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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Is it a memoir about a rare bookseller? Is it a collection of mini biographies into 18th century women writers? Is it a literary critique? Is it a how to in rare book collecting? Rebecca Romney, rare book dealer, collector and Pawn Stars TV show regular does all the above with Jane Austen’s Bookshelf.
The book opens with what set Ms. Romney on her journey to explore the authors and books Jane Austen enjoyed and ponder just why Jane Austen became a literary superstar and these other prominent women writers of their day are obscure reading in our time. Like many other Jane Austen fans, the author thirsted for more of the same after devouring Austen’s six novels, works, letters, and biographies. She noted Austen wasn’t shy about mentioning her own book favorites in letters and her own novels and this gave Ms. Romney the place to start.
While this was a book in which I appreciated all the subjects the author explored as mentioned in my above opening series of questions, it was also a book that came with busy internal distractions because the book was doing a lot all at once. I did better when I took the book in small size bites and absorbed it slowly. The author’s writing was very approachable, revealing as much about herself as she does these other gals, and written from armchair lay reader to serious scholar to appreciate what she says. I enjoy her analysis the books she read, paging through the Bibliography and Notes as well as exploring the rare book world and learning about some literary talents maybe heretofore unknown.
Did Jane Austen’s Bookshelf ultimately answer the author’s original question and show the author finishing her quest to discover these Austen contemporary authors and why they were all but forgotten? Yes, it did. Rebecca Romney also left me with a strong desire to make a similar journey, trying out writings from these talented women authors and added to that, a delight in collecting books that take my fancy- rare or not.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
If you are a combination of history nerd, bookaphile, women’s literary history lover AND a Jane Austin fan, this is the book for you!
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
A reflective book that felt like a conversation with a friend. The insights the author gave will contiune to shape the way I not only read and consider the history and context of the text, but the history you can find with the physical book itself. This book has been a gateway for me to learning about the larger impact that generations of women have had on scholarship and storytelling- as well as added more welcomed books to my to read list.
Fascinating. Will be of real interest to Austenites and also those interested in the history of women's writing.
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
As a Jane Austen fan aka a Janeite which I learned this terminology in this book, it got me thinking. Jane Austen like all of us had authors she admired and whom inspired her in some of her writing. In school you don’t learn of these authors particularly the women who came before Jane Austen. I was dumbfounded to learn about not only the works of these literary giants but how their lives impacted them. If you’re a huge Janeite and want to learn more of what Jane Austen read then this is the book for you.
I want to thank NetGalley @marysueruccibooks and @_simonelement! for this wonderful and insightful ARC
I want to thank NetGalley @marysueruccibooks and @_simonelement! for this wonderful and insightful ARC
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Everyone knows Jane Austen, but hardly anyone remembers her female contemporaries Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, or Charlotte Smith (to name a few.) So a rare book dealer sets out to discover why these women that Austen loved have been removed from the canon and discovers new favorites along the way. Part memoir, part literary review, part history, Jane Austen's Bookshelf is one of my favorite reads of the year. Fair warning though, this book WILL make you want to expand your book collection exponentially.
informative
medium-paced