Jane Austen: A Life [Paperback]

The book gives a clear readable account of Jane Austen's life. Remarkable, as most of her letters were destroyed after her death and she never kept a diary. It gives a strong flavour of Regency life in England as it follows the fortunes of the extended Austen family.

What I loved most was the way in which Austen's novels were discussed and possible inspiration for characters or plots given. I very soon "got into" this biography, becoming immersed in the life of Jane and the family; caring about what happened to them.

Even if you have only read one of Jane Austen's books you will enjoy reading Claire Tomalin's biography. Jane was not the prim-and-proper shrinking violet we have been led to believe. Although a dutiful daughter she could have a wicked sense of humour and a biting wit. Claire Tomalin suggests that Austen would have been a modern and forward-thinking writer if transported to the present day.

Newly available evidence on the cause of her death makes interesting reading as does Jane's family tree; the Austens are kept track of right down to the present day.

All in all a good read and a delve into society life at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Claire Tomalin examines her elusive subject from very possible perspective. The Austen genealogy is probed, every known neighbour, witness, and every witness's evidence is weighed and balanced, Jane Austen's writings are examined and assessed, and the situations of her brothers' living descendants are sometimes mentioned. Publishing and republishing histories are given, a family tree is included, and the many illustrations are given punchy captions. Gracing (or disfiguring) the cover is the only known pictorial representation of Jane Austen, an unfinished sketch done by her sister Cassandra, a sketch that was not discovered until long after Jane and Cassandra had died and which a niece said was "hideously unlike" her aunt.

Don't assume from all this that the book is merely an exhaustive effort of plodding detection. Sensitive and intelligent guesswork is here. Brilliant deductions are made. What is known, for example, is that the Austen daughters and their parents had no permanent home during the "unproductive" decade when Jane was in her 20s and early 30s. What is also known is that Jane Austen had drafted three of her novels before this, as well as the novella "Lady Susan". The deduction that Claire Tomalin makes from this evidence is that Jane Austen must have protected and cared for her manuscripts like a mother with newborn babies. Carriers would have been unreliable, cases of paper could break and spill, and a penniless young woman could hardly command premium quality cartage.

Other known facts are sometimes given a creative spin. You will read an especially creative and imaginative account of Jane Austen receiving, accepting and then rejecting a proposal of marriage from Harris Biggs.

While all this is very satisfying, the effect of this substantial biography is to leave me still unable to perfectly "place" Jane Austen, an effect that will probably prompt me to read a further seven biographies of her.

The other amazing thing is that there exists only one line drawing to show us what Jane Austen looked like. There is no painting or silouette of her, and the line drawing was done by her sister Cassandra, not a professional artist. The rest of the Austen family all had their portraits painted at some stage. This adds to the mystery, unless a portrait exists somewhere that hasn't been unearthed yet.

Somehow, through clever use of what few letters exist and some thorough historical research, you get a real sense of the time and circumstances that Austen lived through and how those experiences created the novels we are left with today. It's a brilliant and fascinating read that very quickly drenches you in Austen's social and emotional world.