Born on the day in 1773, Cassandra Austen was the most beloved elder sister of Jane Austen.The affection between the two sisters, according to their relation Anne Lefroy, "passed the common love of sisters; and it had been so from childhood". They went to school together, were immersed in a clever and artistic family, and…
On this day in 1815, the Prince Regent, the future George IV, received a specially bound copy of Jane Austen’s novel “Emma”, which had been dedicated to him. The Prince Regent was definitely not a favourite of Austen’s – she once wrote that she supported his estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, against him – which…
Continue reading ➞ Mini-Post | Austen, “Emma” and the Prince Regent
On this day in 1817, Jane Austen’s final two novels, “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion”, were first advertised for publication posthumously. They were published together, along with a Biographical Notice of the Author, written by Austen’s brother, Henry Austen. Throughout her writing career, Austen had published anonymously, so this was the first time her identity had…
Continue reading ➞ Mini-Post | “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion”
Happy 245th birthday to my favourite author of all time, Jane Austen. Born in Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16th 1775, the seventh child (and second daughter) of George and Cassandra Austen, she went on to write six full novels, two incomplete novels, a short epistolary novel and several notebooks full of juvenilia, not to mention…
Continue reading ➞ My 10 favourite Jane Austen quotes and why
On Wednesday (16th December), it’s Jane Austen's 245th birthday. To commemorate, I’ve been exploring portraits of Austen at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and I have three to share! (This originally appeared on my Instagram in July, but I'm excited to share these beautiful portraits here too!) Jane Austen, by Cassandra Austen, c.1810, NPG…
I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing my review of a brilliant book that has just been published (three days ago!) as part of a blog book tour – Natalie Jenner’s debut novel, The Jane Austen Society. I’d like to thank St Martin’s Press for gifting me an advance readers’ edition to be able to have…
Continue reading ➞ Review & Blog Tour: “The Jane Austen Society”, by Natalie Jenner
Autumn de Wilde's adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma is a feast for the senses - here is my Emma. movie review.
This is such a treat of a review for me today – I’m so grateful to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy of Sanditon to read and review to coincide with its release in the US on PBS. Did you catch the first episode on Sunday? I have a confession to make: although…
Continue reading ➞ Review: “Sanditon” by Jane Austen & Kate Riordan
I've been invited to do something a bit different today, which is incredibly exciting: I'm hosting Dr Gabrielle Malcolm's new book, There's Something About Darcy, on my blog for the day as part of her blog book tour! As soon as I heard about Malcolm's book, I knew it was for me - as someone who…
Continue reading ➞ Review & Book Tour: “There’s Something About Darcy”, by Gabrielle Malcolm
I’ve been lucky enough to start working with the lovely people at Pen and Sword books in reviewing history books – and could my first choice be anything but Jane Austen themed? Judith Stove’s “Jane Austen’s Inspiration: Beloved Friend Anne Lefroy” looks to Jane’s close friend (and aunt to the famous love interest of Jane’s,…
Continue reading ➞ Review: “Jane Austen’s Inspiration: Beloved Friend Anne Lefroy”, by Judith Stove
