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with_drea's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Great, simple overview of life in Regency England with a Jane Austen-affiliated twist! Loved the brief Jane Austen biography at the end and the excellent bibliography that allows for a further deep dive.
maryloulynninmi's review
5.0
Great fun
This book tells you all the ins and outs of living in Regency England, from what the clothes were like to how to refuse an offer of marriage.
This book tells you all the ins and outs of living in Regency England, from what the clothes were like to how to refuse an offer of marriage.
sanjastajdohar's review against another edition
5.0
A great and short read to learn some context and customs to better understand the events in Austen's novels. An Austenite must-read.
yungokssss's review against another edition
4.0
Aww what a cute book! <3
I thought it was awesome how Sullivan gave a little sarcastic twist on things sometimes. For example: In Sense and Sensibility, (whoever is familiar with it), Lucy Steele was secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars. In a chapter in her book titled "How to Carry On a Secret Engagement", the author writes from Lucy's point of view on how to do things. So, it was very amusing when "Lucy" was narrating about how to chase off "poachers" or "fix his little red wagon" because we knew it was silly what she was doing, but Sullivan wrote in a light that sorta made fun of the characters.
Also, I really enjoyed the "special features". At the end of the book, there was a listing of all of Jane Austen's movies, and I loooooved wasting my time watching all those romantics. :3
I thought it was awesome how Sullivan gave a little sarcastic twist on things sometimes. For example: In Sense and Sensibility, (whoever is familiar with it), Lucy Steele was secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars. In a chapter in her book titled "How to Carry On a Secret Engagement", the author writes from Lucy's point of view on how to do things. So, it was very amusing when "Lucy" was narrating about how to chase off "poachers" or "fix his little red wagon" because we knew it was silly what she was doing, but Sullivan wrote in a light that sorta made fun of the characters.
Also, I really enjoyed the "special features". At the end of the book, there was a listing of all of Jane Austen's movies, and I loooooved wasting my time watching all those romantics. :3
laurii's review
3.0
Does what it says on the tin, but I was really looking for something more in depth.
sarahrosebooks's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up years ago, after reading one of the author's fanfiction pieces - the one set towards the end of Northanger Abbey where Catherine and Henry correspond via letters while waiting for his father to give his blessing. I wanted to know more about the time during which Austen's novels were set, so I purchased this book.
Really, this is just drawn from the books themselves, and perhaps from Austen's letters and the biography her nephew wrote. But a lot of it I could recognise as being drawn from particular works. I don't think it was particularly groundbreaking or that it provided a very great insight into society at the time. But, it did collect a lot of information together and give context to some of the novels, so it is not entirely pointless. It's also written in a fun, enjoyable way, and I liked the author's slightly sarcastic tone.
Overall, I enjoyed this, but didn't get a great deal out of it. It did make me want to finish reading all of Jane Austen's novels, though.
Really, this is just drawn from the books themselves, and perhaps from Austen's letters and the biography her nephew wrote. But a lot of it I could recognise as being drawn from particular works. I don't think it was particularly groundbreaking or that it provided a very great insight into society at the time. But, it did collect a lot of information together and give context to some of the novels, so it is not entirely pointless. It's also written in a fun, enjoyable way, and I liked the author's slightly sarcastic tone.
Overall, I enjoyed this, but didn't get a great deal out of it. It did make me want to finish reading all of Jane Austen's novels, though.