Helpful Score: 1
I picked up this book at my library one after noon and by early the next morning I was done! There were a few breaks in there for eating, and sleeping, but otherwise, the book was practically glued to my hands (:
Catherine Reef takes the few letters that remain written by Jane Austen. Her family, for unknown reasons, burned some 400 of her letters-- though my guess is they knew people like us would want to read them later and they were a little too personal.
However, from what they left we learn that Jane, for all her beautiful writing, was just another romantic young woman. She perhaps would have been married a couple times, but everytime something prevented her, leaving her unmarried until her untimely death.
Until I read this book, I did not know how many of Jane's characters were named after her very large family. Even villians bore the name of relatives.
Jane had chosen to keep her name unknown, and did not tell anyone of her writing except closest friends and family. However, one of her proud brothers could not refrain from boasting whenever he heard one of her novels mentioned at a party-- "that was my sister, she wrote that!"
One note of warning... for those who have not read or watched Jane Austen's novels (how ever unlikely that is)... keep in mind that Catherine Reef gives a brief discription of all Austen's books, therefore, giving away the endings.
Catherine Reef takes the few letters that remain written by Jane Austen. Her family, for unknown reasons, burned some 400 of her letters-- though my guess is they knew people like us would want to read them later and they were a little too personal.
However, from what they left we learn that Jane, for all her beautiful writing, was just another romantic young woman. She perhaps would have been married a couple times, but everytime something prevented her, leaving her unmarried until her untimely death.
Until I read this book, I did not know how many of Jane's characters were named after her very large family. Even villians bore the name of relatives.
Jane had chosen to keep her name unknown, and did not tell anyone of her writing except closest friends and family. However, one of her proud brothers could not refrain from boasting whenever he heard one of her novels mentioned at a party-- "that was my sister, she wrote that!"
One note of warning... for those who have not read or watched Jane Austen's novels (how ever unlikely that is)... keep in mind that Catherine Reef gives a brief discription of all Austen's books, therefore, giving away the endings.
