honeyed words. This debased type is inimitably sketched in the character of Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice. ... "

How can anyone forget Collins! Or his Lady of the Manor!

"Cowper's satire on the way in which preferment is secured ... "

""The parson knows enough who knows a duke.""

"The duties of clergymen were therefore almost as light as they chose to make them. One service on Sunday, and the Holy Communion three times yearly, at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide, was considered enough."

"Baptisms, marriages, and funerals were looked on as nuisances; the clergyman ran them together as much as possible, and often arrived at the last minute, flinging himself off his smoking horse to gabble through the service with the greatest possible speed; children were frequently buried without any service at all.

"The churches were for the most part damp and mouldy; there were, of course, none of the present conveniences for heating and lighting. Heavy galleries cut off the little light that struggled through the cobwebby windows. There were mouse-eaten hassocks, curtains on rods thick with dust, a general smell of mouldiness and disuse, and a cold, but ill-ventilated, atmosphere.

"In some old country churches there still survive the family pews, which were like small rooms, and in which the occupants could read or sleep without being seen by anyone; in one or two cases there are fire-grates in these; and in one strange example at Langley, in Bucks, the pew is not only roofed in, but it has a lattice in front, with painted panels which can be opened and shut at the occupants' pleasure, and there is a room in connection with it in which is a library of books, so that it would be quite possible for anyone to retire for a little interlude without the rest of the congregation's being aware of it!

"The church, only opened as a rule once a week, was left for the rest of the time to the bats and birds. Compare this with one of the neat, warm, clean churches to be found almost everywhere at present; churches with polished wood pews, shining brass fittings, tessellated floor in place of uneven bricks, a communion table covered by a cloth worked by the vicar's wife, and bearing white flowers placed by loving hands. A pulpit of carved oak, alabaster, or marble, instead of a dilapidated old three-decker in which the parish clerk sat below and gave out the tunes in a droning voice."
............

"But though the clergy frequently left all the work to their curates, they always took care to receive the tithes themselves. ... "

....

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see several criticisms for this, but I found myself quickly warming to Mitton's clear and engaging writing. I would not have thought this was written as long ago as 1905, but one indicator says Chawton cottage was being used for various everyday purposes and it had become a museum in 1948; otherwise, this book could have been written yesterday. The biographer displays a firm knowledge of Jane Austen's life and times and tells it with a broad historical and political backdrop. Mitton expresses a dry humor similar to that of Austen, no wonder she much admired the author.

A few things stood out to me. Mitton's remarks on religion were surprisingly neutral having been the daughter of a clergyman. She described the average clergy's lifestyle in the early nineteenth century as not particularly demanding and enjoying considerable leisure time, consistent with Austen's portrayals. Also interesting was her comparison of Austen and Charlotte Bronte writing styles. It's curious that Bronte had expressed distain toward Austen's work (it's said due to jealousy), but I think later amended her remarks.

I enjoyed the comments on Austen's characters. For some reason it's entertaining to kick around who should have ended up with who romantically especially in S&S and P&P. Sacrilege to second guess the genius storyteller, but it's fun. I can't help thinking Colonel Brandon and Elinor were better matched, instead he desired pretty younger Marianne even though she's basically an airhead and he'd be forever trying to please her. Edward is a wimp and not up to Elinor's level. Mr. Darcy, despite the housekeeper extolling his superior virtues, will likely always be a somewhat dour fellow. It's mentioned here Jane probably would have had a better influence on him, somewhat plausible because she seems very similar to his sister who he cares so much about. I'm not sure who would have been totally up to Elizabeth's talents among these characters, so Darcy is the best of the bunch and any shortcomings will be made up by his wealth, so not to worry. He elevates her status considerably, is trustworthy, and provides eye candy. Besides, for the sake of romantic intrique both can't be perfect since they needed to start out disliking each other. Mitton finds noone in Jane's actual acquaintance who Darcy could be based on and expects he was simply drawn from her imagination. Possibly Jane described an ideal match for herself since she apparently never actually met the man of her dreams. Not said here, but I imagine Elizabeth Bennett to be Jane's portrayal of herself. Mitton pointed out Mr. Collins is one of Austen's best characterizations. A comedic dork, he holds a position he clearly isn't qualified for, will always struggle to be somebody, and will consistently fail. Poor Charlotte will do her best to ignore and control him but will likely be driven to drink. He's memorable as the loser we love to hate.

There are some funny bits about fashion mostly pertaining to wigs, feathers and powder. The high-waisted, often low neck light fabric dresses seemed rather impractical for those times. Although they appear more comfortable and less constrictive than those of the previous era, they couldn't have provided much warmth in the cool English climate. They also didn't seem to leave much to the imagination, especially on windy or wet days, when everybody was supposedly concerned with modesty (and their shapes made the wearers look pregnant). Washing muddy hems out of muslin and linen must have been a problem. It's unclear how that look caught on, but Jane was very into it. The empire style lasted only about 15 years and then it was back to waistlines and tighter corsets. The men's clothes seemed to involve even more effort.

This is an informative, entertaining Jane Austen reference. Mitton used the term "word-painting" which I'd not heard before and think it a cool expression.

[Cidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was written over 120 years ago and little more has come to light since then really. It was written by G E Mitton whom I think was a woman, but am not entirely sure. The book is divided up into 19 chapters and is based predominantly on letters and conversations within the Austen family. A lot has already been said about Jane so there isn't really a lot I can add. The contents of the letters were interesting, letters from Jane to her sister Cassandra on a variety of things, and especially when her books were coming up to be published.

Each of the 19 chapters deals with something specific, for instance her childhood; the position of the clergy at the time of her birth in 1775 and onwards into the next century; her home life with her family at Steventon where her father was vicar at the local church; a description of the novels she wrote; various letters sent to various people within her family circle, there seemed to be a lack of friends though, but if you are part of a very large family I suppose you wouldn't really need any; a lurid title for one chapter lovemaking and society, not as racy as it would seem toay!; the places she visited; a list of contemporary writers, some of whom were women I've never heard of; more details of her novels; a chapter about the navy as Jane has a couple of brothers and then nephews in the navy; Bath which is where her father uprooted herself and Cassandra and their mother, which they seemed to like but would have much preferred to have stayed at Steventon; the dresses and fashions at the time, Jane died in 1817; a trip to Southampton with Cassandra where she meets a very nice man from the navy but doesn't see him after; a chapter about Chawton, which is where she, Cassandra and her mother and a friend go to live after her father's death, it does sound peaceful but it was much smaller than Steventon which went with her father's job; a trip to London to see publishers; letters and visits to two of her nieces Fanny and Anna and lastly a meeting with the Prince Regent and signing a copy of "Emma" for him, although she didn't see him she saw his assistant I think he was. And the final chapter is about Jane's death in Winchester where she stayed many months becoming weaker each day. She is buried in Winchester Abbey which she could see from the bedroom window.

But in all of these chapters, there is very little new I have learnt. It was heavy going and I don't think this is something which I am likely to re-read, although it was interesting to know what the latest fashions were!

[Zuzana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

My impression of this biography is that G. E. Mitton didn't do sufficient research of Jane Austen's life. I'm not sure she looked into any primary sources other than JA's published letters. Everything else seems to be lifted from James Edward Austen-Leigh without any critical analysis. Thankfully, the majority of the book deals with the life in the Regency era in general - it's much more interesting than the rest and it's supported by quotes from a variety of contemporary works.

The book starts like this:

"Of Jane Austen’s life there is little to tell, and that little has been told more than once by writers whose relationship to her made them competent to do so. It is impossible to make even microscopic additions to the sum-total of the facts already known of that simple biography, and if by chance a few more original letters were discovered they could hardly alter the case, for in truth of her it may be said, “Story there is none to tell, sir.”

I naively thought that the author had been merely modest and such an opening served as an apology for not uncovering a plethora of new facts about Austen's life. What she was admitting though was that she believed that while family members had told Jane Austen's story there was no need to do any research or question any of what they had written (despite A Memoir of JA by Edward Austen-Leigh being published more than 50 years after Austen's death).

[Anne (In Search of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some things I loved about this book: the details about daily life and how it changed during Austen's life, the inclusion of contemporary art and illustrations, the discussions of politics and world events that surely affected Austen although she never let on, and thoughts about other authors and writers of the day.

Some things I did not like, namely that the author jumped around quite a bit and it was occasionally difficult to follow her train of thought, and also the fact that she wrote with decided opinions as if everyone shared her point of view and there could be no other.

[Jordie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting as an historical time-period piece. You do learn as much as there is to learn about Jane Austen (there's not much but some letters and memoirs to glean of her life). The rest of this book is info. about the time period: world events, fashion, travel, city histories... I wasn't always interested.
What kept me going was the wonderful writing style. The author had a clear and organized mind. I shouldn't be surprised, as this was written over one hundred years ago. Although, that said, the voice did sound modern...

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts saying it won't be a biography but instead will describe the times of Jane Austen, but then details the live of Jane Austen with a bit of context...
As much as I learnt about one of my favorite author, I'd hoped to learn more about her times so I was a bit disappointed...

[Erica Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading the letters/correspondence between Jane and her loved ones. Wish this was more biographical, but it’s still an interesting read if you’re curious about the times she lived in.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite interesting. I would, however, have liked the author to write more about Jane Austen's childhood and juvenilia, but over all quite good. It was also amusing how the writer kept comparing the 1800's to her own extreamly modern time. (The book was written in 1905. Which made question how accurate the information was, but it seemed to be well researched.)

[Eva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't finish this book. It was very informative, but dry. I think it solidifies why I love to read fiction. Non-fiction sometimes just doesn't have enough action/interest/human conflict to hold my interest.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is interesting to see how society is different from the days of Jane. They at times seem to be a romantic inspiring time period to live, yet the reality of women not in control of their destiny is sad.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not what I expected. It was more of a history of the years that Jane Austen was alive and not really an insight into her life. Which would have been ok if it was more interesting. I just felt it was told in a boring way.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for anyone interested in Jane Austen's novels, and especially helpful for anyone having difficulty following the writing style of the times. Hard to believe it was written in 1905(?). (Sorry, memory hazy) It reads like a contemporary non-fiction. Very fascinating!

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting topic but the book seemed to drag.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book to understand the historical times of Jane Austen and her life. It was a little boring and mundane but I learned a lot how the characters were formed and this History of England.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting lady. I love Jane Austen's books and her life is even more interesting.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read most books about Jane Austen, but this book is truly excellent regarding her life, events/interests. It is a complete story regarding Austen's ups and downs. Excellent book.