Product Description
Emma has long played matchmaker for her friends and believes her own heart immune from the lures of love. This is a fascinating, hilarious coming-of-age tale of one woman seeking her true nature and finding true love in the process. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's such a happiness...
"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition" is a suitable heroine for Jane Austen's lightest, frothiest novel. While "Emma" is not nearly as dramatic as Austen's other works, it is an enchanting little comedy of manners in which a young woman with the best intentions meddles in others' love lives... with only the faintest idea of how people (including herself) actually feel.

After matchmaking her governess Miss Taylor, Emma Woodhouse considers herself a natural at bringing people together. She soon becomes best buddies with Harriet, a sweet (if not very bright) young woman who is the "natural daughter of somebody." Emma becomes determined to pair Harriet with someone deserving of her (even derailing a gentleman-farmer's proposal), such as the smarmy, charming Mr. Elton. When Emma's latest attempt falls apart, she finds that getting someone OUT of love is a lot harder than getting them INTO it.

At around the same time, two people that Emma has heard about her entire life have arrived -- the charming Frank Churchill, and the reserved, remote Miss Jane Fairfax (along with rumors of a married man's interest in her). Emma begins a flirtatious friendship with Frank, but for some reason is unable to get close to Miss Fairfax. As she navigates the secrets and rumors of other people's romantic lives, she begins to realize who she has been in love with all along.

Out of all Jane Austen's books, "Emma" is the frothiest and lightest -- there aren't any major scandals, lives ruined, reputations destroyed, financial crises or sinister schemes. There's just a little intertwined circle of people living in a country village, and how one young woman tries to rearrange them in the manner that she genuinely thinks is best. Of course, in true comedy style everything goes completely wrong.

And despite the formal stuffiness of the time, Austen wrote the book in a languidly sunny style, threading it with a complex web of cleverly orchestrated rumors and romantic tangles. There's some moments of seriousness (such as Emma's rudeness to kind, silly Miss Bates), but it's also laced with some entertaining dialogue ("Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way") and barbed humor (the ridiculous and obnoxious Mrs. Elton).

Modern readers tend to be unfairly squicked by the idea of Emma falling for a guy who's known her literally all her life, but Austen makes the subtle relationship between Knightley and Emma one of affectionate bickering and beautiful romantic moments ("If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am. You hear nothing but truth from me").

Emma is a character who is likable despite her flaws -- she's young, bright, well-meaning and assured of her own knowledge of the human heart, but also naive and sometimes snobbish. She flits around like a clumsy butterfly, but is endearing even when she screws up. Mr. Knightley is her ideal counterpoint, being enjoyably blunt and sharp-witted at all times. And there's a fairly colorful supporting cast -- Emma's neurotic but sweet dad, her kindly ex-governess, the charming Frank, the fluttery Miss Bates, and even the smarmy Mr. Elton and his bulldozing wife.

"Emma" is the most lightweight and openly comedic of all Jane Austen's novels, with a likable (if clueless) heroine and a multilayered plot full of half-hidden feelings. A lesser delight. ... Read more

Product Description
Sure, we've read the novels, but what do we really know about Jane Austen herself...Who was the Irishman who stole her heart? Why was their affair doomed? Which Austen heroine most resembled Jane herself? Who were the real Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy? In "101 Things You Didn't Know about Jane Austen", readers learn the answers to these fascinating questions and much, much more. As evidenced by the ongoing spate of Austen-inspired films and novels - from the most recent remake of "Pride and Prejudice" starring Keira Knightly to the bestselling novel "The Jane Austen Club" - fans of this celebrated novelist can never get enough Jane Austen. Written in an engaging, easy-to-read format, this lively guide to all things Austen is sure to please romantics everywhere - and just in time for "Becoming Jane", the new film about Jane's own star-crossed love life! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

All things Jane Austen, Please!
I really love this book.It gives so much context to the things Jane Austen wrote about and a look into her private life.Wonderful, for those who love all things Austen.

Not quite 101 things.
In fact, as a Jane Austen fan since college, I already knew all 101 of these things.

If you're new to Jane Austen and want a glimpse into her life, this book is great.Well written, accurate, intelligently organized.But if you've soaked up everything Jane Austen you can get your hands on, there's no new information in this book.Thus, the 2 starts.I was hoping for something new!

Now I Know 101 more Things About Jane
A delightful little book about Jane Austen - a welcome addition to myJane Austen Library.
If you are like me, avid toknow more things about this Romantic Writer, this wil bring you interesting tidbits,perhaps, not included in other books about Jane.

Terry

Great little companion book
I'm a fan of Jane Austen and can't seem to get enough books and movies associated with her. I have several books on her life and the times in which she lived. Each one has its own unique quality and information. "101 Things You Didn't know About Jane Austen" did not dissappoint me. It's a little treasure book of Austen facts.

Just to give you an idea of what you will find in this book, here are a few of the many chapters which are included:
*Bloodline of a genius
*Jane's education
*The other writer in the Austen family
*What did Jane really look like?
*Was Jane Austen a snob?
*Love at first sight
*What do Austen's novels say about beauty?
*What killed Jane Austen?

This book is compact and easily carried along on a walk in the park, or a trip. I have enjoyed my copy and keep it in my purse for those little quiet times alone.

Title is misleading
I am surprised at the other glowing reviews.If you've read Austen's six major works, you know probably 90% of what is in this book.It is NOT things you didn't know about Jane Austen (or, as the back cover asserts, "long-kept secrets of literature's leading lady"); rather it is themes/ideas/character traits from all of her books thrown together and sorted.I expected to read trivia about Austen's life; I did not expect most of the book to be about the characters she created.If you were to remove all the quotes from the six novels (never mind the letters and juvenilia ), I'd guess it would reduce the content by half.I'm a huge fan and have read the majors repeatedly, so entire sections on similarities in the characters of different novels was, frankly, boring. To be fair, there were lots of tidbits about Austen's life, but if you've read a biography of Austen, you'll know all of these. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

In retrospect, a very good book
After viewing several versions of Jane Austen's works, it seemed that reading at least one was overdue.Since I had just seen the latest Masterpiece Theater version of Persuasion on PBS, that seemed a likely choice.The possibility of two problems loomed as the book was purchased:First, the book and the taped version would probably have major differences.Second, Having been written 200 years ago, the style would also be different, more narrative than action, for instance.I was to discover that sentence structure was also very different.(Although I have read many books in this style in my lifetime, the popular style today is, of course, more fast-paced and active in comparison.)

I was quite right about the pacing and the style.At first, it was a difficult read, taking more concentration than modern popular fiction requires.But as the machinations of the Elliott family and their kin unfolded, I was drawn into the story.How could Sir Walter be so oblivious to Anne's favors?How could Anne have listened to Lady Russell and rejected Wentworth's proposal eight years earlier?How could anyone have wanted to wed Anne's sister Mary whose ailments and spells are so blatantly self-serving?And would a man of Wentworth's personality, station, and eventual rise wait eight years to marry in an era when marrying well was so important to the upper and upper-middle classes?

All of the shenanigans listed above and many more are documented in detail in the book.There is no way one can get the same flavor of scheming and hoping in a play or film.At least I've not seen one that accomplished that.It is tough going sometimes for the modern reader.However, it is well worth the effort.Seeing society as Jane Austen did is one of those experiences one can most often get only from books.I'm glad that I picked up this one and now plan to read more of her work:Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma among them.It should be an interesting summer.

A second chance at love
In Jane Austen's time, young women were taught that it was practically their duty to "marry well" -- someone of at least equal social/financial standing.

But if a woman turned down a suitor for being poor, she ran the risk of losing the man she loved. That's the problem for Anne Elliott, the heroine of Jane Austen's final novel "Persuasion" -- a delicate romance that takes place AFTER the romance, rejection and heartrending sorrow. There's some slight roughness around the edges, but the story and the characters are simply brilliant.

Eight years ago, Anne Elliott was engaged to the handsome, intelligent and impoverished sailor Frederick Wentworth, but was persuaded to dump him by the family friend Lady Russell.

Now she's twenty-seven (ancient by the time's standards), and her vain father Sir Walter is facing financial ruin. So he decides to relocate to Bath and rent out the vast family estate -- and it turns out that the new tenant is Frederick's brother-in-law. Of course, Anne still loves Frederick, but he doesn't seem to feel the same, especially since he's rumored to be interested in some younger, flirtier girls.

And Anne's worries increase when she joins her family in Bath, where her father is attempting to live the lifestyle he feels he deserves (since he's a baronet). His heir, William Elliott, recently reestablished contact with his relatives -- and he seems very interested in Anne. But Anne suspects that he has ulterior motives... even if she doesn't realize how Frederick truly feels about her.

It's pretty obvious that Jane Austen wrote "Persuasion" late in her life -- not only is Anne Elliott older than her other heroines, but she seems to have been more sympathetic to women who bowed to society's "persuasions." This was the last book that Austen wrote before her untimely death, and it was only published posthumously.

As a result, the book can be a little rough and the story is rather simple. But Austen's writing is still intense and powerfully vivid. Her prose is elegant and smooth, and her dialogue is full of hidden facets. The half-hidden love story of Anne and Frederick is among Austen's most skillful writing ("I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever"), and it's virtually impossible not to be moved by it.

And Austen went out of her way to praise the self-made man, who got ahead through merit instead of birth (something that bugs Sir Walter). She also pokes holes in social climbers, vain aristocrats ("Few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did"), nasty family and false friends.

Anne herself is a very rare heroine, both then and now -- she's past her designated "marriage" years and would have been considered a lost cause. But she remains remains kind, thoughtful, quiet, intelligent, and as time goes on she starts to appreciate her own judgement instead of being "persuaded." And Captain Wentworth is a vibrant portrayal of a strong man who worked his way to the top, but had to do so without the woman he loved.

Jane Austen's last finished novel is a little rough in places, but the exquisite beauty of Frederick and Anne's love story is simply staggering. Truly a masterpiece. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (27)

A Great Read
There's something about Jane Austen's novels that causes the addicted fan to cry out for more witticisms, more lovely command of the English language, more hilarious but believable characterizations and more entertaining plot points which always lead to a satisfyingly happy ending for the novel's lovers, no matter how star-crossed they initially appear.

Aside from the literal screen adaptations of Austen's works (including those produced by the BBC and A&E),the proof of her artistic timelessness are the film adaptations which take her basic plots and characters and place all in an updated setting, such as the film "Clueless" which is based loosely on Jane Austen's novel, "Emma".

"Jane Austen in Scarsdale", by Paula Marantz Cohen, is a literary adaptation in the same modernized vein.It takes the basic story of Austen's novel "Persuasion" and sets it in the middle of a contemporary New York prep school.Austen's Anne Eliot, a near-old maid who still pines for a love she was advised against years ago, becomes Anne Ehrlich, a guidance counselor for ivy league-bound high school students and their hyperventilating parents.Her long lost love, the now-engaged-to-be-married Ben Cutler, is based on Austen's Captain Frederick Wentworth and the person who advised against their union so many years ago is Anne Ehrlich's grandmother, Winnie (Lady Russell, a close family friend in Austen's book).

Although this book is great fun for Jane Austen fans, who will be constantly checking back to the original story in their minds, the essential question is this: does "Scarsdale" stand on its own merits?My opinion would be a wildly deafening yes!Austen's truths are indeed timeless but Cohen has added a profoundly compelling story - all her own - to the basic plot points of Austen's novel. Although this may sound blasphemous to Austen fans, in my opinion, "Scarsdale" actually improves on the original story here and there.

Paula Marantz Cohen is a writer of exceptional talent who, while giving a nod to a classic, has created a masterpiece -- composed of equal parts poignancy and hilarity - that is entirely her own.

Not Bad...sort of OK.
When I first read the synopsis of Jane Austen in Scarsdale, I was expecting an exciting love story between Anne and Ben and was curious as to how the author would narrate how `old love be rekindled and past mistakes put right'.

Unfortunately, my expectation was not met. There was certainly a story to be told between Anne and Ben, but the author did not really indulge the reader with a clear storyline on how they fell in love again. The book contains chapters and chapters of Anne's guidance counseling experience with the high school seniors who are going through the college application process, and whose parents go through great lengths, and at times, ridiculous tactics of trying to get their children in! Does it offer a realistic rendering of the college admissions process or a farcical exaggeration? Well, I would answer with the latter.. For example, in several chapters, the author implies how `critical' a guidance counselor's letter of recommendation can be to a kid's college acceptance. How can that be? Most of the weight in college admissions falls into the student's GPA, essay, and extra-curricular activities. The letters of recommendation helps, but it is not a `critical' part of the application process. I feel a teacher's letter even carries a heavier weight than a guidance counselor's specifically because a teacher would have had a hands-on experience on the student's school performance.

Another disappointment is the failure of the author to give a believable account as to why Anne gave up Ben 13 years ago. Telling the reader in just a sentence or two that the grandmother made a remark to Anne about Ben not being good enough for her seems pretty lame. Anne's character at that time was 21 years old, and according to the flashback given by the story, Anne seemed to have found the love of her life! She gave all that up just because of her Grandmother's advice? I was shaking my head as I read this part of the story, feeling short-changed by the narrative.
The story is one big irony. Here is Anne counseling the students to follow their heart and try to communicate to their parents if there are conflicts in college decisions, and yet she has not been able to stand up to her father (whom the author clearly depicts as worthless figure who splurged away all of his dead wife's inheritance), her spoiled sister Allegra, and her Grandmother. Furthermore, Anne did not have the courage to approach Ben after realizing that this is her second chance at love! Ben's ex-fiancee, Kirsten, made it happen for Anne when she confided that she is leaving Ben. Only then did Anne step up to make a move. Although I probably should not call it a `move' considering all she did was visit his office and point out a phrase in one of the books they read together.

If I had picked up this book hoping to be entertained with parodies in the college admission process, I would have probably rated this story much higher. There are some entertaining bits on the frenzy over college admission with regards to the parents' being fearful of their children's future. I would have regarded the love story of Anne and Ben as an extra treat since it really developed in the background of everything else happening in Anne's guidance counseling life. It's not a bad book. It's just sort of ok.

Funny and Touching
This was a beautifully written piece of light romantic fiction - funny and poignant and a witty modern take on "Persuasion" by Jane Austen.The social commentary on the madness that descends on parents and teenagers during the college application process was wickedly accurate.The characters were appealing (except for the two we're not supposed to like, Anne's father and sister).That said, I couldn't help wondering - if Anne's and Ben's fortunes HADN'T reversed since their youth - if Anne's family hadn't lost all their money and if Ben hadn't become so successful, would Anne have resumed her romance with Ben?In other words, are we cheering on this romance largely because Ben is now acceptably bourgeois?

Persuasion 2.0 Gets 3 Stars
This is the first non-Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen remake novel that I've read, and I enjoyed it... about as much as I enjoyed Persuasion. Ranking as my least favorite of Austen's novels, this modern adaptation helped spice up the story and make the original work a bit more accessible. After reading this novel, I revisited Persuasion, but found I preferred the fun and frivolityof the remake to the original slow-moving story. This tale is a fun little romp about a Anne, a victim of love lost, who's career and family take precedence in her life -- her obvious attempt to forget about Ben Cutler, her first (and last) love. This story is a quick read and entertaining to anyone who appreciates modern adaptations of Austen novels. As a self-described Austenphile, I enjoy adaptations because, well, Jane's dead, or, as I like to believe, running a pizza joint in Albuquerque with Elvis, and, either way, this is as close as I'll get to reading new material, but also it shows that her stories, and the challenges her characters face, transcend that period in history and are truly timeless.

More about being a Guidance Counselor and less about Jane Austen's "Persuasion"
I am a fan of Jane Austen and Persuasion (Barnes & Noble Classics) is one of my top favorites stories.This book is supposed to be a modern-day retelling of Persuasion, yet it really is loosely based on the book.A lot of the names are similar to help you make the parallels between "Persuasion" and this book such as Anne Elliot vs. Anne Ehlrich and a lot of what is established in this story is faithful to the plot in Persuasion.I enjoyed reading this book, I found the main character likeable, admirable, and interesting.I enjoy seeing the parallels of this story and Perusasion, only I wish there were more!

In this book, Anne is a guidance counselor, she has one sister, and it takes place in New York.There is her father, Elihu Ehlrich who enjoys visiting clubs, is vain, and has so much debt they need to sell tha family home in Scarsdale.Winny, is Anne's grandmother (who is supposed to be the Lady Russell charcter), and she is 87 and living in the Scarsdale home.Other charcters you will recognize as Captain Benwick, Mrs. Clay, Louisa Musgrove.But others you will be searching for and never find, I was hoping to see the Croft's and more of the Musgrove family but they never appeared.

This was a quick and easy read, like I said earlier the parallels between Jane Austen's "Persuasion" are fun to see, I would have liked more of them though.For example, we read a lot about Anne being a guidance counselor, we here what she does at work, we see the students portrayed (in fact we see a lot of students) so many that I couldn't keep them straight.I would have liked to have less about her job and more about her and Ben (Wentworth).That is the real story and it should have been more focused on. Also great scenes like the discussion between Anne and Captain Harville about which sex loves longest and Captain Wentworth's letter are missing from this book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to a Jane Austen/Persuasion fan with the warning that you probably would like it, but might be wanting more. ... Read more

Product Description
2003 - Bantam Classic - Paperback - Reissue - Pride and Prejudice - By Jane Austen - One of the most popular novels in the English Language since 1813 - The Heoine Elizabeth Bennett & her Beau Mr. Darcy is a delightful tale of love, flirtation and civilized sparring - A Must Read for the Serious Literature Student - Good to VG Condition - Name Written inside front Cover - Spine soild - Pages tight & white - Rare - Collectible ... Read more

Product Description
This volume contains all of Austen's exant Juvenilia, from the earliest burlesques to near-mature fragments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a grown-up's bath book
The madcap stories and parodies in this collection will have you sputtering with laughter. Any fan of Jane Austen will be guaranteed to adore this book.

But, there is a bonus benefit to this particular edition. When I received my copy in the mail, I was a little startled, because the book weighed a ton, and each of its pages was thick and nearly laminated. The cover looked like it was produced on a dot-matrix printer from clip art, and it had the overall appearance of being a pre-release edition. There was even an apologetic note from Amazon, saying that this was the best available edition, and if I didn't like it I could return it, etc. But, I soon realized that this 'bad' plastic edition had a wonderful advantage - I could take it in the bath with me, and it didn't even get damp. There's something very zen about laughing like a maniac while in a hot bathtub. I wholeheartedy recommend the experience to you. ... Read more

Product Description
This title contains introduction and notes by Dr Ian Littlewood, University of Sussex. Adultery is not a typical Jane Austen theme, but when it disturbs the relatively peaceful household at Mansfield Park, it has quite unexpected results. The diffident and much put-upon heroine Fanny Price has to struggle to cope with the results, re-examining her own feelings while enduring the cheerful amorality, old-fashioned indifference and priggish disapproval of those around her.Amazon.com Review
Though Jane Austen was writing at a time when Gothic potboilers such asAnn Ward Radcliffe's TheMysteries of Udolpho and Horace Walpole's The Castleof Otranto were all the rage, she never got carried away by romancein her own novels. In Austen's ordered world, the passions that ruledGothic fiction would be horridly out of place; marriage was, first andforemost, a contract, the bedrock of polite society. Certain rules appliedto who was eligible and who was not, how one courted and married and whatone expected afterwards. To flout these rules was to tear at the basicfabric of society, and the consequences could be terrible. Each of the sixnovels she completed in her lifetime are, in effect, comic cautionary talesthat end happily for those characters who play by the rules and badly forthose who don't. In Mansfield Park, for example, Austen gives usFanny Price, a poor young woman who has grown up in her wealthy relatives'household without ever being accepted as an equal. The only one who hastruly been kind to Fanny is Edmund Bertram, the younger of the family's twosons.

Into this Cinderella existence comes Henry Crawford and his sister, Mary,who are visiting relatives in the neighborhood. Soon Mansfield Park isgiven over to all kinds of gaiety, including a daring interlude spentdabbling in theatricals. Young Edmund is smitten with Mary, and HenryCrawford woos Fanny. Yet these two charming, gifted, and attractivesiblings gradually reveal themselves to be lacking in one essentialAustenian quality: principle. Without good principles to temper passion,the results can be disastrous, and indeed, Mansfield Park is rifewith adultery, betrayal, social ruin, and ruptured friendships. But thisis a comedy, after all, so there is also a requisite happy endingand plenty of Austen's patented gentle satire along the way. Describing theswitch in Edmund's affections from Mary to Fanny, she writes: "I purposelyabstain from dates on this occasion, that everyone may be at liberty to fixtheir own, aware that the cure of unconquerable passions, and the transferof unchanging attachments, must vary much as to time in different people."What does not vary is the pleasure with which new generations cometo Jane Austen. --Alix Wilber ... Read more

Customer Reviews (92)

Another wonderful novel by Jane Austen
Another wonderful novel by Jane Austen containing her penetrating, acute observations about the foibles of human nature.

Everybody likes to go their own way
Even the best authors in the world sometimes put out something that... well, isn't up to their usual standards. For Jane Austen, that book was "Mansfield Park" -- her prose is typically excellent, and she weaves a memorable story about a poor young lady in the middle of a wealthy, dysfunctional family. But put bluntly, Fanny Price lacks the depth and complexity of Austen's other heroines.

As a young girl, Fanny Price was sent from her poor family to live with her wealth relatives, the Bertrams, and was raised along with her four cousins Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia.

Despite being regarded only little better than a servant (especially by the fawning, cheap Mrs. Norris), Fanny is pretty happy -- especially since Edmund is kind and supportive of her at all times. But then the charming, fashionable Crawford sibilings arrive in the neighborhood, sparking off some love triangles (particularly between Maria and Henry Crawford, even though she's already engaged.

And the whole thing becomes even more confused when Henry becomes intrigued by Fanny's refusal to be charmed by him as the others are. But when she rejects his proposal, she ends up banished from her beloved Mansfield Park... right before a devastating scandal and a perilous illness strikes the Bertram family. Does Fanny still have a chance at love and the family she's always been with?

The biggest problem with "Mansfield Park" is Fanny Price -- even Austen's own mother didn't like her. She's a very flat, virtuously dull heroine for this story; unlike Austen's other heroines she doesn't have much personality growth or a personal flaw to overcome. And despite being the protagonist, Fanny seems more like a spectator on the outskirts of the plot until the second half (when she has a small but pivotal part to play in the story).

Fortunately she's the only real flaw in this book. Austen's stately, vivid prose is full of deliciously witty moments (Aunt Norris "consoled herself for the loss of her husband by considering that she could do very well without him"), some tastefully-handled scandal, and a delicate house-of-romantic-cards that comes crashing down to ruin people's lives (and improve others). And she inserts some pointed commentary on people who care more about society's opinions than on morality.

And the other characters in the book are pretty fascinating as well -- especially since Edmund, despite being a virtuous clergyman-in-training, is an intelligent and strong-willed man. The Bertrams are a rather dysfunctional family with a stern patriarch, a fluttery ethereal mother, a playboy heir and a couple of spoiled girls -- Maria in particular develops a crush on Henry, but doesn't bother to break off her engagement until it's too late. And the Crawfords are all flash and sparkle: a pair of charming, shallow people who are essentially hollow.

"Mansfield Park" suffers from a rather insipid heroine, but the rest of the book is vintage Austen -- lies, romance, scandal and a dance of manners and society.

Complex, boring, or just not Jane Austen's best novel?
Mansfield Park has been called Jane Austen's most controversial novel. Modern readers may wonder what in the world could possibly be controversial about what some people call Austen's most boring novel. The Bertram's family slavery based fortune caused a bit of a sensation when the novel was first published. Other than the reference to slavery, Mansfield Park is most Austen readers least favorite novel due to the timid disposition of the book's main protagonist, Fanny Price.

When Fanny was only ten years old, her aunt, Lady Bertram, decided to help her destitute sister who had the misfortune to fall in love with a lowly sailor with no fortune, by taking in one of her many children. The idea of removing Fanny from Portsmouth to Mansfield came not from Lady Bertram, but from her meddlesome sister, Mrs Norris, who is probably the most annoying character in this book. Fanny is brought to Mansfield under the suggestion of Mrs Norris, who believed removing the child from the oppressive conditions of her family, would bring her advantages her family could never possibly provide. Mrs Norris, however, takes every opportunity to humiliate Fanny. Her presence becomes a constant reminder to Fanny that she is not an equal to her spoiled cousins, Maria and Julia.

The only person Fanny develops a deep bond with at Mansfield is with her cousin Edmund. As a child, he consoles her when she is removed from the only home she has ever known, but as they grow into adults, Fanny falls in love with him.

Fanny's love for Edmund is dashed with the entrance of Miss Mary Crawford and Mr Henry Crawford. Mary and Henry are the half brother and sister of Mrs Grant, the wife of Mansfield's parson. Maria and Julia are in awe of Mr Crawford good looks and manners. Edmund, however, begins to fall in love with Mary.

I did not find this novel as boring as some people, but it did seem that Fanny was hardly noticed by any characters until the middle of the novel. She is just lurking in the background watching her cousins making questionable decisions. Out of all the Mansfield household, Fanny is the only one not completely enraptured by the Crawfords. She realizes Henry's intentions with her cousins are not good, and she knows that Mary is not the person Edmund believes she is.

Besides, Mrs Norris, who I found absolutely annoying, Edmund was also not my favorite character. He knows Mary's values are entirely different than his own, yet he persists in hoping Mary will someday accept him. Mary ridicules Edmund's decision to become a clergyman, yet he still hopes they will someday have a future together. Why? I enjoyed the novel, but I did not enjoy the romance between Fanny and Edmund. The ending made it seem like Edmund picked Fanny because he couldn't have who he really wanted the entire novel. Fanny's dream only came true when Mary made it impossible and I do mean impossible for Edmund to make excuses for her.Only in the end did Edmund Bertram realize that the woman he has been seeking all his life has been right under his nose.

Slow
Having a hard time with this book.I love anything Jane Austen, however this book is hard for me to keep an interest in.I have picked it up and put it back down several times.Almost a chore to finish it.

Excellent :)
Item came in great condition in good time. I couldn't even tell it was used, outside of a small smear on the removable cover. ... Read more

Product Description
Perhaps the best loved of all English novelists. She addresses the politics, dating and courtship with an incisive intelligence that both foreshadows and outsrips many of the romantic novels of today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Wonderful
I have been wanting to read these books for some time, and they are absolutely wonderful.

Great for collectors, not so great for readers
As far as a collector's edition- this book is perfect! Beautiful illustrations, gold-edged pages, a ribbon for page marking... however, i'm a reader, not a collector.I purchased this book because it had all of Jane Austen's works and I wanted the convenience of having them all in a single set.This wasn't the book for me.First of all, it was HUGE- and made reading it uncomfortable.In addition, all 6 stories were present, but there was no differentiating them unless you wanted to look at the page numbers.It seems i'll have to buy each book by itself... oh well.If it's going to sit pretty on a bookshelf, by all means, purchase this edition.But if you'll actually want to read it, pass on this collection.

Reliable, classy Jane Austen collection
I'd gone through several mistake-purchases of Jane Austen collections before finding the Modern Library versions. I highly recommend them: they are error-free (a major problem in the deluge of Austen compilations), high quality (good binding - firm enough to last, but pliable enough to actual read the book without having to crack the spine; pages are of a quality weight paper), the book size is also manageable. I own both volumes, have read through them repeatedly, and am glad to have finally found a quality set.

Transcends Time
This is an EXCELLENT collection of Jane Austen's novels.Yes, when buying it, my brother and I chuckled over the irony of "The Complete Novels... Volume I," but neither of us was silly enough to think we were immune from having to also purchase Volume II in order to have the Complete Novels.If you are looking for quality at a reasonable price, this is the collection to buy.These books are exceptionally well made, and the type and paper quality are well above average.

Volume I Review:

I originally read Volume I years ago after having first seen the television and movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.I recently decided to re-read this volume and was even more enraptured with it than I was during the first read.The plight of the Dashwood sisters and the malleability of their step-brother by his cold wife in Sense and Sensibility is made so vivid by Jane Austen's flawless writing.What girl or woman reading Pride and Prejudice doesn't imagine she is Elizabeth Bennet, with both her beauty and intelligence, inadvertantly making Mr. Darcy fall in love with her?My heart positively ached for Fanny Price in Mansfield Park, and I wondered how she could put up with the neglect of her rich, fancy relatives and the tyranny of her Aunt Norris and maintain such a pure heart.I am awed by the timelessness and reality of these novels.In my mind, it simply does not get any better than Jane Austen.

Volume II Review:

I also recently finished re-reading Volume II. Jane Austen's novels certainly do transcend time. Whenever I read them I am struck by some new truth applicable either to my life or life today in general. What was true about human nature approximately 200 years ago remains true today, which makes relating to and understanding Jane Austen so easy as well as gratifying.

Like the heroine in Emma, who hasn't known a spoiled brat whose natural vanity is the result of being blessed in everything? Emma's superior attitude is a bit galling at times, and I positively cringed at some of her blunders, but Emma has a good heart. She makes mistakes, like we all do, but eventually she begins to understand her errors through the help of her good friend Mr. Knightly. Thank goodness for friends who love us in spite of our imperfections!

In Northanger Abbey, I am tickled to death not only by Catherine's naivete but also by Jane Austen herself. The first half of this novel is filled with the most hilarious observations which seem to come directly from Austen, and the second half is filled with the overactive imagination of Catherine Morland, who has read perhaps too many novels. In this parody of Gothic fiction, Austen pokes fun at both herself and her audience. It is truly a delight.

When I first read Jane Austen in my mid-twenties, Persuasion was my favorite novel. It gave me hope. I felt so strongly for Anne Elliot, who at nineteen was convinced by her family to reject the man she loved because of his lack of rank and fortune. Seven years later, after he has acheived his fortune, she is thrown into this same man's company. She must watch, agonizingly, while he courts two other young ladies. Anne's courage and fortitude are inspiring.

Strong Edition
This hardback is a solid binding on good quality paper. It easily stands up to the many re-readings Austen's novels deserve. ... Read more

Product Description
Jane Austen's natural world--real and fictional--comes to life in this colorful, illustrated stroll through the gardens, parks and great estates of Regency England. With lush photos, social history, excerpts from Austen's novels, biographical information, drawings and diagrams, this book brings the great outdoors to readers eager to understand more details of Austen's environment. Also featured are instructions on how to create your own English garden and on where to see sites mentioned in the book. Gardens from movie adaptations of her novels are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

jane austen
Pretty little book (114 pages) about gardens around the homes of Jane Austen and gardens of the type she would have enjoyed. There are parts of family letters and other facts about her family in the book. Every page has excellent photos, drawings and addresses where you can find the gardens. Great treasure of a book. It would make a nice gift.

Lovely pictures!!!Interesting facts
If you love Jane Austin you will love this book.This is for the history buffs out there.Very interesting facts and beautiful pictures!!

Enter Jane Austens garden
Kim Wilson has done it again- created a window into Jane Austen's world this time thru the garden gate. Any Jane Austen addict will love this book and anyone traveling to England with an interest in Jane will love to step into those gardens she loved and visited.

I look forward to another book about another aspect of Jane's life from Ms. Wilson.

Beautiful! Inspiring! Informative! Every Jane Austen Fan will Love it!
"To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment." Fanny Price, Mansfield Park, Chapter 9

It seems quite fitting that a quote from Jane Austen's character Fanny Price, who is an astute observer of natural beauty, should open this book with such a succinct statement expressing her delight in being planted on the bench in Sotherton's parkland to enjoy the serene beauty of the green landscape around her. Verdure is not a word that one runs across very often in contemporary writing but we should, because it vividly describes a scene and sensations in one word. It is no leap of the imagination that Fanny's creator Jane Austen gave her such sentiments, for Jane dearly loved nature herself and included references to it and gardening in her novels and letters.

Author Kim Wilson must be a Fanny Price too, sensitive and observant to natures beauty as her new book In the Garden With Jane Austen is a verdurous delight, introducing us to Austen's affinity to nature through the gardens she would have experienced in her own homes, family members and public gardens of Georgian and Regency England. This beautiful little volume is packed full of quotes from her novels and letters referencing her characters experiences in the garden and her own love of garden cultivation. It has always appeared to me that some of the best plot development in her novels happened while her characters were walking and I am reminded that her heroine's Elizabeth Bennet, Catherine Morland, and Emma Woodhouse were all proposed to in a garden or on a woodland path. Hmm? Should we take a clue from this ladies and get your men outside?

Ms. Wilson has certainly done her research collecting many quotes and antecedents from Austen's novels, letters and family lore effectively placing them in historical context and illustrated with beautiful photographs of the actual locations mentioned. I felt like I was on a personal garden tour of Austen's life as I traveled from the cottage gardens of her home in Steventon and Chawton, to the manor house gardens of her family such as brother Edward at Godersham Park, Goodnestone Park, and Chawton House, and the estate of Stoneleigh Abbey owned by her cousins the Leigh's. We are also treated to views of other famous estates that might have inspired settings in her novels such as Chatsworth House reputed to be the inspiration for Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice and Cottesbrook Hall for Mansfield Park.

Even though this is a lovely pictorial edition, the text is what really shines with so many facts and observations on how nature and gardens influenced Jane Austen's life and writings. I will admit to a more than slight disappointment in the book's small size and paperback format though in comparison to other comparably priced larger sized hardcover editions on the market.

I must confess a large prejudice in favor of this book even before it was published since it combined two of my passions, Jane Austen and gardening. When I finally had the book in hand, I was happy to discover that the last chapter is devoted to re-creating a Jane Austen inspired garden yourself reminiscent of a Regency or Georgian era. What a fanciful thought that plants that Austen admired can be obtained and grown either in a classic presentation, a few simple pots of garden herbs or her favorite flowering shrub the syringa placed by your front door to remind you everyday that looking upon verdure in the perfect refreshment. ... Read more

Product Description
With the same sensitivity and artfulness that are the trademarks of her award-winning novels, Carol Shields explores the life of a writer whose own novels have engaged and delighted readers for the past two hundred years. In Jane Austen, Shields follows this superb and beloved novelist from her early family life in Steventown to her later years in Bath, her broken engagement, and her intense relationship with her sister Cassandra. She reveals both the very private woman and the acclaimed author behind the enduring classics Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. With its fascinating insights into the writing process from an award–winning novelist, Carol Shields’s magnificent biography of Jane Austen is also a compelling meditation on how great fiction is created.Amazon.com Review
It's a perennial source of frustration to Jane Austen's admirers that so little is known about her quiet existence as an unmarried woman seeking an outlet for her ferocious intelligence in genteel, rural England at the turn of the 19th century. Carol Shields, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for The Stone Diaries, has already proved herself a writer who can convey large truths with an economical amount of material, which makes her an excellent choice as Austen's biographer. Shields's brief but cogent text makes persuasive connections between Austen's novels and her life (the plethora of unsatisfactory mothers, for example, and the obvious sympathy for women barred from marriage by poverty and from careers by social custom), but she never forgets that fiction expresses first and foremost an artist's response to the world around her, not actual personal history. In fact, Shields argues, it may well have been Austen's sense that the novels she loved to read didn't provide a very accurate picture of the society she knew that fired her own work. Her merciless portraits of the economic underpinnings of marriage and family relations are in many ways more "realistic" than male writers' dramas of battle or females' fantasies of romantic bliss. As for her life's lack of incident, its one major disruption--her parents' move to Bath--prompted a nine-year silence from their formerly prolific daughter. Shields gleans as much as she can from Austen's letters, while remembering that they too gave voice to a persona, not the whole truth, in order to delineate a quirky, sometimes cranky, sometimes catty woman who was by no means the perfect maiden lady her surviving relatives sought to immortalize. An Austen biography will never be as much fun as an Austen novel, but Shields does a remarkably entertaining job of discerning the links between the two. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

A very nice overview of the life of Jane Austen and her works.
This is a wonderful book on the life of author Jane Austen. While there is something of a tendency to sentimentalize--and therefore in my opinion trivialize--Austen, Carol Shields seems to have found a nice balance between the "romance" of being Jane Austen and the realities of her life in which I found resonance.

While I have read most of the novels more than once, I have to admit that I knew little about Austen except what I came across in forwards and Wikipedia.It was nice to have a more compact and focused source of information on her life.Apparently there is little other than the author's work, a few letters and some family reminiscences to draw upon by way of biographical material.Even these seem to have been edited, intentionally and unintentionally, by members of her immediate family who desired to present a united front and a good image of Austen's life and relationships.

Ms Shields has managed to pull together the biographical sources and a critical and reasoned reading of the novels to create an image of the woman and her evolution as an author.While relying heavily on the novels, especially toward the end of the book, she notes too that the fictional characters were not simply carbon copies of the author herself or of her family and friends.She also shows the degree to which the author was in fact aware of her abilities and of her growth as an artist, despite the long delay in her ultimate recognition by the publishing world and the public in general.As she notes however in her summation, "What is known of Jane Austen's life will never be enough to account for the greatness of her novels, but the point of literary biography is to throw light on the writer's works, rather than combing the works to re-create the author.The two "accounts"--the life and the work--will always lack congruency and will sometimes appear to be in complete contradiction (p.174)."In truth, I doubt that even a gifted psychiatrist could manage to dissect the life and character of Austen--or any other great author--to the extent that the quality of their literary productions is entirely explicable.As with every human being, the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.

A very nice overview of the life of Jane Austen and her works.

brilliant biography of Austen with a refreshing look at her works
A short and engaging biography of the beloved author that deals not in mundane details or idle speculation, but in attempting to draw a portrait of Jane, her life, and her works. Refraining from drawing tedious or melodramatic parallels between her life and her work, the biography instead attempts to understand how a spunky, quiet, reclusive spinster, alone in the country at a time of female repression and the birth of the novel as an art form, was able to write some of the most beloved, extraordinary, realistic, psychological novels of the English language. Jane was definitely a member of the suffering and unappreciated genius club. Part biography, part literary criticism, this book is a great read. Grade: A+

A Bit Disapointed
I enjoyed the first 10-20 pages because I'm hungry for any kind of info on Jane Austen. But I soon grew tired of Shields' speculations about Austen's feelings, motivations, choices, etc. She spends a lot of time trying to tie Austen's novels and characters to events in Austen's own life and after a while, it just started to feel like amateur psychology --more like a HS or college paper on Jane Austen than a well-researched biography (especially since it seemed like Shields relied primarily on other biographies, as oppposed to digging around on her own.)
I wouldn't recommend this one at all.

Concise and Insightful...
Carol Shields' 2005 "Jane Austen: A Life" is a short read at under two hundred pages, but her economical writing style packs an intriguing biography of Jane Austen into those few pages.Shields examines the limited biographical material on Austen from the perspective of a successful fellow writer.Her narrative tracks in parallel the known events of Austen's life and the composition of her novels.Inevitably, Shields must fill in the limited record with informed speculation; the result is an enjoyable and thought-provoking book.

Shields finds that Jane Austen, like many writers, depended on continuity and security in her personal routine to enable her creative skills.Shields thus explains the decline in literary output beginning with the move of Jane's parents to the city of Bath from her childhood home and ending only when Jane and her sister and mother finally settled into Chawton House nine years later.

Shields delves into Jane's family relationships, suggesting that her relationship with her mother was an awkward one.Shields also puts more shades of nuance into Jane's intense relationship with her sister Cassandra than is found in most biographies.We tend to see Cassandra now as an appendage to Jane's story, but Shields suggests the reverse may have been true for much of Jane's life.

Contrary to the family biographies, Shields finds that Jane Austen knew much disappointment in her life.She was unlucky in love.She failed to marry, and never had her own home and family.Her failure to marry also doomed her to a life of genteel poverty as an adult, and an unhappy status as a poor relation within her extended family.Validation of her writing skills in the form of publication came late.The result, Shields surmises, was a woman who was sometimes bitter, feelings not entirely masked by the ferocious weeding of her correspondence at her death.

Shields provides brief but insightful commentary on the men who had a romantic interest in Jane Austen, including Tom LeFroy, Samuel Blackall, and Harris Bigg-Wither.She is frankly skeptical of the story told by Jane's sister Cassandra about a seaside romance with an unnamed young man in either 1801 or 1802.

Shields' narrative notes Jane's evolving writing skills throughout her life.Her status as an innovator in the genre of the novel, still new in Jane's day, is documented, as is her ability to artfully capture some truths about the world in which she lived and so acutely observed.

"Jane Austen: A Life" is very highly recommended to fans of Jane Austen as a short but fascinating read from the point of view of another author.

Clear and Concise
Jane Austen: A Life by Carol Shields is a brief yet comprehensive biography of Jane Austen's life. It is written in a simple and engaging style which few readers will find any difficulty in reading. Not unfamiliar with Jane Austen, I occasionally found myself in slight disagreement with some of the author's conclusions, but overall, I was surprised and pleased by the quantity of information presented in such a clear and concise manner. Carol Shields touches on the major events of Jane Austen's life and uses these events to shed a little light on each of Jane Austen's novels as well as her minor works and some of her juvenilia. I would recommend Jane Austen: A Life by Carol Shields to anyone looking for a non-intimidating introductory biography about Jane Austen. ... Read more

Product Description
These three short works show Austen experimenting with a variety of different literary styles, from melodrama to satire, and exploring a range of social classes and settings. The early epistolary novel "Lady Susan" depicts an unscrupulous coquette, toying with the affections of several men. In contrast, "TheWatsons" is a delightful fragment, whose spirited heroine - Emma - finds her marriage opportunities limited by poverty and pride. Meanwhile "Sanditon", set in a seaside resort, offers a glorious cast of hypochondriacs and spectators, treated by Austen with both amusement and scepticism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

A delightfully wicked anit-heroine enchanced by a quality audio production
Jane Austen's epistolary novel Lady Susan has never received much attention in comparison to her other six major novels. It is a short piece, only 70 pages in my edition of The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen: Minor Works containing forty-one letters and a conclusion. Scholars estimate that it was written between 1793-4 when the young author was in her late teens and represents her first attempts to write in the epistolary format popular with many authors at that time. In 1805, she transcribed a fair copy of the manuscript but did not pursue publication in her lifetime. The manuscript would remain unpublished until 54 years after her death with its inclusion in the appendix of her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh's biography of his aunt, A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1871.

Lady Susan's greatest fault lies in its comparison to its young sisters. Since few novels can surpass or equal Miss Austen's masterpieces, it should be accepted for what it is - a charming melodramatic piece by an author in the making. Not only are we presented with interesting and provocative characters,Austen reveals an early understanding of social machinations, wit, and the exquisite language that would become her trademark. Its greatest challenge appears to be in the limitations of the epistolary format itself where the narrative is revealed through one person's perspective and then the other's reaction and reply, not allowing for the energy of direct dialogue or much description of the scene or surroundings. Withstandingits shortcomings, it is still a glistening jewel; smart, funny, and intriguing wicked.

Given the obvious challenges of converting a novel written in letter format into audio recording, I was amazed and delighted at how listening to the novel enhanced my enjoyment. Naxos AudioBooks has pulled together a first rate production presenting a stellar cast supported by beautiful classical music. Casting British stage and screen actress Harriet Walter as the fabulously wicked Lady Susan was brilliant. She offers the appropriate edge and attitude necessary to complement the text. With Walter's, we are never in any doubt of Lady Susan's full capacity to scheme, manipulate and ooze immorality and deception. Unlike many audio recording where one narrator uses many voices to portray each character, this recording offers 7 simlar to a stage or radio production with each part cast with a unique actor offering variety and interest. We truly connect to each portrayal of the character as they write their letters, inflect emotion into their train of thought, and personalize the production. The addition of period music by Romberg and Mozart equally enhance the setting.

Running two hours and thirty minutes, this audio recording of Lady Susan actually enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of this often neglected yet highly amusing novella. I recommend it highly.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Jane Austen, always good
This is a great audiobook for the car. Jane Austen's stories never get old. This audiobook is read well. It's also a good value for the money.

Satisfied my curiosity
Unlike most of these reviewers I could not really get into Lady Susan. Maybe at a later date. The Watsons was like an introduction to some published works but short and unfinished. However there is a note at the end describing by JA herself how it would end. the best version of Sanditon is found in the book, Sanditon by Jane Austen and another Lady.Sanditon By Jane Austen and Another Lady (New American Library) It is finished charmingly!

"Teazers..."
Jane Austen is rightly esteemed for her six excellent published romance novels.She wrote throughout her life; this book captures the completed but never published short novel "Lady Susan" and two uncompleted novel fragments: "The Watsons" and "Sanditon."Jane Austen fans will find them tantalizing reminders of what Austen might have been capable of had she enjoyed a longer life.

"Lady Susan", reportedly drafted in the 1790s' but completed about 1804, concerns the mischief of the title character, a recently widowed but attractive and manipulative woman who enjoys trifling with the emotions of men.The story is told in a series of letters between different characters.As the story opens, Lady Susan and her daughter Frederica depart the home of the Manwarings after Lady Susan has enticed both Mr. Manwaring and a Mr. James Parker, much to the consternation of Mrs. Manwaring.Lady Susan visits the home of her brother Mr. Vernon, where she attracts the young and wealthy Mr. De Courcy while keeping the other two men on the hook.Her attempts to force her daughter to marry Mr. Parker draw the fortunate interference of her sister-in-law Mrs. Vernon.Lady Susan's schemes will finally come undone, leaving her to make the best of the wreckage.The letter style creates a strong sense of suspense about the outcome.The beautiful but cynical Lady Susan is an unusual leading character, a ruthless sexual manipulator not glimpsed again in Jane Austen's fiction until "Mansfield Park".

The novel fragment "The Watsons" was reportedly begun sometime after Jane Austen's parents moved the family to Bath in 1801.She may have ceased work on it due to her father's death in 1805.The story centers around Emma Watson, one of several sisters in a family of limited means, who is raised by a wealthier aunt and uncle.The death of the uncle places her, penniless, back with her original family, headed by an ailing father.The novel proceeds far enough for us to recognize Emma is accomplished and attractive, and will be sought after by the three eligible men introduced in the fragment.It has the makings of a very good story.Jane Austen apparently hinted to her sister Cassandra how the novel might play out, and those hints are included here.

Jane Austen started on "Sanditon" in early 1817, before her own fatal illness sapped her strength.The surviving fragment suggests a rather elaborate plot concerning a small seashore community seeking to become the next popular watering place of England.Among the large numbers of characters introduced, the Parker family seems to figure prominently.The potential heroine appears to be Charlotte Heywood, a young and attractive guest of the Parkers at Sanditon.The fragment ends early, before the plot is properly developed.

While "Lady Susan" is a complete story; both "The Watsons" and "Sanditon" are really very rough partial drafts.The three items will be of interest to Jane Austen fans who have already consumed her published novels and wish a taste of what might have been.This book is highly recommended to those fans with the caution that Austen had not intended them for publication in the form in which they are offered here.

Lady Susan/the Watsons/Sandition: Three small and incomplete works by genius Jane Austen
Lady Susan/the Watsons/ Sandition are all contained in one slim Penguin volume. This edition has a fine introduction by British scholar Margaret Drabble. She explores their genesis, importance and plot.
Lady Susan is an epistolary novel written in imitation of Jane's favorite author Samuel Richardson. Lady Susan is the most flirtatious woman who is portrayed in Austen's works. This is a complete novel but it is very short running over just 100 pages. Susan is a nymphomaniac who like the black widow spider is eager to lure unsuspecting males into her sable web. She is even jealous of her daugher Fredrica's as she seeks to force the fautuous girl into an arranged marriage. Ironically it is Susan whoweds the stupid, but wealthy Sir James Martin! Susan's first husband died before the beginning of the novel; her efforts to infatuate the married Mr. Manwaring fails to materialize. Susan Vernon also fails to win the handsome young nobleman Lord De Courcy.He has his roving eye momentarily focused on Fredrica. Lady Susan does not have much of the witty conversation and social setting which makes Austen's completed novels classics. It is an apprentice work.
The Watsons is concerned with a poor girl Emma Watson. Emma attends a ball and meets handsome Lord Osborne. This incomplete novel reminds the reader of the rocky courtship between Miss Elizabeth Bennett and the aloof, aristocratic but good Fitzwilliam Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice."
The best part of the book, for me, was the description of an early nineteenth century ball and the preparations required to pull it off. The witty talk between Emma and her sister Elizabeth sparkle with light brio for which Austen is peerless! The novel was never completed.
Sandition is the book Jane Austen was working on when she died at the age of 42. Sandition is a new resort town on the south coast of England. As the novel begins Mr. Parker is involved in a carriage accident. Parker is nursed back to health by Mr. Heywood. Heywood permits his daughter Charlotte to visit the Parkers home in Sandition. Jane Austen hated her residence at Bath and in this novel pokes considerable fun at hypochondriachal characters such as Diane Parker. It is ironic in that Austen wrote the novel as she was slowly dying from an untreatable kidney malady that would kill her on July 18, 1817. A very funny and idiotic character is the absurd Sir Edward Denham. Denham loves to talk in long and poetic passages seeking to win the heart of Charlotte. This unfinished novel begins well and promised to be one of her best books.
Jane Austen is the first great female novelist and one of the greatest authors of fiction who ever lived. Her regency romances of courtship and marriage is small rural English towns in the early nineteenth century are unsurpassed in their examination of the rites and complexities of love.
These three short works are not the place to start with Miss Jane but they are worthy to be savored by Janeites worldwide.
... Read more

Product Description
May Lamberton BeckerThis outstanding biography of a well-beloved novelist catches the spirit of Jane Austen herself. May Lamberton Becker enjoyably introduces us to the 18th and early 19th century world Miss Austen lived in--her family, her friends, her varied settings and her many keen interests--as we are given insight to the personal background of all the Austen novels. Enlivening her narrative with many quotations from Jane Austen's own correspondence, Miss Becker puts her own enthusiastic appreciation of one of the world's most delightful writers at our disposal. Ages 12+ ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating Glimpse into her life
If you like to read Jane Austen or just watch movies based on her novels, you will enjoy learning more about her family life and background. Although her family is not particularly famous, they are interesting to learn about, because they offer a peek into the many characters in her novels. Just like her characters, her family is portrayed as real, having faults, yet endearing. It is fascinating to see the comparison between the real people and characters in her novels. She really did experience in her family a fairy tale romance like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. We also find out how many years she patiently wrote and rewrote Pride and Prejudice. Maybe that is why it is still read today. If you want to learn more about Miss Jane, this book is sure to please. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

perfect story, perfect size
I love this book, and it's the perfect size to fit in a purse to carry with you wherever you go.

Great book, but this copy is so tiny.
I love this book, but this copy is not even 4 x 6 inches.The print is very small. I would buy a bigger copy if I had the chance again. ... Read more

Product Description
Step into a Life of Grace
At thirty-three, dealing with a difficult job and a creeping depression, Lori Smith embarked on a life-changing journey following the life and lore of Jane Austen through England.
With humor and spirit, Lori leads readers through landscapes Jane knew and loved–from Bath and Lyme, to London and the Hampshire countryside–and through emotional landscapes in which grace and hope take the place of stagnation and despair. Along the way, Lori explores the small things, both meanness and goodness in relationships, to discover what Austen herself knew: the worth of an ordinary life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Loved it!
This was the next best thing to a trip to England for me. Smith describes her experiences, the sights and tastes of England and mixes them with Jane Austen's life. A charming journey I would encourage anyone to embark on.

A Walk with Lori Smith
As a memoir, and for a target audience (definitely not for the non-religious), I can see the appeal of Lori Smith's book. But as a fan of Jane Austen who was looking for more, well, Jane Austen, I was wholly unsatisfied. The way this book is advertised tells me I'll see how this great trip to England to follow in Jane's footsteps helped Smith realize the worthiness of a simple life, and that it's okay to be alone. Instead I was bombarded with self-indulgent whining and a lot of religion that didn't feel universal enough to be empathized with at all. The book is a complete downer, which is not as if to say depressing books cannot be good, but it so happens that this one isn't. Smith is so down on herself, but she is self-deprecation is without humor or skillful writing and the reader feels like he's reading the diary of a middle school girl, and not a woman at all.

I could go on about the writing or the lack of plot, or the lack of interest the book inspires in the reader at all. But I wont waste your time. My biggest problem with this book is really the way it's advertised, that fans of Jane Austen can enjoy or appreciate or see any relevance at all in this memoir. Let me make this clear: Jane Austen is not really here at all, it is all Lori Smith. Random allusions are made to the books that are at best grasping at straws for relevance and at worst entirely inaccurate. Jane Austen fans, from chance readers to scholars, beware.

The biggest disappointment since the burning at Alexandria
I'm about eighty-four percent through this book on my Kindle, and while there are some locations yet to go, I'm not holding onto any hope that it will get better.

This book is the biggest disappointment since the book burning at Alexandria. It's quite possibly the worst book I've ever read, and that's INCLUDING Twilight.

... Alright, perhaps it wasn't quite that bad, but it's definitely in the running.


The book is 85% Lori Smith's life and fifteen percent Jane Austen's.

Shouldn't it be the other way around?

I mean, if Smith was going to draw connections between her life and Austen's, the least she could have done was make sure there were enough to fill the book with.

You know how people go on Oprah and she gives their book a recommendation, and then the book starts appearing on bookshelves with the Oprah's Book Club sticker on it? And then how people jump on the book like rabid animals because it has Oprah's signet on it?

I feel like that's exactly what Lori Smith did with Jane Austen's name. If Lori Smith wanted to write a book about her love life, her religious faith, her depression and medical issues, she should have done just that; there's no reason to bring Jane Austen into it.

I've given this book three stars because the Kindle edition was formatted very well, with an active table of contents (one star) and clickable footnotes (another star). I've given it a third star for being well researched, though the amount of research pales in comparison to the information on Lori Smith's life.

A Breath of Fresh Air!
In A WALK WITH JANE AUSTEN, Lori Smith provides a glimpse into the pride, prejudice, sense, and sensibility of Austen's 19th century characters juxtaposed against her own experience, thoughts, and impressions as a writer and single woman living in the 21st century. Her colorful, and sometimes humorous, musings on British life--especially tearooms, chapels, rolling hills and meadows--as she encounters it makes this travelogue come alive. Smith is an author not afraid to fight the good fight of faith and write about it. I love the way she details her personal journey of coming to a deeper and richer understanding of God's grace. Her honesty is like a breath of fresh air in a stuffy room. Eileen Rife, author of the BORN FOR INDIA trilogy Journey to Judah

An Uncomfortable Look into Someone's Psychosis
I admire the author for having the courage to seek out her vision of Jane Austen on her own.Ms. Smith is not unlike many Janeites who look to Jane Austen for guidance of some sort (books, movies, travel, etc.) when their own lives are in disarray.Unfortunately, I felt sorry for the author through most of the book, at one point wanting to grab her by the shoulders and say "I'm sorry, but he's just not that into you."If I had it to do over again, I'd spend my money on another book. ... Read more

Product Description
Mansfield Park encompasses not only Jane Austen’s great comedic gifts and her genius as a historian of the human animal, but her personal credo as well—her faith in a social order that combats chaos through civil grace, decency, and wit.

At the novel’s center is Fanny Price, the classic “poor cousin,” brought as a child to Mansfield Park by the rich Sir Thomas Bertram and his wife as an act of charity. Over time, Fanny comes to demonstrate forcibly those virtues Austen most admired: modesty, firm principles, and a loving heart. As Fanny watches her cousins Maria and Julia cast aside their scruples in dangerous flirtations (and worse), and as she herself resolutely resists the advantages of marriage to the fascinating but morally unsteady Henry Crawford, her seeming austerity grows in appeal and makes clear to us why she was Austen’s own favorite among her heroines. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Everybody likes to go their own way
Even the best authors in the world sometimes put out something that... well, isn't up to their usual standards. For Jane Austen, that book was "Mansfield Park" -- her prose is typically excellent, and she weaves a memorable story about a poor young lady in the middle of a wealthy, dysfunctional family. But put bluntly, Fanny Price lacks the depth and complexity of Austen's other heroines.

As a young girl, Fanny Price was sent from her poor family to live with her wealth relatives, the Bertrams, and was raised along with her four cousins Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia.

Despite being regarded only little better than a servant (especially by the fawning, cheap Mrs. Norris), Fanny is pretty happy -- especially since Edmund is kind and supportive of her at all times. But then the charming, fashionable Crawford sibilings arrive in the neighborhood, sparking off some love triangles (particularly between Maria and Henry Crawford, even though she's already engaged.

And the whole thing becomes even more confused when Henry becomes intrigued by Fanny's refusal to be charmed by him as the others are. But when she rejects his proposal, she ends up banished from her beloved Mansfield Park... right before a devastating scandal and a perilous illness strikes the Bertram family. Does Fanny still have a chance at love and the family she's always been with?

The biggest problem with "Mansfield Park" is Fanny Price -- even Austen's own mother didn't like her. She's a very flat, virtuously dull heroine for this story; unlike Austen's other heroines she doesn't have much personality growth or a personal flaw to overcome. And despite being the protagonist, Fanny seems more like a spectator on the outskirts of the plot until the second half (when she has a small but pivotal part to play in the story).

Fortunately she's the only real flaw in this book. Austen's stately, vivid prose is full of deliciously witty moments (Aunt Norris "consoled herself for the loss of her husband by considering that she could do very well without him"), some tastefully-handled scandal, and a delicate house-of-romantic-cards that comes crashing down to ruin people's lives (and improve others). And she inserts some pointed commentary on people who care more about society's opinions than on morality.

And the other characters in the book are pretty fascinating as well -- especially since Edmund, despite being a virtuous clergyman-in-training, is an intelligent and strong-willed man. The Bertrams are a rather dysfunctional family with a stern patriarch, a fluttery ethereal mother, a playboy heir and a couple of spoiled girls -- Maria in particular develops a crush on Henry, but doesn't bother to break off her engagement until it's too late. And the Crawfords are all flash and sparkle: a pair of charming, shallow people who are essentially hollow.

"Mansfield Park" suffers from a rather insipid heroine, but the rest of the book is vintage Austen -- lies, romance, scandal and a dance of manners and society.

Wonderful
Reading this is the perfect way to spend a summer afternoon...so much mystery and intrigue.

I love books
I love the time period in which Jane Austin writes-these books are very good and also very captivating ... Read more

Product Description
For everyone who loves Jane Austen...The fourth engaging mystery in the series that recasts the well-loved author as a sleuth!

In the waning days of summer, Jane Austen is off to the Canterbury Races, where the rich and fashionable gamble away their fortunes.It is an atmosphere ripe for scandal--but even Jane is unprepared for the shocking drama that unfolds.A flamboyant French beauty, known for her brazen behavior, is found gruesomely strangled in a shabby chaise.While many urge the arrest of a known scoundrel with eyes for the victim, Jane looks further afield and finds a number of acquaintances behaving oddly.

As rumors spread like wildfire that Napoleon's fleet is bound for Kent, Jane suspects that the murder was an act of war rather than a crime of passion.Suddenly the peaceful fields of Kent are a very dangerous place...and Jane's thirst for justice may exact the steepest price of all--her life.
Amazon.com Review
Serious scholars might disagree, but it seems to at least one amateurAustenite that Stephanie Barron has captured Jane Austen's voice perfectlyin her scrupulously researched and scrumptuously written mysteries starringthe celebrated English novelist. "There are not many uses for a baronet'sdaughter, but the steady management of a gentleman's household may safelybe described as one of them," Barron writes in the fourth book in thisremarkable series, a line that could have been plucked from anywhere in theactual canon. Jane is talking about her sister-in-law Elizabeth, who runsher brother Edward's Godmersham estate in Kent. It's here that Jane comesfor a visit in the summer of 1805--and gets caught up not only in a murdermystery but the planned invasion of England by Napoleon, which ended in theBattle of Trafalgar.

Austen, of course, had all the qualities of a good detective: the superbattention to detail, fervid imagination, and salty disdain for pretension.Barron makes excellent use of these attributes, plopping Jane Poirot-likeinto the middle of a crime at the Canterbury Races, then surrounding herwith mysterious and possibly sinister figures involved in aiding orthwarting Napoleon's plans.

The writing, as stylized as it is ("There is nothing like the country forthe rapid communication of what is dreadful"), never gets in the way ofBarron's carefully plotted story, and in the end most readers will findthey've managed to satisfy their appetites both for Austen and for mystery.First-timers will be delighted to hear that the three earlier books inBarron's series (Jane andthe Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, Jane and the Man of theCloth, and Jane and theWandering Eye) are available in paperback. --Dick Adler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Still a cracking good read!
Although I did not enjoy this book as much as the last one it is still a great read.We have our sleuth, Jane Austen, delving into the world of espionage.The book is set in Kent in August of 1805.It was during this time that England was under threat of an invasion by Napoleon, and when a local woman is found dead in another man's chaise, Jane and her family don't at first connect the death to treachery and espionage.The lady had what was called a "reputation".Not many mourn the beautiful and brazen Francoise, but Ned, Jane's brother is the county magistrate, so he must find the killer.He enlists the help of the intrepid Jane.I really like these characters, and I have to keep reminding myself that this Jane Austen is not the real one.This is a wonderful Regency series.

Early 19th Century Murder She Wrote
A 2007 summer reading list mini review.

No one ever confused Jane Austen with Jessica Fletcher.Until now.After reading the first 3 installments of Stephanie Barron's series I had to admit they should both have obituary writers as traveling companions because where these writers go death cannot be far behind.

I had endeavored to read this entry last year, but after a chapter or so, I tired of the series for the above referenced reason.This year I attempted it again and am glad I did so. Jane and the Genius of the Placetells an excellent story melding a good mystery with the social commentary that is Jane Austen.I am glad but if in the fifth mystery she goes to the Americas in search of Cabot Cove, I am through!

Not for everyone
The books in this series are a quite well-done pastiche of Jane Austen's style, but they are not easy reading. Unlike other reviewers, I'm afraid that I did not immediately guess how the murder was done in this one, but then I've been picking it up and putting it down for several months. Not being terribly interested in the politics of the Napoleonic wars, I can't say that I always found the details of the plot to be riveting; I enjoyed this book more for its historical detail and insight into the things that were going on in Austen's life, both personally and nationally. It is easy to forget when reading her novels that England was engaged in war with France for a large part of her adult life, and at the time this book takes place was actually in daily expectation of an invasion by Napoleon. There is also some interesting information about the mania for landscaping and "improvement of the estate," which plays an important role in _Mansfield Park_.

One small but entertaining feature of the series is that Barron sprinkles actual quotes from the Austen canon throughout the books (at least this one), which I personally find quite satisfying to catch.

Entertaining but less than genius
This is the fourth novel in Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mystery series.Having read the previous three, I already knew what to expect.Barron has a knack for imitating the style of Austen's day and shows a vast array of study into the lifestyles of Austen's time.The fourth novel in the series proves Jane to be as stalwart a detective as ever.

While Jane visits her brother's home of Godmersham, she is inevitably caught up in the tragic events that unfold in Kent.With the news of a possible French invasion looming on the horizon, a high-spirited French woman is found murdered at the horse races.Naturally, suspicion falls on the men who were entangled in her web, and her character and affairs with these men are called into question.But the detective side of Jane suspects that the foul play was due to political motives rather than jealous passions.

Barron introduces a wide cast of characters and suspects, and fully fleshes them out as Jane endeavors to solve another mystery.The novel moves quickly due to Jane's 'journaling' of events, even if at times the story is predictable."Jane and the Genius of the Place" is a worthy addition and homage to Austen.

Not like Jane Austen
Many people seem to enjoy this series very much, but Ifind this book and the others as mysteries feeble, and as historical fiction unconvincing.The plots are improbable, and characters cardboard. Most annoyingly, Miss Barron has distorted the characters of jane Austen' family until they are unrecognisable, most unkindly of all, she portrays Jane's mother as a raving imbecile.miss Barron is lucky not to be haunted by Mrs. Austen's indignant ghost.If Jane Austen had written mysteries, they would have been a lot better than these.In fact, most mysteries are better than these. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Austen Book Best Ever

This survey of the places where Jane Austen lived and visited and worked is by far the best of the various ones similar. There have been attempts to guide visitors to the various sites before,but none as good or successful or carefully researched as this one. I have bought several copies as gifts for others whom I know would enjoy this travelogue. It is most highly recommended.

boring
The pictures are not enough. Especially those about the houses which Jane and her family lived in. The words are quite boring. It is more suitable to be categorized as a tour guide rather than a book introducing Jane Austen's England. ... Read more

Product Description
Critically acclaimed and award-winning—but hardly bestselling—author Georgina Jackson can’t get past the first chapter of her second book. When she receives an urgent email from her agent, Georgina is certain it’s bad news. Shockingly, she’s offered a commission to complete a newly discovered manuscript by a major nineteenth-century author. Skeptical at first about her ability to complete the manuscript, Georgina is horrified to know that the author in question is Jane Austen.

Torn between pushing through or fleeing home to America, Georgina relies on the support of her banker-turned-science student roommate, Henry, and his quirky teenage sister, Maud—a serious Janeite. With a sudden financial crisis looming, the only way Georgina can get by is to sign the hugely lucrative contract and finish the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Charming novel with great characters
This book had something that is all too rare these days:charm.It is, of course, froth, but it has more teeth than a run-of-the-mill chick lit novel.I loved the characters, especially Maud (a beautifully drawn, highly individualistic 14 year old girl) and Henry.The plot is completely improbable, but the charm of the novel means that this doesn't matter--the book draws one in, even while one feels a bit rueful about allowing oneself to be seduced into its world.I laughed out loud in places, something that I rarely do.

In any event, the book is beautifully written.I very much enjoyed the main protagonist's inevitable love affair with Jane Austen's work, and her waking up to the idea that a novel does not have to be grindingly and depressingly politically correct to be good.No one read her deeply depressing, albeit prize-winning, first novel, and in a way the book is about her figuring out why.She learns that it is acceptable for a book to be enjoyable, and that social commentary does not require that the author convey the view that life is not worth living.

I highly recommend this book.It is ideal for long summer days, but also great for cozy fall and winter evenings.Reading it in the winter would actually be fun, as it will keep you warm.I will wait to reread it until the cold weather comes.

Ugh. Just ugh.
Review: Spoilers Ahead

I've been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes trying to find a pretty & poetic way of saying: I didn't like it. At. ALL.


Aston's Writing Jane Austen has the potential to be a lovely tribute to the subject and her work, but with undeveloped characters, rushed plotlines and lack of conflict, this story falls flat.

The protagonist herself spends nearly the entire first half of the book whining about how she can't accomplish the task she's been given because she's not familiar with Austen's work and has no desire to be. After a few pages of her finally reading and falling in love with the books, she spends nearly the entire second half whining about how she can't recreate Austen's voice and that she's suffering from writer's block. She suffers from no particular conflict. There are no obstacles in her way. She just doesn't want to do it.

Oy.

The cast of characters surrounding Georgina make the story a bit more interesting and that may be a slight exaggeration. They each have their own problems. Her landlord, Henry, has a cheating girlfriend referenced to, but never confronted. (We actually never meet this character at all.) His little sister has runaway from boarding school because she's `different'...how exactly, we don't know. Throw in the cook & her sudden romance and you have a bunch of story lines never fully explored.

All in all, this book dragged and dragged until the last fifteen pages, where it seems Aston realized she'd better wrap it up. At this point, everything is tied in a messy little bow. Nothing explained, nothing given.

Verdict: D-The potential for a great story is there but after reading Georgina whine about Austen for nearly an entire novel, I almost didn't want anything more to do with Austen OR Georgina.

Highly disappointed
I was very excited to see this book hit the shelves, as I adore Elizabeth Aston's P&P sequels.I was very disappointed in this book.The character was mopey and spent way too much time avoiding her work.There were loose threads that just didn't make sense, like romantic relationships that don't appear to have a point.I was annoyed that a character not seen since the first 50 pages was integral to the ending and I found the constant Jane Austen tidbits distracting, almost as if the author was paid to make sure Austen's name was mentioned at least once every two pages.

On the whole, I'd skip this one and wait for the next one.Hopefully it will be better.

An Anti-Austen Addict Finds Jane Austen
Georgina Jackson, feeling a mixture of apprehension and dread, makes her way down to her literary agent's office, wondering what it is her agent wants to see her for.It probably has nothing to do with her first novel from two years ago, which received raved reviews from critics but was not a big seller, and most likely isn't about her second book, in which Georgina is unable to write beyond the first chapter.What could her churlish agent want with her?

Georgina soon learns the reason she has been summoned: she has received a commission to complete a recently discovered fragment of novel for a famous author.While this sounds like a fantastic professional opportunity and an answer to Georgina's financial problems, she cannot accept this assignment.Why?Because the famous author she is suppose to imitate and complete the fragment for is none other than Jane Austen!

The novels of Jane Austen and Georgina Jackson are as different as night and day.Georgina writesdark and tragic novels, filled with misfortunes and misery, and Jane Austen writes (in Georgina's opinion)"about young women falling in love and getting husbands."Or at least that's what she believes she writes, since Georgina has yet to read a Jane Austen novel. Gasp!

Georgina has been given an insurmountable task.Not only does she need to write a believable pastiche of a Jane Austen novel, but she needs to do it in three months time!It would be a substantial challenge for any writer to complete a one hundred and twenty thousand word novel in twelve weeks time. Let alone a writer who needs to spend time reading and researching an author she knows nothing about. Assisting Georgina in this project is her scientist landlord, Henry, his fourteen year old sister, Maud, and their Polish housekeeper, Anna, who all adore Jane Austen and are very knowledgeable on all things Austen.Furthermore, these characters also help Georgina escape her loathsome agent and publisher who are relentlessly harassing and nearly stalking her.

With such a fantastic premise and intriguing plot, I found myself very excited to read Writing Jane Austen.While I enjoyed many parts of this story such as the minor characters, the references to Jane Austen novels and characters, and the jabs at the Austen industry, there were some aspects of this novel I did not enjoy.The first being our heroine, Georgina Jackson.I understand the author wanting to portray Georgina as very anti-Austen and create conflict with her difficulties writing a Jane Austen novel, but I feel she maybe carried it too far.Georgina spent so much time avoiding her work, running from her agent, and procrastinating that I started to find her a little unlikable and immature.Perhaps if Georgina showed some significant maturation or responsibility, readers would feel a little more sympathetic and endeared towards her.

Another aspect of this novel I wasn't too fond of was how some characters and plots seemed a little superfluous and often disregarded later on in the novel.For example, one time when Georgina is hiding from her publisher, she stays at her ex-boyfriends apartment.The author gives a brief background on this ex-boyfriend and his relationship with Georgina but never alludes to his existence again.Another scenario is when Georgina visits a friend in Bath.There is a couple of chapters devoted to this trip, yet it seems a little isolated and does not connect to the main plot very cohesively.

With six lovely Pride and Prejudice sequels already published, Ms. Aston is becoming a well-known and admired Austenesque author.I am delighted that Ms. Aston decided to deviate from Pride and Prejudice sequels and write an Austen-Inspired/Jane Austen Chick-Lit novel.Whatever the genre is, Ms. Aston's novels always illustrate her great love and veneration for Jane Austen and her world.I dearly hope Elizabeth Aston continues to pen more Austenesque novels!

Austenesque Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Georgina Jackson has forty-eight chapters written for her sophomore novel, except they're all Chapter One. She simply can't move forward. When her agent rings and demands a meeting, she knows there's going to be sharp words exchanged.

Instead, Georgina's in for a shock. She's being offered the role of a lifetime, an opportunity most authors would kill to achieve. Someone recently discovered a never-before-seen chapter of a Jane Austen novel. It's been authenticated and her agent demands that Georgina finish the book.

Georgina knows nothing about Jane Austen and she has no desire to start learning. However, the advance would be substantial, and when Georgina discovers that the monies might be her only chance at remaining in England, she agrees to write the book in twelve weeks.

First, she must learn about Jane Austen, and then she must come up with an idea, and transfer that idea into a manuscript. Georgina's certain she's doomed to fail, but with her landlord, Henry, his sister, Maud, and flatmate, Anna, propping her up, she just might be able to accomplish the impossible.

Elizabeth Aston writes an amusing tale about the discovery of Jane Austen after avoiding the author like the plague.She humorously focuses on the pains of writing, including the need for many breaks, procrastination techniques, and how to duck phone calls and dodge unwanted visitors.She details the joys and annoyances of friendships and adds a dash of romance to this entertaining read.

Reviewed by:Jennifer Rummel ... Read more

Product Description
From the editor of the popular Annotated Pride and Prejudice comes an annotated edition of Jane Austen’s Persuasion that makes the beloved novel an even more satisfying and fulfilling read. Here is the complete text of Persuasion with hundreds of annotations on facing pages, including:
 
● Explanations of historical context
● Citations from Austen’s life, letters, and other writings
● Definitions and clarifications
● Literary comments and analysis
● Plentiful maps and illustrations
● An introduction, a bibliography, and a detailed chronology of events
 
Packed with all kinds of illuminating information—from what Bath and Lyme looked like at the time to how “bathing machines” at seaside resorts were used to how Wentworth could have made a fortune from the Napoleonic Wars—David M. Shapard’s delightfully entertaining edition brings Austen’s novel of second chances vividly to life. 
  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If you enjoyed the Annotated Pride and Prejudice, or if Persuasion is your favorite Austen novel, read this
David Shapard, who was responsible for the wonderful Annotated Pride and Prejudice in 2007, has now turned his thoughtful scholarly talents to Persuasion, Jane Austen last complete novel.Lesser known, probably lesser-read than Pride and Prejudice, and generally considered to be less polished due to Austen's illness and death during its composition, it is nevertheless the favorite Austen novel of many an English professor and Austenite.

Persuasion is not as brilliant, sparkling, and perfect as Pride and Prejudice, but it is more subtle.It is the most interior (by which I mean, so much of the action occurs in the thoughts and emotions of the main characters) of Austen's novels, and has most intensely emotional climax of any of her works.Yet the same heroine, Anne Elliot, who has "the power of loving, when all hope is gone" is also one of Austen's most self-controlled heroines.

While Pride and Prejudice will always remain my personal favorite (I am biased; II fall for Lizzy's wit and spirit every time), Persuasion offers a different display of Austen's skills as a mature novelist, and my re-reading of it was greatly enriched by Shapard's annotations.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Georgianna Darcy has a flattering array of suitors in this charming continuation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice.As the sister ofFitzwilliam Darcy, Georgianna is assured of a large dowry. It's up to her to weed out the fortune hunters amongst her beaus. But can she further determine who loves her for all that she represents in the way of beauty and innocence and who loves her for all of herself? And once she has given her word to one man, can she train her heart to obey?Undertones of choices, convictions and life's ironies feed this engaging romp that introduces the captivating Jacob Markwood and other new characters as well as continuing the lives of favorites Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, Jane and Mr. Bingley, Kitty, Wickham and Caroline. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

One of the best sequels
This is one of the best sequels to P&P.Original, with good characterization.I like these characters.

It was OK
I read this book years ago.Prior to purchasing it, I'd been re-reading Austen's novels periodically for over 20 years until I discovered that writers had started penning books inspired by her great works.I'd had some initial success with Austenian themed stories (Stephanie Barron's JA mysteries and Joan Aiken's "Jane Fairfax") and was pleased to note that there were more stories available to feed my need for anything related to Jane Austen.Unfortunately, I ordered this book along with Julia Barrett's "Presumption" which was horrible.It turned me off the genre for several years; thus, I admit that this book is tainted for me by simply being purchased around the same time as "Presumption".I'm willing to give "Conviction" 3 stars just to be fair. I'm pleased to report that Pamela Aidan brought me back to my JA fan-fiction addiction.Try her "Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman" trilogy if you're looking for something spectacular.I haven't yet found any published work that tops the Aidan series.

Conviction
I had hoped to find a good read, and since P & P was excellent, I picked this sequel up, hoping it could be nearly as well written, and it was. It lacked a bit of the staid formalities of the first, but was exceptionally well written, without the usual annoying language and slang I have found in too many novels written in the past few decades. Good story, well written.

Georgiana continued
A good version of a continuation of the Darcy's story.Although this is more about Mr. Dary's sister and new characters, this story was a good read. Conviction: a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice

Don'tjudge a book by it's cover.Really.
Another sequel to Pride and Prejudice.I liked this sequel more than others, but I let the cover scare me away for a long time.I thought it would be pretty amature, so I read a lot of others first. Some of the literary stylings in this book seemed strange to me, but they don't show up too often.I thought the story line was logical and compelling.If you love this genre, this book will not disapoint. ... Read more