Customer Reviews

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've known Jane Austen is my favorite author from the very first time I started reading Pride and Prejudice. Over the years I've read her major novels many times and am slowly making my way through Jane Austen's Letters (New Edition) Collected and Edited by Deirdre Le Faye which is no small task. But, as a true Janite, it is my privilege to read them. When I noticed this book, and then when I realized it was geared toward readers in the age 12 and up category I decided to find out how Catherine Reef would summarize Austen's life into approximately 180 pages. I'm very happy to say that she has done it well and this is a fantastic book filled with the fascinating bits of information which make Jane Austen such a 'real' person.

Some authors try to portray Austen as too good to be true, too good to be a real person. If you have a chance to read any of the Austen novels you immediately see that Austen was a keen observer of human nature and she must have had some of those very same traits she writes about in order to recognize them in others. I liked the way historical fact was woven into the telling of this story so that it was interesting and pointed out how close Austen came in her novels to portraying the people and events she witnessed in her daily life. Each of Austen's six major novels is discussed regarding the story line and by including them while imparting information about Jane's private life the reader can see how she pulled her ideas from real life.

This is a very well written biography of a true giant in literary history. I am grateful to Catherine Reef for managing to be so thorough with the details while not once becoming boring. A remarkable feat which will be appreciated by readers of all ages who explore this work.

Catherine Reef authored over forty nonfiction books, including other biographies. She writes well, simply, graphically, drawing readers into her tale, and the book has many pictures. She overcame a serious problem with this volume, for little is known about Jane Austen (1775-1817), one of the world's most beloved writers, for there are conflicting reports about her. Did she like people, or did this author of such books as Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, books about love and family, really dislike people and even mock them? After her death at age 41, unmarried, her niece praised her, "I do not suppose she ever in her life said a sharp thing." Yet she herself wrote, "I do not want People to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal."

Reef tells us about the heavy-handed and discriminatory life in England during Austen's lifetime. The nobility ruled and looked down upon the non-noble. Women were disparaged; they couldn't inherit money; whether married or not, their life depended upon the whim and will of men. Jane once had trouble traveling a hundred miles because there was no man to take her. She published six mature novels between 1811 and 1818, all anonymously, because she was a woman. Her father, a clergyman of modest means, not her mother who had no say, gave up one of his sons to a rich childless relative for adoption so that the boy would be able to inherit money. The people believed that all of this was the will of a wise God.

Schools and teachers were unregulated and frequently unsanitary; food was scanty at school and many schools didn't allow outside play. Jane almost died in one of them. Her teacher did die from an infection. She quite school forever at age 10. She wrote that there are places "where young ladies for enormous pay might be screwed out of health and into vanity."

Reef tells about the books that Austen admired, the many early books and plays that she wrote beginning at age 11, about her family, her sister, brothers, relatives, and friends. She tells also about her first love who she couldn't marry because the man's family didn't want their son to marry a girl who was not rich. Later, she accepted a marriage proposal from a friend but turned it down the next day because she felt that friendship was insufficient grounds for a marriage. She wanted love.

As successful as Austen became, it may surprise some readers to know that she had a hard time finding a publisher and had to pay for the printing of her first book. Since she had no money, her brother paid for her. Reef tells about this book, Sense and Sensibility, the plot, characters, as well as about her other books. She also writes what critics said, such as: Austen makes her love scenes too short. The book sold well and Austen made 140 pounds in 1813, much more than an average worker makes in a year. For the first time she had money. She was 37, with four more years to live. The publisher was so satisfied that he agreed to publish her next book Pride and Prejudice without Austen having to pay a cent. This second book was an immediate success. Her books were liked by many people. When she died, the church had to keep her coffin open for viewing for six days.

Mark Twain noted that whether a person likes a book or not is a matter of personal taste. He disliked all of Jane Austen's books. But whether one likes them or not, readers will enjoy Catherine Reef's story of her life.

Some readers take on Jane Austen out of necessity for school. Others linger over her words for pleasure.

This short biography, meant for young adults, is a well-researched history lesson full of anecdotes on the various life events that shaped Jane's novels. It's also peppered with interesting facts, photographs, and historical information, including the story of how Jane initially had to self-publish her books since no one would take a chance on her, and my personal favorite, a little tidbit on the wheeled, horse-propelled bathing machines that Jane and her sister used on their family outings on the coast of Wales.

This is a nice primer for anyone who perhaps is new to the world of Jane Austen, but it's rather dry in the way the information is presented. It reads less like a nuanced portrait of a lively, opinionated woman than a very long encyclopedic entry. It's certainly difficult to write a story about a woman whose life has remained so much of a mystery since most of her personal papers were lost after her death; but it doesn't seem unreasonable to hope that the writing would be a little more engaging.

With a subject that is so famous for her sharp wit and keen observation, most readers, especially those who love and are familiar with her work, would likely want to gain a little more insight into the writer's internal life. Jane Austen's life is indeed "revealed" to readers in this brief volume, but it would have been lovely if that same life had been a little more illuminated as well.

Whether or not you are a Jane Austen fan you will find this short history of the life of Jane Austen very informative. Reef does a good job of researching Janes life and her family. The first half of the book reads like a history lesson with lots of facts, names, dates and accounts of Janes upbringing and early writings.

You will be given a short but very accurate account of Janes life. You will walk away with a better understanding of how her books very much reflect the lives of those she lived among. Janes books are a great lesson in the class system of England during her life. Her upbringing in a clergyman's home is well reflected in her works. Her own family had it's share of navy officers as well as Pastors. So her writings have such a real life of their own because they portray what Jane observed as she was growing up.

The second half of the book gives short summaries of the main books that made Jane Austen famous. Reef talks about original titles and why they were changed as well as the problems of publishing during the late 1700's and early 1800's. Through this summaries young readers may grow interested in wanting to read Jane's works.

This short book is well done and could be used in any literature class to help students come to know about Jane Austen, her family and her writings.

Buy this short book and give it to your children or teens to introduce them to the world of a wonderful writer.

Enjoy!

Jane Austen has, through 193 years, gone from being a writer in secret publishing six anonymously attributed novels; to being recognized and considered one of the world's great novelists. Piecing together the life of Jane Austen has challenged researchers considerably over time. For the very fact that there is little left of her footprint upon which to study. For example, out of about 3,000 letters written by Jane in her lifetime, only 160 survive. Author Catherine Reef, has done an excellent job bringing together letters, prior research material, photos, and Jane's poetry and novels to construct a picture of the elusive Jane Austin.

In spite of the fact that not one picture of Jane exists, a full well-rounded portrait of her life is described by Reef, and cleverly delineated by looking at Jane's novels as they related to her own circumstances. For Jane, through keen observation, wrote about what she knew, and that was about the social network of her time. Today, we take that maxim as ordinary; but in the early 19th century, writing about everyday events was quite out of the ordinary, and Jane was the first to successfully portray "the ladies and gentlemen of the English countryside".

Catherine Reef's biography expertly brings together Jane's life, through the countless heartaches brought on by misfortune, disease, and the limits of the social mores of her time; and by summarizing Jane's six published novels as a way of looking inside Jane's personal lens of experiences. A family tree is provided, and comes in handy throughout. Reef is the author of more than forty nonfiction books for teens and adults, and her portrait of Jane Austen satisfies all.

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed is thorough and well-written for anyone who loves Jane Austen and her books. I have read other books on Jane Austen's life in the past, so much of the material in this book was not new to me, but I enjoyed the way that Catherine Reef pieced the information together.

Catherine Reef includes excerpts of Jane Austen's personal letters in this biography, and helps readers to understand the world that Jane Austen lived in. I love the little quotes from Jane Austen that are sprinkled throughout this book. Her sharp wit and intelligence are evident in her personal writings, as well as her books. Learning what was going on in Austen's life as she wrote each of her books was very enlightening. Knowing she was coping with deaths, her own health issues, and frequent moves helps add depth to her life and her writings.

The illustrations in Jane Austen: A Life Revealed were an interesting mix of classic paintings, sketches, copies of letters, book illustrations, and movie stills. They added interest as they expanded my vision of Jane Austen. Seeing copies of letters written by Jane, herself, helped me imagine the stacks of hand-written pages that would have comprised one of her novels.

The one thing I didn't like about this book was the plot summaries of each of Jane's novels being included in the biography. If anyone were to read this biography that had NOT read the novels, the summaries would spoil the books for them. I realize that many people watch the movies before reading the books, and that would do the same thing, but it still bothered me to have such detailed explanations of each book in this biography.

Though this book is intended for young adults, I think it will only appeal to teens who love Jane Austen's novels. If a teen who had not read the novels chose to read it (to write a report about an author, for instance) they would likely find it too dull for their tastes. However, even adults will enjoy reading this biography if they are Jane Austen fans.

200 years later Jane Austen remains as much of an enigma as ever, so elusive that no portraits exist other than a watercolor by her sister Cassandra, and yet she remains one of the most known authors ever to come from the British Isles. "Jane Austen: A Life Revealed" is a good introduction for young adults who may have seen one of the many film adaptations and are wondering if the author's life could reveal insights into the literature. I was pleased to learn of some real-life incidents which were woven into the plots of the major works.

The author does an adequate job of putting Jane Austen into the historical context of the political and social milieu of the early 19th century. Readers will get a sense of the plight of women, no matter how well-born and their precarious circumstances: never being able to travel alone or even be with a man alone, limited and debasing career choices (governess, maid, etc.), having to live at the whim of their closest male relatives, and of course all the usual drudge work.

We do get a lot about the Austen family, their cousins, and close relations. I found it hard to form a mental image of all these people and keep track of their disposition of the course of the years covered in just a few pages. But at least it does give an idea of the occupations of the day and influences Jane's later options as she grows toward maturity. So it is necessary context after all.

I am ambivalent about the screenshots of recent film adaptations in the book. On the one hand, it is probably all that is "real" for the contemporary reader on the other hand it makes the book instantly obsolete since there are new films every year. Also, a wink to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies I suppose has topical appeal.

To its credit the book does include Cliff Notes type of synopsis of each major work, although without much commentary. I suppose because of the dates they were published, the synopses are kind of bunched up in the last third of the book. I don't know if the final edition will have an index, but it is badly needed in my opinion.

I would recommend this book for any library YA collection although there are dozens of Austen biographies this one makes a good introduction and readers who enjoy it will hopefully go on to read the letters, juvenalia, and other artifacts of this unique writer.

Catherine Reef's 2011 biography of English novelist Jane Austen promises "A Life Revealed." As other biographers have noted, Miss Jane Austen left behind painfully little in the way of biographical material at her 1817 death. Six completed novels, a couple of incomplete manuscripts, her juvenalia, a limited selection of her letters, and a few recollections by relatives and contemporaries are pretty much all the raw material any would-be biographer has to work with.

Fortunately, Catherine Reef is a competent writer and biographer. "Jane Austen: A Life Revealed" steps briskly through the known facts of the author's life and work. Where interpretation and extrapolation are called for, Reef manages to stay nicely in the middle of the road. She traces Jane Austen from her birth in a small 18th Century English village through her youth as a member of a large and vibrant family, her travels with her retired parents, and her personal failed romances. Her experiences as a writer are woven into the story, along with brief synopses of the novels. There are references to modern film interpretations of her work. The result is a concise and very readable narrative of the life of a significant English novelist, suitable for the contemporary young adult and also for the not so young adult.

"Jane Austen: A Life Revealed" is highly recommended as a concise but readable biography of the author of "Pride and Prejudice", "Mansfield Park" and "Emma".

This book caught my eye for its clean, well styled cover and hooked me with its promise of a simple and concise biography of Jane Austen written for young adults. I love Jane Austen and am a huge fan of her novels, their movies, and their many spin offs. But, aside from what I knew from watching Becoming Jane, I didn't know too much about the author herself. This book was the perfect toe in the pool and revealed Jane Austen in a way that was engaging and interesting and left me eager to re-read her novels again with this new information in mind.

The biography begins with a summary of Jane's younger years with her family, her earlier writing, and the many moves she was forced to make throughout her life being both poor and dependent as she was a single woman. It was fascinating reading about her extended relations and their exciting lives. Jane's life, though, was not as exciting. She was left a constant observer on the sidelines. She was witty though and snippets of her letters showing her sharp, occasionally acerbic wit, are sprinkled throughout the narrative.

The book also has lots of historical background explaining the political and social rules of the day and there are plenty of illustrations both from the period and from Jane's letters, books, and the movies made from her books throughout.

Finally, the biography takes us through each of Jane Austen's works. It covers how each was published, the book's history and reasons for being written, a summary of the book, and its reception in Jane Austen's time. This re-awakened my interest in Austen's novels all over again to get this very interesting history of each book, including works that were never finished or published.

The book was accessible and easy to read. The illustrations and explanations kept the events in Jane Austen's life entertaining and understandable for someone who might only have a passing knowledge of the author and her era. The history of each of the books was the best part of the biography in my opinion and it was fascinating to read what Austen thought of her own books through her letters, and to read about their reception during her life time. I highly recommend this book for teen readers who have just been introduced to Austen, or older readers who aren't big on biographies but would like an accessible primer to Jane Austen's life. This is an easy, light read that can finished in only a few hours, but leaves a sparked interest in the author and in her works.

I received this book for free to review.

It's hard to figure out exactly who Austen really was. After her untimely death, her family lost many of her letters or destroyed a lot of her personal effects in an effort to present her in the best light. It is estimated that she wrote about three thousand letters in her lifetime, yet only one hundred and sixty survive.

Since so little about Austen is known for certain, Reef sets out to recreate the world she lived in, contextualizing the known events of Austen's life with the intricacies of class, social standing, and inheritances. As social rules overwhelmingly favored men and often left women at the mercy of their male relatives, Austen-whose family was not well off-was painfully aware of these social rules and the effects they had on women in her position. All of this played a role in shaping her novels.

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed is a young adult biography, and the style of writing is well-suited for its intended age group. I loved it at first because of the pace and Reef's ability to explain all of the different factors that influences Austen's work. Should a student be assigned a research paper on Jane Austen, this book wouldn't be a bad place to start.

That said, the last half of the book is a bit disappointing. Reef provides lengthy, detailed summaries of Austen's novels. On one hand, I enjoyed reading about the various aspects of Austen's life that were reflected in her works. It was interesting to see that extra layer of context added into the mix.

On the other hand, this is a YA book that will probably be used by students for some kind of assignment. If I were a teacher, I'd have no problem suggesting this book to my students for use in a project if I knew they'd already read the Austen novel assigned to them. Reef is a very clear writer who is easy to follow, but her book isn't something I'd want my students to use at the beginning of the semester solely because of those length summaries.