Category: Book Reviews

In Her Own Hand: Volume the First, Volume the Second, and Volume the Third, by Jane Austen, introduction by Kathryn Sutherland – A Review

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: The first time I read a collection of Jane Austen’s juvenilia, I remember relishing the sheer fun and silliness of the stories and plays. It was a slender paperback that included transcriptions of selected works from the original notebooks written from 1787 to 1793. These handwritten notebooks had circulated... Continue Reading →

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The Secret of Pembrooke Park, by Julie Klassen – A Review

From the desk of Katie Patchell: A manor filled with secrets, frozen in time. Rumors of hidden treasure. Whispers of murder. Stubbornly silent local residents. One newly arrived and extremely curious heroine, a young woman who will stop at nothing to discover the secrets of Pembrooke Park. Whether or not the heroine prevails can be... Continue Reading →

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Persuasion, Captain Wentworth, and Cracklin’ Cornbread by Mary Jane Hathaway – A Review

From the desk of Kimberly Denny-Ryder: Mary Jane Hathaway’s Jane Austen Takes the South series has a new addition. Persuasion, Captain Wentworth, and Cracklin’ Cornbread was just released last month and follows Pride, Prejudice and Cheese Grits, and Emma, Mr. Knightley and Chili-Slaw Dogs. Readers should not worry if they haven’t read the other two... Continue Reading →

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At Home with Jane Austen, by Kim Wilson – A Review

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: I have been a Kim Wilson fan since reading her books In the Garden with Jane Austen and Tea with Jane Austen. Her latest work At Home with Jane Austen, a luscious coffee table book, promises a virtual tour of the places Austen called home. Some of these homes... Continue Reading →

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A Visitor’s Guide to Jane Austen’s England, by Sue Wilkes – A Review

From the desk of Katie Patchell:  How prevalent was the smuggling trade in England during the Regency? When exactly was the Season? What did men and women spend their day doing in the country and in Town? How did one go about posting a letter? Were spectacles a fashion statement or something to hide? What... Continue Reading →

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Lizzy and Jane: A Novel, by Katherine Reay – A Review

From the desk of Kimberly Denny-Ryder: Anyone with siblings can tell you how tumultuous a relationship you can have with them. There are times where you love them to death for being a shoulder to cry on or a voice of reason. Then there are the times where they think they know everything and refuse... Continue Reading →

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Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 12), by Stephanie Barron – A Review

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron 2014

From the desk of Jenny Haggerty: The holidays make me nostalgic for past times I’ve never actually experienced, so I leapt at the chance to spend the Yuletide season with Jane Austen. Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas is the twelfth installment in a series that features one of my favorite novelists as an... Continue Reading →

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The Jane Austen Rules: A Classic Guide to Modern Love, by Sinead Murphy – A Review

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: When author Sinead Murphy chose to title her guide to modern dating The Jane Austen Rules it was guaranteed to generate a certain amount of controversy. In the mid-1990s, a dating guide titled The Rules became famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) for imparting to women... Continue Reading →

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First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen, by Charlie Lovett – A Review

From the desk of Ruth Anderson: Jane Austen’s unparalleled wit, biting social commentary, and sharply-drawn characters have transformed works that were once private scribblings, shared only with family, to classics beloved the world over. For the spinster daughter of a clergyman, Jane Austen’s work has proven to have a remarkable staying power, the unforgettable characters... Continue Reading →

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Prelude for a Lord: A Novel, by Camille Elliot – A Review

From the desk of Katie Patchell: In the Regency era, the only acceptable musical instruments a woman was allowed to play were the harp and piano, and if she played any other, particularly a violin, she would be looked down upon in society and considered unfeminine. But in Camille Elliot’s recent debut novel, Prelude for... Continue Reading →

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Jane Austen: In Her Own Words & The Words of Those Who Knew Her, by Helen Amy – A Review

From the desk of Tracy Hickman: We are spoiled for choice when it comes to biographies of Jane Austen these days, but that was not always the case. As Helen Amy notes, it was not until fifty years after Austen’s death that a growing number of readers wanted to know more about her life. At... Continue Reading →

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Sense & Sensibility: Little Miss Austen (BabyLit), by Jennifer Adams – A Review

Board books are a brilliant concept. A child’s first book sized for their little hands printed on cardboard pages that are practically un-rippable, and, it doubles as a teething ring for toddlers. Add to that a Jane Austen theme and you are on your way to creating the next literati in the world. In 2011,... Continue Reading →

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