A Jane Austen Devotional

Devotional Classics

by Steffany Woolsey

A beautiful devotional, brimming with the wit and wisdom of Jane Austen and the timeless truths of Scripture. 

The works of Jane Austen can transport a reader to a world that exudes beauty, peace, wisdom, wit, and love. Captivating audiences for 200 years, the works of Jane Austen continue to capture today’s readers in droves.

This daily devotional includes short excerpts from the Austen classics, and a devotional thought and Scripture that meaningfully translates to women’s daily lives. Offering temporary transport to a simple and peaceful place, women will love taking a moment to revel in the beauty and truth of a Scripture paired with excerpts from Northanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Emma.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Devotional, Books About Books, Christian Non Fiction, Inspirational

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2012

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew there were so many teachable moments hidden among the pages of Jane Austen's novels? I thought this was a really well, put together devotional. Each devotion consisted of a short clip from one of Austen's books and then a short devotion relating the story to life applicable, biblical principles. There was a bible verse to back up each devotional theme.

To enjoy this devotional to its fullest, I would recommend the reader to be somewhat familiar with Austen's stories.

- Enjoy!

[E.F. Buckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This devotional was given to me for my birthday last year and I thought it was well put together, biblicaly sound, and an enjoyable to read. It came to me at the perfect time since the past couple years I've been finally reading the Jane Austen novels I hadn't gotten around to before and finished the last one I hadn't read (Mansfield Park) while working my way through this. I liked how each day's devotional started with a one page excerpt from one of Austen's novel and then applied scripture to whatever the excerpt contained. Sometimes the characters in the excerpt were doing things they should be doing and sometimes they were doing things they shouldn't be doing and the author of the devotional then showed what the Bible says about about that thing. You probably don't need to have read all of Austen's works to read this devotional because the author does a good job of putting the excerpts in context, but it made it a lot more enjoyable to me that I recognized the excerpts and knew the full story. Reading one devotional a night, this book lasted me approximately 3 months and 14 days. 100% recommended to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting.



Side note: The edition I got of this book actually had a CLOTH cover. I don't remember ever having a book with a cloth cover before, but it's very nice and I admit it took me several nights to stop petting it before I started reading. XD

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a devotional on JANE Austen’s novels. Each one shares a scene from one of her books and correlates with a verse of scripture. This would appeal mostly to those Austen fans of faith so know that up front. I did enjoy it and Will think about some scenes thru the lens of faith when reading or seeing the movies again. A nice and different way to read some Austen.

[Anne (In Search of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly insightful! The author quotes from each of the Austen novels and then extracts a biblical principle or thought from the quote. A few of them were a stretch but many of them were just what I needed for the day. There are biblical examples and scripture verses in each day's devotion.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always curious about devotionals that take pieces of literature and extrapolate life lessons. Sometimes I think the editors can either read too much into the passages they select or the life lesson is so broad it could fit any literary passage. Steffany Woolsey does a good job finding passages from Jane Austen’s works that deal directly with the life lesson, Ms. Woolsey is attempting to convey. In connecting the passage from then to now, I didn’t feel like Ms. Woolsey was being too vague either. She was good at keeping to the message of the passage but giving readers constructive life advice. Sometimes the lesson felt like it was talking directly to a woman reader and other times the audience of any gender felt welcome.

I recommend this for a personal devotional. It’s nice to read each section at a time rather than one large chunk. I don’t recommend this for bookclubs. Unless you’re specifically looking for this type of book I don’t think there’d be a lot to discuss in a group setting.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OVERVIEW:

In this elegant hardcover canvas-bound tome, readers will find one hundred and four compiled devotions. Each devotion centers upon a theme, such as: love, friendship, family, or character; and includes a brief excerpt from a Jane Austen novel, a tie-in with Christianity, and a quote from Scripture to reflect upon. Each devotion is only two pages in length, making this devotional come to a little over two hundred pages in total. The excerpts come from all six of Jane Austen's major novels and are never more than a page in length. Included in this compilation are an Introduction, Table of Contents, and a brief biography of Jane Austen. But alas, no index!

MY READING EXPERIENCE:

My approach to this devotional was to treat it as a daily devotional and read only one entry per day. I didn't want to consume it all in big chunks; I preferred taking time to savor, reflect, and mediate on each entry for the span of a day (sometimes longer) before reading another. So as you may have guessed, this is why I have not finished it yet!

MY ASSESSMENT:

So far I have exceedingly enjoyed every entry in this compilation! Reading excerpts from Jane Austen's novels is an excellent way to start my day! I love how Steffany Woolsey so effortlessly and adeptly takes passages like Mr. Knightley and Mrs. Weston discussing Emma's relationship with Harriet or Elizabeth's humiliation at the Netherfield Ball and ties it in with scripture and Christian faith. The Christian connections Ms. Woolsey draws from these excerpts are inspiring, full of wise counsel, and illuminating. I love finding all these new and never-before-realized examples of good character and faith in Jane Austen's novels. In addition, I'm very happy with the amount of faith and spirituality in this book; Ms. Woolsey doesn't come on too strong, and her remarks aren't too preachy or sermon-like.

CONCLUSION:

I am greatly enjoying this delightful and inspiring devotional! I think admirers of Jane Austen who follow the Christian faith will find A Jane Austen Devotional to be an ingenious and beneficial source! I truly appreciate Steffany Woolsey's meticulous research and spiritual study to bring about this lovely treasure!

[Kaitlyn S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a self proclaimed Anglophile. I enjoy almost anything Jane Austen related -- her wit, her insights, the way she writes, the stories she weaves.....so I pretty much knew I would enjoy this one =)

First, this is a beautiful book, bound in cloth, that is slightly reminiscent of an older book. Just holding it brings up longings for days gone by.

Second, this concept was brilliant. While I basically read it more like a novel and less like a devotional, this interwove Scripture and Austens work and brought out some pretty good points. I didn't necessarily agree with everything in the book, but there were no major issues. When I was a senior in high school, I had to write a thesis on each book Austen published, and this was similar, except I didn't have to answer the questions :-)

I adored the snippets included in this book, I enjoyed the insights, and I love how Jane Austen brought her worldview and her faith into her writings. So many of her characters exhibit Christ-like traits, and her storyline is so much deeper than a romance, if you are willing to search and delve deep. I have friends who say her writing is shallow, at best, and about nothing but girls who pine after guys....but there is so much more to be gleaned than that from her writings! I can think of several friends I should lend this little gem to, to give them a better appreciation of her works.

A four star read, and definitely recommended!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Jane Austen Devotional

published by Thomas Nelson

available January 10, 2012



A must have if you are a lover of Jane Austen and Jesus Christ. This book is a wonderful blend of tidbits from Jane's books and Biblical passages. The lessons put forth are related to Ms. Austen's characters with a perfect blending of her writings and those from the scriptures.

I received this book as a NetGalley egalley, but I will purchase as soon as available, this is one I want to keep with me at all times.

[Beth Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful little cloth bound book!! You probably need to have read and loved Jane Austen's books to enjoy this one, and I definitely did. I will miss being reminded on a daily basis of how much her work promoted Biblical principles.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely and thoughtful devotional, with a passage of an Austen novel serving as a springboard for a spiritual thought and Scripture text. It's interesting, engaging, and concise.

[Charity U · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely book – and many thanks to Kara for offering me a copy when she was pruning her bookshelves! I did/have/will most heartily enjoy it. There are probably over 100 individual devotionals, each just one spread of pages. Usually one page is a few paragraphs from a Jane Austen book (one of her primary six) – the other side has a few more paragraphs about what life lesson can be gained from the JA excerpt, neatly incorporating Biblical truths and the characters from the JA story. Titles/topics include (among many more): Seeking God’s Counsel, Esteeming Others, Coddling Covetousness, Flirting with Sin, Developing into a Godly Woman, A Changed Man, Obsessing, Silliness, etc. Delightful, right? There are verses backing up each devotional. A must-read for any Jane Austen fan!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this devotional (not always consistently) since January of 2014. It was pretty enjoyable...some entries were better than others. Some of them were quite insightful, but with others I felt like it was a bit of a push to make the connection between the excerpt from the book and the topic of that entry. Anyway, as a Jane Austen fan, of course I enjoyed this. :)

[Betti · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one who is relatively unfamiliar with Jane Austen books, this devotional opened my eyes to the wonders of her writings from many years ago. It is fascinating how some things never change - treat others the way you want to be treated. I have learned to appreciate these novels through the devotional complied and written by Steffany Woolsey.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an in-depth devotional but rather, a nice, short daily read. Each day has a quote from one of Jane Austen's books paired with a short scripture reference and and spiritual insight. It was a nice thing to have on the days when I didn't have time to sit down for an in-depth bible study.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a great find! I have not finished the book because it is not a book that is intended to be read all at once. I love how a scene from each of Austen's books are compared or related to a verse or passage from the Bible.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely little devotional book with surprisingly insightful thoughts and good writing. She used passages from the books tied together with scripture. The passages illustrate the points she is making. It was very convicting at times! I will use it again.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for the Christian reader who loves all things Jane.

[Angel Pickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet little book that could easily be coined, "Chicken Soup for the Austen Soul." I will keep it around as it would make good short talks or inspirations for women's bible studies/book clubs. The book is beautifully bound with a hard and linen bound cover. It quotes an Austen novel with a scene and then takes spiritual implications as the devotional. Despite it containing nothing of earth shattering revelation it is refreshing and well done.

[Emily Hoornstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished this yet, but I'm well into it. I love that there are not days assigned to each devotional entry. That way you can miss days and not always feel behind. You can just take it in at your leisure. Each day has an excerpt from one of Austen's books, along with an explanation of the context, elaboration on the character theme, and a Bible verse for the day. Would be a great gift for someone who loves both Jesus and Austen. 😊

[lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a solid devotional, one of the best I've read, which was a little surprising from something that is pulling from novels for its content and subject matter. It was as much a Biblical interpretation of Austen's works as it was a wonderful way to reflect on scripture and hear God speaking through it. If anyone knows of another devotional as good as this one I am very much open to recommendations, I don't know what I'll do now that I've finished it.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of Jane Austen, this is a pretty nice Christian devotional book, beautifully cloth-bound and boxed, with a lovely ribbon bookmark attached. (I received it as a gift.) The author shares some good insights into human nature and the life of faith. It's a pity that the lack of proofreading makes a mockery of the quality content and exquisite presentation.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly savored A Jane Austen Devotional which I used during my morning devotions! Compiled and written by Steffany Woolsey, each devotion begins with an excerpt from one of Austen’s novels, an application to the Christian life and ends with an appropriate Biblical reference. Highly recommended especially for those who love Jane Austen’s novels as much as I do!

[Lily’s Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devotional book structured around an excerpt from one of Jane Austen’s novels paired with a short devotional usually based on a virtue or character trait and a Bible verse to tie it all together. The majority of the entries were fluffy, but a few were thought provoking and convicting. I don’t think I’d revisit this again, but could see a young Jane Austen fan enjoying it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great devotional for Jane Austen and regency fans. This devotional has excerpts from all of Jane's novels and the author applies Biblical perspective and verse to each excerpt chosen. This is a thorough devotional that will last you months doing one reading per day.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A devotional about character using passages from Jane Austin's books. It was a unique experience, especially since I enjoy reading her works. For the most part, the examples from the books demonstrated the scripture theme. Reading this devotional creates a desire to read Jane Austin's novels!

[Brindi Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really need to add this to my collection!!!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely devotional paired with quotes from Jane Austen's works. Most are short, and the devotional's are not too in-depth, but light and thoughtful; more on character than on doctrine. ;)

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun devotional, not deep, but interesting. Shares biblical principles from characters and situations in Austen's novels.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful. Highly recommended.

[Felicia]

I just don't think I like these kinds of devotional books. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't interesting to me.