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A review by pixiebix
Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly
3.5
This was really fantastic, and did what it promised: to force the reader to view Austen's work in less of a rose-tinted light, and to expose the political underbelly and veiled messages therein.
Personally, I'm a visual learner, so I don't absorb vast quantities of information, nor remain engaged by that information, through reading (I learn much more through video format, or from a teacher), hence why I a) don't read non-fiction often and b) really need to learn my own lesson and start reading such works in bursts, not cover to cover all in the same period. Hence, I can't say I stayed engaged or interested the entire time, or that Kelly's (mindblowing and extremely perceptive) observations made as big as an impact as they probably should have 100% of the time. Then again, there is already so much I have taken away from it (which is a tribute to Kelly's writing and analysis style), and I now view Austen's skill and work in an even more elevated light than before. Some of Kelly's points did feel a bit far fetched, but the vast majority were extremely convincing, her logic and evidence rigorous and comprehensive.
A very solid book I'm very glad to have read; I just wish I'd read it in a way where I would've allowed myself to maximise on as much as its gold as possible.
Personally, I'm a visual learner, so I don't absorb vast quantities of information, nor remain engaged by that information, through reading (I learn much more through video format, or from a teacher), hence why I a) don't read non-fiction often and b) really need to learn my own lesson and start reading such works in bursts, not cover to cover all in the same period. Hence, I can't say I stayed engaged or interested the entire time, or that Kelly's (mindblowing and extremely perceptive) observations made as big as an impact as they probably should have 100% of the time. Then again, there is already so much I have taken away from it (which is a tribute to Kelly's writing and analysis style), and I now view Austen's skill and work in an even more elevated light than before. Some of Kelly's points did feel a bit far fetched, but the vast majority were extremely convincing, her logic and evidence rigorous and comprehensive.
A very solid book I'm very glad to have read; I just wish I'd read it in a way where I would've allowed myself to maximise on as much as its gold as possible.