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A review by vswoodward
A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz
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.