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Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas: Answers to Your Most Burning Questions About Life, Love, Happiness (and What to Wear) from the Great Novelist Herself
Is the man I’m dating Mr. Darcy in disguise. . . or simply a jerk?
It’s been two centuries since Jane Austen penned Pride & Prejudice and her many other classic novels, yet her adroit observations on the social landscape and profound insights into human nature are as relevant now as they were in her time. If only those of us in need of some good advice today had the opportunity to sit down and tap even a few drops from Austen’s great reservoirs of wisdom. Well, now we do. . . .
In Miss Jane Austen’s Guide to Modern Life’s Dilemmas, Rebecca Smith channels her great-great-great-great-great aunt’s sense—and, of course, her sensibility—to help readers navigate their most pressing problems. Drawing on Austen’s novels, letters, and unpublished writings, Smith supplies readers with wise and wonderful counsel for living well in the 21st century. From instruction on how to gracefully “unfriend” someone on Facebook to answers for such timeless questions as “Can a man ever really change?” this book enables readers to nimbly navigate life’s most tricky terrain with the good sense, good manners, and abundant humor that are the mark of any great Austen heroine.
Sensible, savvy, and funny, Miss Jane Austen’s Guide to Modern Life’s Dilemmas cleverly answers every Austen fan’s most earnest question: What would Jane do? Replete with lovely Austen-inspired color illustrations, as well as quotes from Austen’s various novels to support the advice given, this book is the ideal gift for the Jane Austen fanatic in your life.
It’s been two centuries since Jane Austen penned Pride & Prejudice and her many other classic novels, yet her adroit observations on the social landscape and profound insights into human nature are as relevant now as they were in her time. If only those of us in need of some good advice today had the opportunity to sit down and tap even a few drops from Austen’s great reservoirs of wisdom. Well, now we do. . . .
In Miss Jane Austen’s Guide to Modern Life’s Dilemmas, Rebecca Smith channels her great-great-great-great-great aunt’s sense—and, of course, her sensibility—to help readers navigate their most pressing problems. Drawing on Austen’s novels, letters, and unpublished writings, Smith supplies readers with wise and wonderful counsel for living well in the 21st century. From instruction on how to gracefully “unfriend” someone on Facebook to answers for such timeless questions as “Can a man ever really change?” this book enables readers to nimbly navigate life’s most tricky terrain with the good sense, good manners, and abundant humor that are the mark of any great Austen heroine.
Sensible, savvy, and funny, Miss Jane Austen’s Guide to Modern Life’s Dilemmas cleverly answers every Austen fan’s most earnest question: What would Jane do? Replete with lovely Austen-inspired color illustrations, as well as quotes from Austen’s various novels to support the advice given, this book is the ideal gift for the Jane Austen fanatic in your life.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
641 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 26, 2012
There have been many Jane Austen advice books released this year and more in the queue. Regardless of past releases, or future, this clever tome deserves your attention. First off, the cover will make you smile: the vintage image of a Regency-era lady holding an iPad is very apropos and the subtitle will pique your interest: Answers to Your Most Burning Questions About Life, Love, Happiness (and what to wear) from the Great Novelist Herself. At 27 words, this book might have the longest title I have ever seen. Let’s hope that it is more succinct with the text!
Happily it is broken down into six chapters: Love & Relationships; Friends & Family; Fashion & Style; Home & Garden; and Leisure & Travel. This is a good start—and I must state right up front that the writer Rebecca Smith brings an air of authority and distinctive pedigree to the subject and that few can boast: she is the great grandniece of Jane Austen, four times removed. She was also the first official writer in residence at Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, England with previously published books: Bluebird Café, Happy Birthday and All That, and A Bit of Earth. Brava Ms. Smith!
So, enough set up, let’s get down to facts. My first impressions of Miss Jane Austen’s Guide is that it is intriguing eye candy; a thorough exploration interspersed with vintage images and text boxes of tidbits. It is set up as a Q&A: Ms. Smith presents questions of modern topics and Jane Austen answers directly from her novels and letters, or more precisely, Ms. Smith selects quotes and brief excerpts from Jane Austen’s prose and correspondence. It is quite a clever premise. Who better to answer your questions on life’s mysteries than the renown authoress whose astute skills of characterization and social machinations are unsurpassed? Here are a few examples of the questions presented: What Should I Be Looking for In a Man?, How Can I Make My Friend Stop the Baby Talk?, How do I Out a Cheating Spouse?, To Tattoo or not to Tattoo?, How Can I Delete a Contact on Facebook without Causing Offense?, What Can I Do to Control My Shopping Binges?, and, many, many more. In addition to using Jane Austen’s text in reply, Smith offers pithy supporting text in her own words illustrated with a vintage images:
What Should My Book Club Read?
Q. One thing you never seem to find the time for these days is reading. As you were a bookworm when you were younger. You have decided to start a club in order to get back to basics and take some time to improve your mind. But your group is made up of some very different people with very different tastes. So how do you choose which kind of books to read?
A. “I have received a very civil note from Mrs. Martin, requesting my name as a subscriber to her library … As an inducement to subscribe, Mrs. Martin tells me that her collection is not to consist only of novels, but of every kind of literature, &c. She might have spared this pretension to our family, who are great novel-readers and not ashamed of being so …” — Letter to Cassandra, Steventon, 18 December 1798
Smith then elaborates on Austen’s view of reading, especially the not so well-thought of fiction of her day and how it influenced Austen’s own writing, and then offers her own advice:
“Your club’s first choice is important. You could start with Northanger Abbey. It is certainly not desultory, and is a novel about novels, so should get you talking about reading and please everybody you’d like to keep as a member of your book club.” p. 213
I am always a bit leery of advice books; even though I am the first person of my acquaintance that should heed their wisdom. Like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, I find Lady Catherine’s arrogant pontificating tiresome and not always spot on. Not so here. The one thing that saved me from total ignominy in reading this book was the arrangement of Miss Jane Austen’s Guide in an encapsulated manner. One can pick it up, open it to any page, and then just read one question and answer a day—almost like a daily devotional with Austen as your adviser. Taken in smaller doses, I found it amusing and enlightening.
So, gentle readers, as I present my last book review of the year, take Miss Jane Austen’s advice from this clever book and look life in the face and laugh …
"I am glad you are so well yourself, and wish everybody else were equally so. I will not say that your mulberry-trees are dead, but I am afraid they are not alive.”—Letter to Cassandra, Chawton, 31 May 1811
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Happily it is broken down into six chapters: Love & Relationships; Friends & Family; Fashion & Style; Home & Garden; and Leisure & Travel. This is a good start—and I must state right up front that the writer Rebecca Smith brings an air of authority and distinctive pedigree to the subject and that few can boast: she is the great grandniece of Jane Austen, four times removed. She was also the first official writer in residence at Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton, England with previously published books: Bluebird Café, Happy Birthday and All That, and A Bit of Earth. Brava Ms. Smith!
So, enough set up, let’s get down to facts. My first impressions of Miss Jane Austen’s Guide is that it is intriguing eye candy; a thorough exploration interspersed with vintage images and text boxes of tidbits. It is set up as a Q&A: Ms. Smith presents questions of modern topics and Jane Austen answers directly from her novels and letters, or more precisely, Ms. Smith selects quotes and brief excerpts from Jane Austen’s prose and correspondence. It is quite a clever premise. Who better to answer your questions on life’s mysteries than the renown authoress whose astute skills of characterization and social machinations are unsurpassed? Here are a few examples of the questions presented: What Should I Be Looking for In a Man?, How Can I Make My Friend Stop the Baby Talk?, How do I Out a Cheating Spouse?, To Tattoo or not to Tattoo?, How Can I Delete a Contact on Facebook without Causing Offense?, What Can I Do to Control My Shopping Binges?, and, many, many more. In addition to using Jane Austen’s text in reply, Smith offers pithy supporting text in her own words illustrated with a vintage images:
What Should My Book Club Read?
Q. One thing you never seem to find the time for these days is reading. As you were a bookworm when you were younger. You have decided to start a club in order to get back to basics and take some time to improve your mind. But your group is made up of some very different people with very different tastes. So how do you choose which kind of books to read?
A. “I have received a very civil note from Mrs. Martin, requesting my name as a subscriber to her library … As an inducement to subscribe, Mrs. Martin tells me that her collection is not to consist only of novels, but of every kind of literature, &c. She might have spared this pretension to our family, who are great novel-readers and not ashamed of being so …” — Letter to Cassandra, Steventon, 18 December 1798
Smith then elaborates on Austen’s view of reading, especially the not so well-thought of fiction of her day and how it influenced Austen’s own writing, and then offers her own advice:
“Your club’s first choice is important. You could start with Northanger Abbey. It is certainly not desultory, and is a novel about novels, so should get you talking about reading and please everybody you’d like to keep as a member of your book club.” p. 213
I am always a bit leery of advice books; even though I am the first person of my acquaintance that should heed their wisdom. Like Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, I find Lady Catherine’s arrogant pontificating tiresome and not always spot on. Not so here. The one thing that saved me from total ignominy in reading this book was the arrangement of Miss Jane Austen’s Guide in an encapsulated manner. One can pick it up, open it to any page, and then just read one question and answer a day—almost like a daily devotional with Austen as your adviser. Taken in smaller doses, I found it amusing and enlightening.
So, gentle readers, as I present my last book review of the year, take Miss Jane Austen’s advice from this clever book and look life in the face and laugh …
"I am glad you are so well yourself, and wish everybody else were equally so. I will not say that your mulberry-trees are dead, but I am afraid they are not alive.”—Letter to Cassandra, Chawton, 31 May 1811
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
April 18, 2022
Who among us can resist the charm of leading an Austen-recommended life? Imagine yourself talking to Jane Austen, asking for advice and this book gives you the opportunity to feel like you’re in her company. If you are in a pickle, if you have a question about your love life and relationships, friends and family, work and career, fashion and style, home and garden or travel and leisure, here lies the answer given in reference to the quotes and highlights of Austen novels. Though some questions given here have little or no reflection in my life, it was fun to read and I, for one would never pass an opportunity to feel like I’m in Austen universe so it was a must-read for me.
February 23, 2013
Every time I read an Austenesque novel like According to Jane by Marilyn Brant, Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight, or My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones, I become green with envy at how each heroine was able to, in some form or another, communicate with Jane Austen! How magnificent would it be if this wise and discerning author was able to impart advice and council to her readers?!? How incredible would it be to have Jane Austen answer questions about our modern world and lend an ear to our present-day woes?
Well, until Jane Austen decides to manifest herself in my life, I will continue to find solace and seek wisdom from her novels and various other Jane Austen guidebooks. Including this newly published offering from Rebecca Smith, Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas. In her advice book, Rebecca Smith (Jane Austen's great-great-great-great-great niece) cleverly and adeptly shows readers how our modern-day dilemmas can be solved through passages, quotes, and letters from our favorite author!
To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...
Well, until Jane Austen decides to manifest herself in my life, I will continue to find solace and seek wisdom from her novels and various other Jane Austen guidebooks. Including this newly published offering from Rebecca Smith, Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas. In her advice book, Rebecca Smith (Jane Austen's great-great-great-great-great niece) cleverly and adeptly shows readers how our modern-day dilemmas can be solved through passages, quotes, and letters from our favorite author!
To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...
April 6, 2017
Ein nettes Buch mit Antworten zu allen aktuellen Fragen beantworten mit Antworten aus der Vergangenheit.
November 26, 2020
Despite the fact that I bought the book (the word “Jane Austen” was in the title, it’s inevitable), I approached it with some trepidation. I love Austen but I’m not sure how she fits into an advice column – and what if the author attempts to mimic Austen’s style?
Thankfully, the book doesn’t go so far as to pretend that it’s Jane Austen answering letters. Instead, Smith draws upon Austen’s letters and novels to imagine the type of advice that Austen would have given in answer to the various scenarios.
As the title suggests, Jane Austen’s Guide to Modern Life Dilemmas covers a wide range of topics, dividing the book into the following categories:
- Love & Relationships
- Friends and Family
- Work & Career
- Fashion and Style
- Home & Garden
- Leisure & Travel
Some questions (e.g. “Heels or Flats?” and “To tattoo or not to tattoo?”) seem to be a bit of a reach, but for the most part, the book manages to show how timeless Austen is. This is especially evident in the first two sections on relationships, which makes sense because Austen’s novels were all about relationships. I really enjoyed how the author weaved in parts of the novels with letters written by Austen to answer a relationship question.
That said, the questions were phrased kind of weirdly. As far as I know, most questions in advice columns are written in first person (i.e. “I have this problem and here are the details”) but the questions here are written in second person (i.e. “Your friend is doing XYZ and you feel ABC”), which just feels off. It’s not a big deal, however, and I learnt to get used to it.
Overall, this is an interesting little book. It’s a bit more serious than I expected, and less “trying to be funny” than I feared, and I ended up enjoying it. Fans of Austen are going to enjoy all the references to the books and her letters.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
Thankfully, the book doesn’t go so far as to pretend that it’s Jane Austen answering letters. Instead, Smith draws upon Austen’s letters and novels to imagine the type of advice that Austen would have given in answer to the various scenarios.
As the title suggests, Jane Austen’s Guide to Modern Life Dilemmas covers a wide range of topics, dividing the book into the following categories:
- Love & Relationships
- Friends and Family
- Work & Career
- Fashion and Style
- Home & Garden
- Leisure & Travel
Some questions (e.g. “Heels or Flats?” and “To tattoo or not to tattoo?”) seem to be a bit of a reach, but for the most part, the book manages to show how timeless Austen is. This is especially evident in the first two sections on relationships, which makes sense because Austen’s novels were all about relationships. I really enjoyed how the author weaved in parts of the novels with letters written by Austen to answer a relationship question.
That said, the questions were phrased kind of weirdly. As far as I know, most questions in advice columns are written in first person (i.e. “I have this problem and here are the details”) but the questions here are written in second person (i.e. “Your friend is doing XYZ and you feel ABC”), which just feels off. It’s not a big deal, however, and I learnt to get used to it.
Overall, this is an interesting little book. It’s a bit more serious than I expected, and less “trying to be funny” than I feared, and I ended up enjoying it. Fans of Austen are going to enjoy all the references to the books and her letters.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
August 31, 2013
Creating a work that would give us insight into what Jane Austen would think of the world we live in today and how she'd advise us is a marvelously intriguing idea with tremendous possibilities. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to that potential. No doubt a great deal of research went into the combing through of Jane Austen's correspondence with her sister Cassandra and others to write "Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas: Answers to Your Most Burning Questions About Life, Love, Happiness (and What to Wear) from the Great Novelist Herself." Nonetheless, some of the author's own imagination, surely, would have produced a truer, more expressive book, than merely matching snatches of paragraphs to queries. As a descendant of the Austen family, one would think that Rebecca Smith would have some of her great-aunt's talent to draw upon - certainly the publicity blurb suggests this. And yet, none of the wit or wisdom, insights or caricatures that we have come to expect from Austen are present here, despite quoting the "Great Novelist Herself." Given the opportunity to read this work, I'd recommend you pass. I wish I had. Two stars for the pretty cover. Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book to review via Goodreads' "First Reads Giveaways."
December 16, 2018
Este libro es una interesante guía que te propone respuestas basadas principalmente en las novelas y cartas de Jane Austen. Es un '¿Qué haría Jane Austen?' muy bien hecho.
Preguntas sobre familia, moda, trabajo, viajes, vida doméstica y amorosa, que especialmente, te hacen conocer a Miss Austen cuando la respuesta se basa en las cartas.
La estructura es sencilla: se propone una pregunta actual y la autora nos responde, basándose en la obra o correspondencia austeniana, a la pregunta. La decisión ya es tuya.
Preguntas sobre familia, moda, trabajo, viajes, vida doméstica y amorosa, que especialmente, te hacen conocer a Miss Austen cuando la respuesta se basa en las cartas.
La estructura es sencilla: se propone una pregunta actual y la autora nos responde, basándose en la obra o correspondencia austeniana, a la pregunta. La decisión ya es tuya.
March 27, 2016
Advice on life, Jane Austen style. While most of the advice given here is really just plain old common sense IMO, the presentation - peppered with examples and excerpts from Jane Austen's novels as well as her personal letters - is charming and a delight for anyone who has enjoyed her novels as much as I did.
January 31, 2021
This book is presented in the style of the Agony Aunt - questions and answers about life's problems. The answers refer to characters and situations in Jane Austen's novels, and to details of her life. There are many quotations from the novels and from Jane Austen's letters. At the end there are useful character summaries for each of her books, and a biography of Jane Austen. The questions are in upper case, which I found quite difficult to read. Otherwise it is nicely presented. The pages have many delightful drawings in sepia with red details.
As an introduction to Jane Austen's work, and to encourage someone to read her novels, I think it works well. For someone already familiar with the novels and her letters, it did not hold my interest. In fact after I was about a third of the way through I just skimmed the rest. The 'agony aunt' format started to irritate me, and the scenarios described did not interest me. As a book to dip into occasionally for a lighthearted reminder of the brilliance of Jane Austen, it has a place, but it did not work for me as a good read.
As an introduction to Jane Austen's work, and to encourage someone to read her novels, I think it works well. For someone already familiar with the novels and her letters, it did not hold my interest. In fact after I was about a third of the way through I just skimmed the rest. The 'agony aunt' format started to irritate me, and the scenarios described did not interest me. As a book to dip into occasionally for a lighthearted reminder of the brilliance of Jane Austen, it has a place, but it did not work for me as a good read.
March 25, 2020
This reminds me of my middle school times when I always loved to read a Q & A or tips about love, friendship, etc. in the magazine. And I think it's clever to write this type of book by analyzing how Jane Austen would answer or do based on her writing.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
You must stop thinking of yourself as inferior and start living as the heroine of your own life. You don't need to start out looking like Barbie to have a happy ending.
What is important is not the wedding but the marriage; only somebody silly will be more concerned about one day and its finery than the marriage and its consequences.
Stop consuming so much trash and start reading books and watching shows that will make you happier.
April 19, 2018
I enjoy reading Jane Austen and I enjoy reading advice columns so this was a fun read. Austen's great-great-great-great-great niece Rebecca Smith, writer in residence at Chawton House makes creative use of quotes from Jane Austen's novels and letters to answer questions about relationships, family, friends, work, household and travel. For example, dress for success as everyone encounters a Caroline Bingley in their career. The overall Georgian diet may not be recommended today but the regency enthusiasm for fresh fruit and tea is still recognized for its health benefits. Best to read Austen's novels first as their plots are outlined over the course of the book!
July 8, 2017
3.5/4 stars. I've had the most awful reading slump and needed something easy. This was surprisingly amusing and charming and made me happy. It also taught me some historical tidbits and pointed out details of Austen's novels that I'd never noticed before, so I actually ended up seeing them and Austen a different way.
August 28, 2017
This book was full of insightful and yet surprisingly helpful hints on how to deal with modern day problems in a way that would be both polite yet firm, without being rude or unseemly.
The writing was witty and at time drew a chuckle from me as I realised that today's issues aren't that much different from one's miss Austen would have had in her day.
The writing was witty and at time drew a chuckle from me as I realised that today's issues aren't that much different from one's miss Austen would have had in her day.
September 21, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book. It's funny and has some good advice. The art is great and makes the book even more entertaining. There isn't a conclusion to this book. It just ends with the last piece of advice, which I thought was a little weird and abrupt.
December 20, 2021
Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, this book is both beautifully presented and a wonderfully engaging and entertaining read. Highly recommended. 4 / 5
Read the full review, and others, on Sammi Loves Books: https://sammicox.wordpress.com/
Read the full review, and others, on Sammi Loves Books: https://sammicox.wordpress.com/
June 15, 2019
this is a lovely idea problem page format using models from Jane Austen's writing for the Answers. A bit of fun
June 23, 2020
Emily post meets your favourite magazine advice columnist, cute and fun 2.5
June 17, 2021
Five- time great niece of Jane Austen wrote this book. It is a clever book tying Ms. Austen’s characters and how they would solve the problems for people today.
November 30, 2021
Quoted some words but got extremely bored at the end of the book.
April 16, 2022
Hilarious, fun and makes you want to read Austen all over again.
July 24, 2022
A fun dip-in-and-out lighthearted read
Read
July 22, 2024Gift from my favorite cousin, thanks Meggie
July 29, 2024
I loved the information about what Jane Austen was like as a person. Some of the questions asked in it, though, are a bit outdated. 3 out of 5 stars.
September 26, 2024
A lot of fun!
January 13, 2026
sehr süß gemacht und ein bisschen langweilig
August 6, 2016
3,5* Eine liebevolle Hommage an Jane Austen, aber kein Ratgeber...
~ Wer dieses Buch als das sieht, was es ist (eine liebevolle Hommage auf Jane Austen und ihr Lebenswerk), der wird damit die größte Freude haben. Wer allerdings wirklich einen Ratgeber erwartet, der wird aufgrund der oft oberflächlichen, vagen und absolut keine Geheimtipps enthaltenden Ratschläge enttäuscht sein. ~
Inhalt
Jane Austens Ur-ur-ur-ur-Nichte Rebecca Smith gibt in diesem Buch Ratschläge für moderne Lebenskrisen. Diese Ratschläge sind inspiriert von Jane Austens Figuren, ihren Romanen und ihrem Leben selbst.
Meine Meinung
Aufmachung
Die Aufmachung ist wunderhübsch und elegant gehalten. Die verschiedenen Kapitel wie „Freunde & Familie“ oder „Liebe & Beziehung“ werden durch Zwischenseiten getrennt, die jeweils ein passendes Zitat enthalten. Generell wirkt alles sehr liebevoll gestaltet.
Besonders hübsch und authentisch lassen die Zeichnungen das Buch wirken, die immer zu den Fragen passen und oft auch Szenen aus Jane Austens Werken nachstellen. Sie sind in schwarz-weiß gehalten, nur bestimmte Details wie ein schöner Schuh sind in pink hervorgehoben.
Inhalt
Jede Frage ist auf ein bis zwei Seiten beantwortet. Diese Beantwortung folgt stets einem bestimmten Muster. Zuerst wird die Situation genau erklärt, danach leitet die Autorin vom Verhalten von Jane Austens Figuren oder Janes persönlichen Briefen den Ratschlag ab.
Fans von Jane Austen, die jedes neue Detail und jede neue Information über sie und ihr Leben mit Faszination und Freude regelrecht aufsaugen, werden mit diesem Buch große Freude haben. Man findet hier unzählige interessante, spannende und mitunter auch amüsante Auszüge aus ihren persönlichen Briefen, die einem erlauben, die berühmte Autorin auch einmal von einer anderen Seite zu sehen – zum Beispiel als eine Person, die keinen grünen Daumen hatte und ums Leben so mancher Pflanze kämpfen musste. Wer viele oder alle von Jane Austens Werken kennt, wird die kleinen Analysen ihrer Figuren und deren Probleme lieben und es schätzen, dass manche Details und Zitate, die man beim Lesen vielleicht übersehen würde, hier so schön aufbereitet werden. Besonders amüsant sind außerdem die kurzen Charakterbeschreiben am Ende des Buches, die jedem, der die Werke kennt, ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern werden.
Wer sich nicht zu den begeisterten Austen-Fans zählt, den könnten die langen Ableitungen allerdings schnell langweilen und vielleicht sogar nerven, da sie den größten Teil der Antwort ausmachen. Wer nur wenige oder sogar gar keine Werke von Jane Austen kennt, den werden die vielen Namen vielleicht verwirren oder sie werden belanglos erscheinen, wenn man die Hintergrundgeschichte nicht kennt.
Ratschläge
Die Ratschläge selbst sind dann häufig leider sehr oberflächlich und kurz ausgeführt. Manches Mal scheint die Verbindung zur heutigen Zeit auch etwas holprig. Wer erstklassige Tipps erwartet, auf die man selber nicht kommt, der wird wahrscheinlich enttäuscht sein. Zu vage scheint mancher Ratschlag, zu wenig Zeit nimmt man sich für Details. Zusätzlich werden manche Fragen gar nicht richtig beantwortet, man liest und liest sich durch Analysen, nur um am Ende feststellen zu müssen, dass das Gelesene mit der Frage wenig zu tun hat. Dennoch: Es gibt auch vereinzelte Ratschläge, die wirklich brauchbar sind und mir weitergeholfen haben. Mir waren das aber für ein Buch, das ein Ratgeber sein will, zu wenige.
Mein Fazit
Wer dieses Buch als das sieht, was es ist (eine liebevolle Hommage auf Jane Austen und ihr Lebenswerk), der wird damit die größte Freude haben. Jane-Austen-Faszinierte werden die Figuren-Analysen und die Parallelen, die zum modernen Leben gezogen werden, lieben, ebenso wie die kleinen interessanten und amüsanten Ausschnitte aus Jane Austens persönlichen Briefen, die man so noch nicht gelesen hat. Wer allerdings wirklich einen Ratgeber erwartet, der wird aufgrund der oft oberflächlichen, vagen und absolut keine Geheimtipps enthaltenden Ratschläge enttäuscht sein.
Bewertung:
Aufmachung: 5 Sterne ♥
Idee: 5 Sterne
Ausführung: 3,5 Sterne
Schreibstil: 4 Sterne
Ratgeber: 2 Sterne
Insgesamt:
❀❀❀,5
Dieses Buch bekommt von mir 3,5 Lilien!
~ Wer dieses Buch als das sieht, was es ist (eine liebevolle Hommage auf Jane Austen und ihr Lebenswerk), der wird damit die größte Freude haben. Wer allerdings wirklich einen Ratgeber erwartet, der wird aufgrund der oft oberflächlichen, vagen und absolut keine Geheimtipps enthaltenden Ratschläge enttäuscht sein. ~
Inhalt
Jane Austens Ur-ur-ur-ur-Nichte Rebecca Smith gibt in diesem Buch Ratschläge für moderne Lebenskrisen. Diese Ratschläge sind inspiriert von Jane Austens Figuren, ihren Romanen und ihrem Leben selbst.
Meine Meinung
Aufmachung
Die Aufmachung ist wunderhübsch und elegant gehalten. Die verschiedenen Kapitel wie „Freunde & Familie“ oder „Liebe & Beziehung“ werden durch Zwischenseiten getrennt, die jeweils ein passendes Zitat enthalten. Generell wirkt alles sehr liebevoll gestaltet.
Besonders hübsch und authentisch lassen die Zeichnungen das Buch wirken, die immer zu den Fragen passen und oft auch Szenen aus Jane Austens Werken nachstellen. Sie sind in schwarz-weiß gehalten, nur bestimmte Details wie ein schöner Schuh sind in pink hervorgehoben.
Inhalt
Jede Frage ist auf ein bis zwei Seiten beantwortet. Diese Beantwortung folgt stets einem bestimmten Muster. Zuerst wird die Situation genau erklärt, danach leitet die Autorin vom Verhalten von Jane Austens Figuren oder Janes persönlichen Briefen den Ratschlag ab.
Fans von Jane Austen, die jedes neue Detail und jede neue Information über sie und ihr Leben mit Faszination und Freude regelrecht aufsaugen, werden mit diesem Buch große Freude haben. Man findet hier unzählige interessante, spannende und mitunter auch amüsante Auszüge aus ihren persönlichen Briefen, die einem erlauben, die berühmte Autorin auch einmal von einer anderen Seite zu sehen – zum Beispiel als eine Person, die keinen grünen Daumen hatte und ums Leben so mancher Pflanze kämpfen musste. Wer viele oder alle von Jane Austens Werken kennt, wird die kleinen Analysen ihrer Figuren und deren Probleme lieben und es schätzen, dass manche Details und Zitate, die man beim Lesen vielleicht übersehen würde, hier so schön aufbereitet werden. Besonders amüsant sind außerdem die kurzen Charakterbeschreiben am Ende des Buches, die jedem, der die Werke kennt, ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern werden.
Wer sich nicht zu den begeisterten Austen-Fans zählt, den könnten die langen Ableitungen allerdings schnell langweilen und vielleicht sogar nerven, da sie den größten Teil der Antwort ausmachen. Wer nur wenige oder sogar gar keine Werke von Jane Austen kennt, den werden die vielen Namen vielleicht verwirren oder sie werden belanglos erscheinen, wenn man die Hintergrundgeschichte nicht kennt.
Ratschläge
Die Ratschläge selbst sind dann häufig leider sehr oberflächlich und kurz ausgeführt. Manches Mal scheint die Verbindung zur heutigen Zeit auch etwas holprig. Wer erstklassige Tipps erwartet, auf die man selber nicht kommt, der wird wahrscheinlich enttäuscht sein. Zu vage scheint mancher Ratschlag, zu wenig Zeit nimmt man sich für Details. Zusätzlich werden manche Fragen gar nicht richtig beantwortet, man liest und liest sich durch Analysen, nur um am Ende feststellen zu müssen, dass das Gelesene mit der Frage wenig zu tun hat. Dennoch: Es gibt auch vereinzelte Ratschläge, die wirklich brauchbar sind und mir weitergeholfen haben. Mir waren das aber für ein Buch, das ein Ratgeber sein will, zu wenige.
Mein Fazit
Wer dieses Buch als das sieht, was es ist (eine liebevolle Hommage auf Jane Austen und ihr Lebenswerk), der wird damit die größte Freude haben. Jane-Austen-Faszinierte werden die Figuren-Analysen und die Parallelen, die zum modernen Leben gezogen werden, lieben, ebenso wie die kleinen interessanten und amüsanten Ausschnitte aus Jane Austens persönlichen Briefen, die man so noch nicht gelesen hat. Wer allerdings wirklich einen Ratgeber erwartet, der wird aufgrund der oft oberflächlichen, vagen und absolut keine Geheimtipps enthaltenden Ratschläge enttäuscht sein.
Bewertung:
Aufmachung: 5 Sterne ♥
Idee: 5 Sterne
Ausführung: 3,5 Sterne
Schreibstil: 4 Sterne
Ratgeber: 2 Sterne
Insgesamt:
❀❀❀,5
Dieses Buch bekommt von mir 3,5 Lilien!
April 11, 2013
I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas: Answers to Your Most Burning Questions About Life, Love, Happiness (and What to Wear) from the Great Novelist Herself is a fun "Dear Abby" column but filled with advice based on Jane Austen's novels and her life. The book is divided up into several sections (e.g., fashion, home, love, etc.) and within each section, related questions are asked. The author, Rebecca Smith is the great-great-great-great-great niece of Jane Austen and truly appears to have done her research on her aunt's books and her life. Each answer is filled with direct quotations from Austen's books and her letters to Cassandra (Jane's sister). I enjoyed seeing the connections between modern life problems and Austen's heroines. My one complaint is that I feel that the questions are quite lighthearted and the answers are a bit too serious (they are fun, mind you, but there are quotations and references!). This format may not have been the best for presenting Rebecca Smith's knowledge of her aunt. In any event, I did enjoy this book and I feel that I will return to it every time I finish an Austen novel.
Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas: Answers to Your Most Burning Questions About Life, Love, Happiness (and What to Wear) from the Great Novelist Herself is a fun "Dear Abby" column but filled with advice based on Jane Austen's novels and her life. The book is divided up into several sections (e.g., fashion, home, love, etc.) and within each section, related questions are asked. The author, Rebecca Smith is the great-great-great-great-great niece of Jane Austen and truly appears to have done her research on her aunt's books and her life. Each answer is filled with direct quotations from Austen's books and her letters to Cassandra (Jane's sister). I enjoyed seeing the connections between modern life problems and Austen's heroines. My one complaint is that I feel that the questions are quite lighthearted and the answers are a bit too serious (they are fun, mind you, but there are quotations and references!). This format may not have been the best for presenting Rebecca Smith's knowledge of her aunt. In any event, I did enjoy this book and I feel that I will return to it every time I finish an Austen novel.
April 16, 2013
This is an advice book written with a Jane Austen twist. I enjoyed reading the quotes from Jane Austen's letters and novels in this book. It was well researched and it was fun to learn what Jane wrote about shopping, travel, and relationships.
My complaint is that Jane's views were twisted to work better under our 21st-century viewpoint. It's hard to know exactly what Jane Austen would say about division of chores between live-together partners; wearing high heels; or cheating on your boyfriend. This book takes a fairly modern viewpoint—and who knows? It wouldn't surprise me to find Jane a thoroughly modern woman if she lived today, although we now associate her with times long past.
Although the values presented in this book don't align with my own (in part because I'm not the single, twenty-something working women this book seems to be aimed toward), I'm inclined to forgive the author since she's the five-times great-niece of Jane Austen. If anyone is going to put words into Jane Austen's mouth, I suppose her niece has more right than most.
Notes on the book design: the book is printed on lovely glossy white paper . . . in purple. It's dark purple, so it's not completely impossible to read (there's a reason black is popular!). THE QUESTIONS ARE PRINTED IN ALL CAPS, which make them cumbersome to read. I did enjoy the vintage-look illustrations.
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads.
My complaint is that Jane's views were twisted to work better under our 21st-century viewpoint. It's hard to know exactly what Jane Austen would say about division of chores between live-together partners; wearing high heels; or cheating on your boyfriend. This book takes a fairly modern viewpoint—and who knows? It wouldn't surprise me to find Jane a thoroughly modern woman if she lived today, although we now associate her with times long past.
Although the values presented in this book don't align with my own (in part because I'm not the single, twenty-something working women this book seems to be aimed toward), I'm inclined to forgive the author since she's the five-times great-niece of Jane Austen. If anyone is going to put words into Jane Austen's mouth, I suppose her niece has more right than most.
Notes on the book design: the book is printed on lovely glossy white paper . . . in purple. It's dark purple, so it's not completely impossible to read (there's a reason black is popular!). THE QUESTIONS ARE PRINTED IN ALL CAPS, which make them cumbersome to read. I did enjoy the vintage-look illustrations.
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads.
August 8, 2016
In „Jane Austens Ratgeber für moderne Lebenskrisen“ werden in unterschiedlichen Kapiteln verschiedene Problembereiche des heutigen, modernen Lebens unter die Lupe genommen. In Familie& Freunde dreht es sich zum Beispiel um peinliche Eltern, nervende Freunde und andere Themen. Auch ein Kapitel über das Liebesleben darf bei Austen natürlich nicht fehlen.
Als ein großer Austen Fan fand ich die Idee dieses Buches witzig. Besonders interessant fand ich die Tatsache, dass es von einer Verwandten der berühmten Autorin geschrieben wurde.
Die eingebrachten Zitate aus Austens Werken oder Ihren persönlichen Korrespondenzen sind lustig und erfrischen und zeigen, wie das Leben in England im 19 Jahrhundert war. Leider sind diese Umgangsformen und Normen heutzutage von wenig belang.
Die „Ratschläge“ sind nicht wirklich Ratschläge sondern eher logische Schlussfolgerungen, auf die man mit Leichtigkeit auch selbst kommen kann. In vielen Fragestellungen wird auch keine Lösung gegeben oder ein Ratschlag erteilt, da diese Problemstellungen für die Zeit Austens einfach belanglos oder utopisch waren.
Das Buch ist eine wunderbare Hommage an Jane Austens Bücher und Ihr Genie, doch nicht wirklich ein Ratgeber im eigentlichen Sinne. Es ist vielmehr eine amüsante Lektüre.
Als ein großer Austen Fan fand ich die Idee dieses Buches witzig. Besonders interessant fand ich die Tatsache, dass es von einer Verwandten der berühmten Autorin geschrieben wurde.
Die eingebrachten Zitate aus Austens Werken oder Ihren persönlichen Korrespondenzen sind lustig und erfrischen und zeigen, wie das Leben in England im 19 Jahrhundert war. Leider sind diese Umgangsformen und Normen heutzutage von wenig belang.
Die „Ratschläge“ sind nicht wirklich Ratschläge sondern eher logische Schlussfolgerungen, auf die man mit Leichtigkeit auch selbst kommen kann. In vielen Fragestellungen wird auch keine Lösung gegeben oder ein Ratschlag erteilt, da diese Problemstellungen für die Zeit Austens einfach belanglos oder utopisch waren.
Das Buch ist eine wunderbare Hommage an Jane Austens Bücher und Ihr Genie, doch nicht wirklich ein Ratgeber im eigentlichen Sinne. Es ist vielmehr eine amüsante Lektüre.
April 3, 2013
Written by Jane Austen's very own great-great-great-great grand niece, Rebecca Smith. Being a lover of all things Jane Austen, when I saw this book I was a little apprehensive, even though it was written by a relative of Jane Austen's, her novels are obviously not based in our society today. I found the book to be funny with that slightly sardonic tone of Ann Landers or Dear Abby. A lot of the advice has been spouted off for many years, but it was fun to see that the relationship issues that we have today are not all that different from Jane Austen's time.
Topics include: My friend keeps turning up and won't leave and How do I control my shopping binges.
I agree that they topics are mostly geared toward those in their 20's and 30's but any fan of Jane Austen will get a chuckle.
Topics include: My friend keeps turning up and won't leave and How do I control my shopping binges.
I agree that they topics are mostly geared toward those in their 20's and 30's but any fan of Jane Austen will get a chuckle.
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