Scan barcode
caitgatsby's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Liked his analysis of the novels; found it super weird that he refused to use Darcy’s name??
mcreed06's review against another edition
5.0
This Golden One-Way ticket to an elite Austenite Society was found at a garage sale of all places! The book cover caught one’s eye, and it was essentially the discovery of treasure.
William Deresiewicz opens my eyes to what is so special about Jane Austen, and I'm now in awe. Jane Austen was very unusual in that she had a front row seat to high society, and rather than let it faze her, she used that position to make observations so astute that they border on genius. Jane Austen was not well traveled but she was one of the worldliest people who ever lived.
Having read this book, I can discuss Jane Austen with the best of them, however no Austenite would accept me into their exclusive membership because Pride and Prejudice is the only Austen I have read.
Sense and Sensibility might be my next Jane Austen. However, that will be awhile as I have a stack of other books to read! Such is the life of a reader!
Another note: The last page of A Jane Austen Education is the best last page I have ever read!
William Deresiewicz opens my eyes to what is so special about Jane Austen, and I'm now in awe. Jane Austen was very unusual in that she had a front row seat to high society, and rather than let it faze her, she used that position to make observations so astute that they border on genius. Jane Austen was not well traveled but she was one of the worldliest people who ever lived.
Having read this book, I can discuss Jane Austen with the best of them, however no Austenite would accept me into their exclusive membership because Pride and Prejudice is the only Austen I have read.
Sense and Sensibility might be my next Jane Austen. However, that will be awhile as I have a stack of other books to read! Such is the life of a reader!
Another note: The last page of A Jane Austen Education is the best last page I have ever read!
misssusan's review against another edition
3.0
the funny thing about jane austen is i have had excellent times reading about other people analyzing her books or reading novels inspired by her work but i have yet to finish anything by her beyond northanger abbey
this kind of makes me want to try though! i love book memoirs a lot and this one is quite good, it's a blend of light literary analysis (deresiewicz likes boiling down austen's books to morals he applies to his own life) and memoir, as he thinks through what austen's taught him about life, love, and friendship. books, man, they can really do a number on you
3 stars
this kind of makes me want to try though! i love book memoirs a lot and this one is quite good, it's a blend of light literary analysis (deresiewicz likes boiling down austen's books to morals he applies to his own life) and memoir, as he thinks through what austen's taught him about life, love, and friendship. books, man, they can really do a number on you
3 stars
kelliepalmer's review against another edition
2.0
Took me a while to finish this thing. I will say 2.5. I loved the parts of the book where he analyzes Austen's books and her life. He interprets Austen's feelings and thoughts from her books and letters. Those parts were great. I did not like the part about his life and trying to connect it to Austen's writing.
morepagesplease's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. It was a quick little read, and I enjoyed his insights on some of my favorite books.
yushuan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
vswoodward's review against another edition
5.0
I was so surprised at how much I liked this memoir. I mean, I'm really pretty over all of the sappy Jane Austen adaptations, but this memoir was a cogent and insightful analysis of the novels, plus a wonderful reminder of why reading novels matter.
There were some points where the author is a little over the top with how amazing Jane Austen is, but he does convincingly support his position with excellent readings of the various novels (P&P, S&S, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma)which he interweaves with his own revelations about his personal life and how Austen taught him how to deal with his family, his love life (and lack thereof), friends, graduate school, and finally himself.
There were some points where the author is a little over the top with how amazing Jane Austen is, but he does convincingly support his position with excellent readings of the various novels (P&P, S&S, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma)which he interweaves with his own revelations about his personal life and how Austen taught him how to deal with his family, his love life (and lack thereof), friends, graduate school, and finally himself.
ikuo1000's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this book 3 1/2 stars if 1/2-stars were allowed.
When Ken first mentioned this book to me, I admit I was a bit indignant. Being just in the middle of reading all six of Jane Austen's novels, and thoroughly enjoying the experience, I thought, "I am getting so much out of these books, do I really need to read what some other random person got out of them?"
To my surprise, my cousin Shan mailed me this book a couple days after I finished Northanger Abbey, the last of her novels that I read. I was just starting to feel a bit of Jane Austen withdrawal, and now having the book in hand, I jumped at the chance to read it. (Thank you, Shan!)
I was immediately impressed upon realizing that the author is a man! Throughout all my readings, I totally pigeon-holed Jane Austen as the chick lit of the classics, what with her topics of love and friendship and relationships in general, her study of human nature, personal growth, and character. Approaching the book from a man's point of view would certainly give me a fresh perspective on the novels.
Secondly, the author turned out to be not a completely random person, but a former professor of English with a PhD in literature. So, he could offer legitimate literary analyses of the books, which I had not attempted myself.
Overall, this book is a quick and pleasant read. It is an excellent companion to the novels. I would suggest, however, that you should first read all six novels yourself before reading this book. Even though the author tries not to give away the endings, he does reveal quite a bit about characters and plot development. Also, because he frequently makes passing mention of characters from all the books no matter what book he is focused on at the time, I think readers would be better able to appreciate the author's discussion if they, too, were familiar with all the characters.
I especially liked that the author provided bits and pieces about Jane Austen herself. He even included several excerpts from her letters, and filled in the major details of her life. In fact, before reading this book, I was thinking of reading a Jane Austen biography, but now I think my curiosity on that front might already be satisfied!
He even made a small mention of some of the screen adaptations, which I also particularly liked because seeing all of them (and I mean all of them!) is also part of my own personal Jane Austen Project.
The only drawback, I think, is that the author seems to stretch a bit when he tried to relate the lessons of Jane Austen to his own life. The memoir portions are kind of quaint, and I can't fault him for trying, since his learning applicable life lessons from Jane Austen was basically the whole premise of the book. Also, since he focuses on the lessons he learned, I feel like he left out quite a bit about lessons that other people might be able to learn from Jane Austen.
All said, I think any Jane Austen fan would find this book enjoyable. If nothing else, it serves to praise Jane Austen and her works.
When Ken first mentioned this book to me, I admit I was a bit indignant. Being just in the middle of reading all six of Jane Austen's novels, and thoroughly enjoying the experience, I thought, "I am getting so much out of these books, do I really need to read what some other random person got out of them?"
To my surprise, my cousin Shan mailed me this book a couple days after I finished Northanger Abbey, the last of her novels that I read. I was just starting to feel a bit of Jane Austen withdrawal, and now having the book in hand, I jumped at the chance to read it. (Thank you, Shan!)
I was immediately impressed upon realizing that the author is a man! Throughout all my readings, I totally pigeon-holed Jane Austen as the chick lit of the classics, what with her topics of love and friendship and relationships in general, her study of human nature, personal growth, and character. Approaching the book from a man's point of view would certainly give me a fresh perspective on the novels.
Secondly, the author turned out to be not a completely random person, but a former professor of English with a PhD in literature. So, he could offer legitimate literary analyses of the books, which I had not attempted myself.
Overall, this book is a quick and pleasant read. It is an excellent companion to the novels. I would suggest, however, that you should first read all six novels yourself before reading this book. Even though the author tries not to give away the endings, he does reveal quite a bit about characters and plot development. Also, because he frequently makes passing mention of characters from all the books no matter what book he is focused on at the time, I think readers would be better able to appreciate the author's discussion if they, too, were familiar with all the characters.
I especially liked that the author provided bits and pieces about Jane Austen herself. He even included several excerpts from her letters, and filled in the major details of her life. In fact, before reading this book, I was thinking of reading a Jane Austen biography, but now I think my curiosity on that front might already be satisfied!
He even made a small mention of some of the screen adaptations, which I also particularly liked because seeing all of them (and I mean all of them!) is also part of my own personal Jane Austen Project.
The only drawback, I think, is that the author seems to stretch a bit when he tried to relate the lessons of Jane Austen to his own life. The memoir portions are kind of quaint, and I can't fault him for trying, since his learning applicable life lessons from Jane Austen was basically the whole premise of the book. Also, since he focuses on the lessons he learned, I feel like he left out quite a bit about lessons that other people might be able to learn from Jane Austen.
All said, I think any Jane Austen fan would find this book enjoyable. If nothing else, it serves to praise Jane Austen and her works.