Review: _The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things._

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Nowadays, whenever I find a new title either about Jane Austen, or her novels, I tend to pounce. It took me years to finally start appreciating Miss Austen's works, but when I did, I fell head over heels in love with her work. With The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things, author Paula Byrne gives the reader a new experience. I was pleasantly surprised and more than a little impressed by this exploration of not just Jane Austen, but also her family, and most importantly, what and where influenced her work. There's quite a bit of scholarship in this book, and it shows. Taking a variety of objects and places, Byrne tracks Jane Austen's life, and looks at her relationships. Born the younger daughter of a minister living in genteel poverty, Jane came from an educated class, and took full advantage of her father's library, and started writing early, showing a precocious talent for wit and sly humour. With a crowd of brothers, she was also a tomboy. Closest of all was her older sister Cassandra, with whom Jane would spend her life with. Many of the objects are simple, but the stories behind them are fascinating, and at times, very touching. There is a triple-volume of Fanny Burney's Camilla, which Miss Austen had subscribed to; a card of lace used to illustrate the town of Bath, and the real reason why kleptomania has been attached to her; her writing desk, now in the British Library; the notebooks that Jane Austen had as a child; a portrait of miniature, and so on. Each object has a story, and the truth behind the objects dispell many of the rumours and myths that have arisen about Jane Austen and her family. I came away from this one with a deeper understanding of Jane Austen and her novels, and there were quite a few aha moments where I could see where many of her ideas for the characters and her novels were drawn from. Her letters were also used to illustrate her story, and again, we get the treat of her wit and the occansional dose of sarcasm along with tender feelings as well. Each chapter is opened with an drawing of the object -- these were rather simplistic and crude, but two inserts of colour photographs show each object, which really does help. There are extensive notes and a bibliography as well as an index. I happily recommend this one for anyone who is curious about Jane Austen, or in the Regency period of English history. There really isn't any flaws in this one, and it has renewed my interest in her novels, and her life. Five stars overall and happily recommended. The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things Paula Byrne 2013; HarperCollins Publishers ISBN 978-0-06-199909-3