The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things

(Paperback)

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Who was the real Jane Austen A retiring spinster content with quiet village life Or a strong-minded woman who knew the turbulent world around her and who took the bold decision to remain unmarried and fashion herself as a professional writer
In this paperback of the landmark biography, bestselling biographer Paula Byrne uses objects that conjure up a key moment in Austens life and work a silhouette, a vellum notebook, a topaz cross, a writing box, a royalty cheque, a bathing machine, and many more to unlock the biography of this most beloved author. The woman who emerges is far tougher, more socially and politically aware, and altogether more modern than the conventional picture of dear aunt Jane allows. Byrnes lively book explores the many forces that shaped Austens life, her long struggle to become a published author, and brings Miss Austen dazzlingly into the twenty-first century.

Reviews

The perfect companion to the novels Tremendous Joanna Trollope, Sunday Telegraph

Brilliantly illuminating Its great merit is [that] by focusing on one thread or another of Austen's experience, Byrne allow us to grasp the richness of Austen's inner life Guardian

A neat approach to biography, allowing Byrne to burrow deep beneath the surface of Austens existence. The result is a delightful and engrossing portrait Sunday Times

Byrne's essays add up to a fine appraisal of the novelist's environment, truly Austenish in the way they burrow into a sequestered and often secretive private world Observer

A perceptive and energetic guide to Austen and her surroundings Byrnes critical study consists of a series of beautifully written, interrelated essays [her] style gives fresh charms to her subject matter. The Real Jane Austen is bold, fast-moving and accessible Daily Telegraph

Engaging, compelling, a delightful and engrossing book. Of course we all know that the "real" Jane Austen will forever be a mystery, but most 21st century Janeites will adore this one. Byrne's passion is nothing if not persuasive Sunday Times

What is fresh in Byrne's biographical approach is her use of a succession of contemporary objects that Austen owned, or that might be seen in intimate connection with her interests this adds an attractive immediacy to a well-known story Byrne's affectionate study paints a pleasingly lively picture of Austen's life Independent

Brilliantly illuminating riveting. By focusing, chapter by chapter, on one thread or another of Austen's experience, Byrne allows us to grasp the richness of her inner life Simon Callow, Guardian

The portrait of Austen that emerges is sparklingly multi-faceted, catching the light in intriguing ways her Jane is far less likely to go for a quiet walk in the garden than she is to be whisked into town in search of a velvet cushion, a necklace or a smart new dress Irish Mail on Sunday

Author Bio

Paula Byrne was born in Birkenhead and has a PhD from the University of Liverpool, where she is a Research Fellow in English Literature. Her first book, Jane Austen and the Theatre, was shortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize. Her second book, Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson , the tale of the scandalous star of the 18th-century stage, literature and high-society, was a Richard and Judy bookclub pick. Her most recent book is Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead. The story of Evelyn Waugh's friendship with the extraordinary aristocratic family who inspired Brideshead Revisited, it was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. A regular contributor to the 'Times Literary Supplement', she lives in Warwickshire with her two young children and her husband, the critic and biographer Jonathan Bate.