Customer Reviews

Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author

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Having bought the book based on its shelf appeal--particularly the full-color stills from my favorite movie adaptations of Austen's novels and the lush photography of England--I was thrilled to find much more information than I expected. From the "Who Is Jane Austen" chapter, with its concise yet thorough biography and family history of Jane, to the "Everyday Life" and "Society and Culture" chapters, this book provides today's reader with the historical/cultural/social backdrop of Jane's novels. Chapters are divided into sub-topics, and each sub-topic fits perfectly into a two-page spread. This was especially appealing because if I had only five or ten minutes to spare for reading, it was easy to find a logical stopping place. This book re-ignited my love for Jane Austen and her characters--and I'm planning to read through all five novels again very soon.

I think Maggie Lane has done an absolutely wonderful job on this Austen collection. It is beautifully illustrated, well set out and a perfect introduction to Austen especially for those fans who have to her through the recent popularity of her books from the movies and telly series.

It is a hard cover coffee table sized book so its not something you take to bed with you, quite slim but packed full of good material. It is divided into five chapters which cover everything from Jane Austen the person, to daily life in Regency England and the film adaptations. Each chapter is subdivided into smaller sections which are really just double page spreads on a particular subject. Don't expect an indepth analysis of any particular subject but do expect a very competent summary.

Lane includes an Austen chronology of Austen's life - useful and easy to read. The only real objection I have is that many of the pictures used in here are not titled and it is difficult to find out who drew them - the illustrations index in the back is quite small and cluttered.

For those of you who are thinking of buying this book second hand, watch out you don't confuse this book with Lane's earlier work on Austen's life. It is an smaller book and is more of an autobiography tracing her life and travels.

In short - a really enjoyable book.

Before discovering Jane Austen's World on the shelf at our local library, I was convinced Jane Austen was an acquired taste for the mature biblophile. (Imagine that!) Since I wasn't planning on reading her novels, I thought I should at least know a bit about her life, and such was my reason for taking J. A. World home that day. Not only did it permit me a glimpse of her life, but it painted a fascinating picture of her times. The synopsis of each novel left just enough untold to persuade me to read it for myself. Of course on my next visit to the library, I pulled her novels off the shelf and read them too!

This is a really great book. I'm a fan of Jane Austen and have read all her novels but there were many things in them that I didn't understand because I didn't know the culture, customs and history of that time. Just one small example--Mr. Darcy hands his letter to Elizabeth Bennett instead of mailing it. Apparently unmarried men and women did not correspond with each other unless they were relatives or engaged to be married. Another example--balls and dances were a primary way for unmarried people to meet and socialize and one of the few ways they could talk alone to each other (while on the dance floor). So the balls/dances in Jane Austen's books are much more significant than I realized.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Jane Austen's novels better.

If you want to know more about Jane Austen or what life was like for her then this is the book. It has an easy to read and understand format. I personally like how each topic is covered in two pages. This book is a must for all you Jane Austen fans. Maggie Lane refers to each of the Austen novels so it helps if you have read them. The book would still be enjoyable even if you haven't read all the novels. The illustrations, photos, and paintings give the book a very polished look. This is a book that I would buy again because I have enjoyed reading it again and again.

Visually pleasing and well-formatted, "Jane Austen's World" by Maggie Lane is a pleasure to peruse through or sit down to read. Although lacking the depth I had hoped for, Lane presents a sampler of each aspect of Georgian/Regency life and a brief synopsis of the Austen family and Jane's life. Complete with many screenshots from Austen film adaptations, "Jane Austen's World" is a illustrated guide to life in this period. This book also includes insider tid-bits on Jane Austen novels, as well as write ups on each book. This book contains a guide to film adaptations made as recently as 1997 and is very up-to-date in its information. Buy this book for a visually pleasing overview of the period and this author--- do not expect a depthy study of either.

"Jane Austen's world" is an excellent book for any Jane Austen fan--whether you're just starting to learn about Austen or you're already a seasoned fan. While giving some good biographical information on Austen, it more importantly familiarizes the reader on English society at the time that Jane Austen lived.We learn to understand how the novel was a recent literary form at this time, and this adds appreciation to the genius of Austen's works. "Jane Austen's World" is an excellent guide to recent Austen film adaptations. I particularly appreciated the sections on the English government and monarchy of the time. This is a wonderful beginning biography of Austen as it is very approchable and easy to read. The format of the entire book is interesting and inviting.

This books is so informative! Easy to read, lots of information about the Georgian and Regency Eras, very informative. It goes into depth about Jane Austen's time and her life. It talks about everything from the Army, to everyday life, to the madness of King George, fashion, etc.. So much info! If you're into history or Jane Austen, you'll like this book.

This books is so informative! Easy to read, lots of information about the Georgian and Regency Eras, very informative. It goes into depth about Jane Austen's time and her life. It talks about everything from the Army, to everyday life, to the madness of King George, fashion, etc.. So much info! If you're into history or Jane Austen, you'll like this book.

These days many books come along that discuss specific influences on Jane's writing such as poets, other authors, politics and social customs. This book allows a return to the overview of her story. The hard cover book is 8 x 11 in. which makes it easy to be a coffee table presentation or to read in a comfortable upright chair or even in bed (Yes, I do it!) Six well written chapters choronical her life, who she was, what it was like to live in Regency England, the society and spirit of her times, what her country was like, and her influence through the ages especially via her six novels and in the recent movies and television productions. For the old timers who have followed Jane Austen for some time or for the new comers wanting to know more, this is the book for you.