- Unknown Binding
- Publisher: Penguin (1998)
- ASIN: B005QA0SSI
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
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First Sentence
The winter of 1775 was a hard one. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
The winter of 1775 was a hard one. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this book shortly after watching the television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I wanted to learn more about the creator of Mr Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet and Pemberly.
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.
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Jane Austen's stocks rise higher and higher as the years go by. Several of her novels continue to feature in bestseller lists, film and TV adaptations of them abound, and biographies appear regularly. This masterly biography, by Claire Tomalin, is the seventh Jane Austen biography I have read in the past twenty years.
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.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a biography that works as a fascinating and moving story in its own right. Claire Tomalin uses every available scrap of evidence to put together a surprisingly convincing portrait of Jane Austen as a (then) largely unrecognised genius and thoroughly professional writer, who was nonetheless an active member of a large and interesting family. The book dispels a lot of myths - including the long-held notion that Jane was writing about her own life in those six perfectly-crafted novels. Far from being a quietly contented domestic being, she is shown to be an observer, almost an outsider, in Regency society - someone who could be quite uncomfortable to have around, with her sharp observations and witticisms - but deeply appreciated by close family members and friends.
It's surprising to learn that her cousin had an affair with Warren Hastings, that their daughter's husband was guillotined in the French Revolution, that a brother founded a bank which crashed, that Jane knew about the slave trade and was in sympathy with abolition, and had probably read Mary Wollestonecraft on the rights of women. This is not an uneventful, sheltered life as so often portrayed! Claire Tomalin lifts the veil and shows Austen to be a modern woman making her way in an uncertain and changing world. The unrelenting pressures of money - or the lack of it - make Jane Austen's meagre and belated earnings from her novels especially poignant, bringing her finally some small measure of financial independence and wider recognition.
Whether you're coming to this book fresh from an Andrew Davies TV adaptation, or are a more serious scholar, this is a fascinating read and a very convincing portrait of a much-loved but still misunderstood genius.
It's surprising to learn that her cousin had an affair with Warren Hastings, that their daughter's husband was guillotined in the French Revolution, that a brother founded a bank which crashed, that Jane knew about the slave trade and was in sympathy with abolition, and had probably read Mary Wollestonecraft on the rights of women. This is not an uneventful, sheltered life as so often portrayed! Claire Tomalin lifts the veil and shows Austen to be a modern woman making her way in an uncertain and changing world. The unrelenting pressures of money - or the lack of it - make Jane Austen's meagre and belated earnings from her novels especially poignant, bringing her finally some small measure of financial independence and wider recognition.
Whether you're coming to this book fresh from an Andrew Davies TV adaptation, or are a more serious scholar, this is a fascinating read and a very convincing portrait of a much-loved but still misunderstood genius.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
very readable but with limitations
Well worth reading for anyone interested in getting a good general sense of Austin's life and times. Read more
Published 5 months ago by sttb0937
Not such a plain Jane
With the help of regular excellent television and film adaptations of her books, Jane Austen stock has never been higher and many more people know of her now that ever before. Read more
Published 8 months ago by RR Waller
Jane Austen Biog
An excellent read for anyone interested in the reality of Austen's life and family. Explains and gives evidence for the origins of her style and imagination. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Anillorac
Both scholarly and readable.
Although I have read all Jane Austen's novels several times over a long period of time, I didn't know much about her life. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dr. P. M. Stoneman
Excellently written and highly insightful
Never for a moment dry as biographies can be, an achievement in itself given how little information there appears to be to go on. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2009 by L. Foggarty
Jane Austen: A Life
Excellent, gave me a good sense of her life, which has helped me with the course I am on - Analysing Literature. We are studying Emma.
Published on 6 May 2009 by S. E Hughes
Wonderful fantasy
This is a special book, written in Tomalin's fantastic style. It leaves you with the impression that you know exactly who Jane Austen is; this achievement can't be improved upon. Read more
Published on 25 April 2009 by Mr. J. Carr
A new interpretation of a famous life
Though there have been many previous books about Jane Austen, Claire Tomalin manages to find a great many fresh facts and offers new interpretations of this writer's life. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2008 by Old Wealden
Sensitive yet truth-seeking
Tomalin's portrait of Jane Austen is sensitive and yet does not shy away from seeking the truth behind the myth. Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2007 by Alison Knight
Much Truth Is Spoken In Jest
Sensitively written with a wry sense of humour, this book re-examines all the evidence of Jane Austen's life and seeks to find the truth behind the family tradition. Read more
Published on 30 July 2007 by Alex in Leeds
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