It is the fall of 1808 and Jane Austen and her family are in mourning after the sudden death of Elizabeth “Lizzy” Austen, the elegant and enchanting thirty-five-year-old wife of Jane’s elder brother Edward and mother of eleven children. To entertain the two eldest boys while they stay with her in Southampton, Jane takes them… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Prisoner of the Wool House: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 6), by Stephanie Barron – A Review
In the winter of 1807, we find Jane Austen in the seaport of Southampton living in hired lodgings while her brother Francis Austen’s new residence is made ready for them at Castle Square. The Austen women (Jane, sister Cassandra, their widowed mother, and a dear family friend Martha Lloyd), will all be residing together under… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Stillroom Maid: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 5), by Stephanie Barron – A Review
Touring the Derbyshire countryside in the summer of 1806, Jane Austen, her mother, sister Cassandra, and cousin Rev. Edward Cooper are staying at the Rutland Arms in Bakewell, in the Peak District. While on a day excursion out into the country with Mr. Cooper and his friend Mr. Hemming, the gentleman enjoy angling along the… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Genius of the Place: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 4), by Stephanie Barron – A Review
In the summer of 1805, we find Jane Austen visiting her wealthy brother Edward and his large family at their palatial country estate Godmersham Park in Kent, enjoying the comforts of living above “vulgar economy,” and the privileges of ease and splendor. Her father Rev. Austen had passed away the following January, displacing herself, her… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Wandering Eye: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 3), by Stephanie Barron – A Review
I confess to being a silly, shallow creature when it comes to my partiality to fine art and the stage. Show me a beautiful Regency-era portrait by Thomas Lawrence or Richard Cosway, mention famous Drury Lane actors Sarah Siddons and her brothers Charles and John Kemble, and my sensibilities rival Marianne Dashwood’s fondness for dead… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Man of the Cloth: Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 2), by Stephanie Barron – A Review
Manners meet mayhem again in the second Being a Jane Austen Mystery, Jane and the Man of the Cloth. It is 1804 and Jane and her family are traveling by post chaise to Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast to escape the oppressive summer heat in Bath when their carriage is overturned and Jane’s sister… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, Being a Jane Austen Mystery (Book 1), by Stephanie Barron – A Review
Imagine being present when Jane Austen’s unknown personal journals are discovered in an outbuilding on an ancient Maryland estate, Dunready Manor. Your friends the Westmoreland’s are distantly related to the authoress, and after restoration, they place the manuscripts in your care before they are donated to a major library. They recount years of Jane Austen’s… Continue Reading →
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron: Being a Jane Austen Mystery, by Stephanie Barron – A Review
One thinks of Jane Austen as a retiring spinster who writes secretly, prefers her privacy and enjoys quiet walks in the Hampshire countryside. Instead, she has applied her intuitive skills of astute observation and deductive reasoning to solve crime in Stephanie Barron’s Austen inspired mystery series. It is an ingenious paradox that would make even… Continue Reading →
Preview: Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron, by Stephanie Barron
Good news Janeites! The four year wait for the next novel in the Jane Austen Mysteries series by Stephanie Barron is almost over. On September 28th, 2010, Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron will be available to quell that consuming need to feed your murder and mayhem meets Austen passion. Marking the tenth book… Continue Reading →
Austenprose’s Best Austenesque and Historical Novels of 2022
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Happy New Year Dear Readers! 2022 proved to be a fabulous year in the historical book arena. Of the 51 books that were reviewed here last year by our dedicated staff, several were outstanding and will remain favorites. Here is a list of our highest-rated and most cherished… Continue Reading →
10 Facts You May Not Know About Jane Austen and Her Novels
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: English novelist Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, the seventh of eight children of Rev. George Austen and his wife Cassandra Austen, nee Leigh. Her six major novels concern the pursuit of security, and love, for women dependent upon marriage among the landed… Continue Reading →
The True Confessions of a London Spy: The Secret Life of Mary Bennet (Book 2), by Katherine Cowley — A Review
From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress: Few who have read Pride and Prejudice can forget Mary Bennet. The middle sister among five daughters, she is a minor character in Jane Austen’s classic with only a few scenes, and fewer lines of dialogue. Her unaccomplished pianoforte playing and singing at the Netherfield ball were an… Continue Reading →
Austenprose 