Customer Reviews

Jane Austen Kit

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I usually recommend tarot decks based on their art but this deck is a "must own" because of the book which accompanies the deck. Author Diane Wilkes, a world renowned tarot reader, and a brilliant lecturer, demonstrates the versatility of the tarot by applying its archetypes to the works of Jane Austen. Like Jane, the book is written with wit and wisdom, and when I finished it, I was no longer intimidated by the tarot. (How I wish this book had been available when I first discovered the tarot.)
In addition to descriptions and analyses of the 76 traditional tarot cards, based on characters and scenes from the novels, each card ends with a section entitled, "What would Jane do?"- how Jane Austen can help you live a life of equipoise and balance. The book also includes instructions and spreads on how to use the cards, and how to make card connections. And- for those of us who haven't read Jane Austen, there are detailed synopses of all her books. My knowledge of Jane Austen comes primarily from film and TV, but reading the Jane Austen Tarot has inspired me to tackle the entire oeuvre.

I am both very pleased and somewhat disappointed in this Tarot card set.
The Good:
1. The book is very good including for each card:
a. complete description of each card
b. an outline of the relevant part of the storyline
c. a tarot interpretation
d. a unique "What would Jane Do?" note for each card
2. The Minor Arcana suits are quite fitting to Jane Austen's time and works. Each one also has a color scheme or palette
a. Quills - mostly in shades of blue, and mightier than the sword ;-)
b. Candlesticks - uses a reddish palette
c. Coins - primarily brown and green
d. Teacups - in shades of green and gray
3. With some notable exceptions the drawings are all very appropriate illustrations of scenes in the books
4. Minor Arcana are not based on numbers - you won't find Mr. Darcy with 3 quill pens on the 3 of Quills rather Jane Bennett crying over a letter with no actual quill pictured.
5. Court cards as appropriate as the suits
a. Lord
b. Lady
c. Knight
d. Maiden
6. Major Arcana are all full color which sometimes makes them seem more cartoonish than the more monochromatic minor arcana. I list this as an asset, however because it makes them easier to identify. See #4
7. It has enough similarity to a Rider-Waite Tarot set to assist an experienced reader in picking it up, but is specific to Jane Austen making it a truly unique Tarot set that will be a joy to anyone who appreciates the author.


The Bad:
1. Non-Austen and inconsistent imagery - Pride and Prejudice cards continually portray Eliza Bennett from the 1940 Greer Garson film version which used costumes that might have walked off the set of the "Gone with the Wind" set instead of the authentic Regency styles that she might have worn. This continues on each card that depicts her even when she is pictured with other women wearing the Regency high waist Elizabeth is in a gown that could not possibly have been made before 1832. The Fool card is the worst.

2. Complex imagery and meaning heavily associated to Austen books. This is a good thing if you simply want to add to your collection of Austen related items, but makes learning to give readings with this deck incredibly challenging! It's not a good deck for an inexperienced Tarot reader, or someone who expects to leverage their knowledge of Rider-Waite, etc. to learn this deck over night. It takes some study to become familiar enough to do a reading.

3. Tarot meanings depend heavily on Austen books and analogies drawn from them, this can be great fun, but only when both reader and querant are both familiar with all the books represented in the reading.

I love "The Jane Austen Tarot'.

Another reviewer has already given a clear and accurate description of what you can expect from this kit (thank you) so I will not repeat that information.

If you like this deck but some things about it do not work for you then I offer this suggestion. Realize that the cards cannot be changed but you can challenge yourself to find a different way to look at them so they DO work for you. Lizzie Bennett is dressed differently than the other women. I see her style of dress as a metaphor for a woman who is way ahead of her time, a woman who feels the 'fullness' of life.

I recommend "21 Ways To Read a Tarot Card" by Mary Greer. It shows ways of reading cards that could enrich your experience with "The Tarot of Jane Austen" and encourage you to use it with people who are not familiar with the books. Your enthusiasm could inspire others to read her books or watch movies based on them.

Sample Images of the cards are available at the Aeclectic Tarot website.

As has been previously noted, this deck and the book that accompanies it will delight most tarot and Jane enthusiasts. I will not contribute any further on the positives as I think it has all been noted already!

However, having read the accompanying book cover to cover, it seems there are some discrepencies between the actual images on the cards, and the author's expectations of what should be on the cards. The most obvious is that the imagery used on the Ace of Quills and the Ace of Teacups seems to have been swapped (the book expects the Ace of Quills to be represented by Persuasion and the Ace of Teacups should be represented by Emma - which would making sense given how the storylines loosely correspond with the suit of cards they represent - however, the pictures on the cards are around the wrong way). There are also a couple of instances where the book's description of the card covers more than what actually appears on the card (Knight of Coins, Maiden of Coins, Two of Teacups, Ten of Coins are examples).

I hope these issues can be rectified in the second edition - I would gladly repurchase this deck again as I believe it will be one of my favourites to use.

Jane Austen I know. Tarot I don't. Till now! This deck is my Rosetta Stone to understanding the tarot. For years I had to content myself with admiring decks merely for their art work. Now I can draw cards and actually interpret them for myself and others. All this in just a few short weeks.
One could purchase only the deck, but I cannot imagine the deck without its handbook. Those experienced in tarot will need the handbook for understanding Jane Austen - and you really do want to know about Jane Austen. (Trust me on this.) Those who know Jane Austen will love the insightful interpretations that Wilkes makes for each card. There is a bonus section for each card: What Would Jane Do? This section alone makes the handbook worth having.
Janeites, do not miss adding this to your collection. It is not full of "whims and inconsistencies," but contains "what is wise and good."

I must admit I am not very much into Lo Scarabeo tarot decks; I simply find the artwork too conventional - though there are exceptions, such as the Tarot of 1001 Nights or the Tarot of Secret Forest. However, the theme of this deck was too alluring to pass it by!
My own tarot reading skills are heavily based on storytelling. Every time I pick a card, I see the scene depicted there come to life; and there's always a story to be told. This task is much easier with this particular deck, considering the story behind each card is already well known. This will make the task of reading easier for a Janeite who's never had any experience with tarot.
However, this same attribute may confuse some readers, as there are practically no indications in the Minor Arcana pointing to the nature of each card, apart from the title. For instance, the traditional (i.e. Rider-Waite) representation of the 8 of Wands is 8 wands flying through the air like spears - I often get stuck when this card comes up in a reading; it's just so bland. In this deck, though, the same card (here, 8 of candlesticks) depicts Lydia Bennet's elopement with George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. I believe it's rather easy to read the cards, provided the reader does not get too hung up on standard meanings, and has a good knowledge of Austen's novels. Even if it's been awhile since you last read any of the latter, the accompanying book is pretty thorough in its analysis of each card.
I must agree with a previous reviewer that, to my great disappointment, the characters in some cards do not dress in Regency fashion, but I find this could only diminish my rating of the deck by no more than half a star.

The Jane Austen Tarot a delightful use of the tarot system for anyone who loves "The Jane" I wish the cards have been more colorful, but that aside, I liked the drawings and interpretations. I don't agree with all of them, but that's all right. Perhaps too many Lady Susan references considering it is an unfinished novel by JA and not as well read.
It probably won't be my main tarot deck, but it will be a fun deck for fun readings with fellow Jane fans

This deck has a very special place in my heart. As soon as I heard my beloved Austen was being paired with my other grand passion, Tarot, I was beside myself with pure excitement! I've had the set now almost 7 months and love it more and more each day. This is the kind of deck that the one pours more attention, study and use into intimately knowing it, it opens up it's secrets and shows you the deepest depths in it's images,intuition and stories.

The match-ups with each card with a story is truly inspired and magical. Wilkes knows her Tarot and Austen. It took someone with this kind of intimate knowledge of both subjects to pull off a creative endeavor such as this. Anything less and it would have collapsed. All the court cards are just as wisely and perfectly chosen....the characters she chose truly "are" the corresponding Tarot royal courts.

The images are just wonderful, so evocative of the books and time period. When I meditate and look closely at a card, I can feel myself within the scene/story. These cards awaken my intution and my imagination can see the before and after of each image, or even create a brand new story. The style is a bit comic book like, but in the best sense and I think lends well to the story/narrative power of the cards. The Majors are done in wonderful vibrant colour and the minors have a kind of sheen in varying shades of the corresponding suits. It's a unique and fascinating idea, but I so wish all the cards were as beautifully coloured as the Majors. I love the backs, very Regency and a soothing blue.

The book in my opinion is a must have, even if you're very knowledgeable about Austen's books, it really brings alive the connections between the cards and each relative story. Wilkes shows her mastery of Tarot with marrying the stories, cards and interpertations. I love the "What would Jane do?" sections at the end. She also includes a short sypnosis of each book, very helpful for jogging any bits if you've forgotten details or have never read any Austen. The colour and cover of the book is whimsical and delightful, reminiscent of marbled/swirled old-fashioned book covers.

This is extremely well done and useable Tarot theme, I get wonderful, intricate readings and insights. It has enriched my life in many ways. It is an excellent deck for storytelling with the Tarot and intuitive narration.

If you love Austen, get this! It just might open the doors to the magical erethral world of Tarot. If you love Austen and Tarot....then it's a given, buy this now! :)