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A review by sarahrosebooks
The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World by Margaret C. Sullivan
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.