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A Jane Austen Christmas: Celebrating the Season of Romance, Ribbons and Mistletoe
Filled with the remarkable wit and insight of one of the world's most cherished authors, A Jane Austen Christmas gives readers insight into Austen's life through little-known stories about how she and her family celebrated the treasured holiday season. Carlo DeVito provides an intimate portrait of Austen's most cherished Christmas memories with her from the gift of her first writing desk, to her first love and heartbreak, to her brewing mead and beer in time for the holidays. Along the way readers will spend a holiday in the Austen house, celebrate Jane's birthday, meet the inspiration for more than a dozen characters, attend the Christmastide series of balls, and learn how to make family's favorite recipes and dedicate a novel to the Prince Regent. Remarkably fresh and supremely entertaining, A Jane Austen Christmas brings Austen's world to life as never before.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2015
13 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Carlo DeVito
54 books6 followersCarlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He was also a publisher at Running Press Book Publishers, where he published books from Wine Spectator, as well as books with Greg Moore (of Moore Bros.), Matt Kramer, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He is currently VP, Editorial Director of Sterling Epicure where his authors also include Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Tom Stevenson, Terry Walters, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, and the Edible Communities cookbook program.
Mr. DeVito has also been the editor of many successful traditional trade books, including Strange Fruit by David Margolick, On the Shoulders of Giants by Stephen Hawking, and three titles by Malachy McCourt. Other authors include John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, Philip Caputo, E. O. Wilson, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the author of more than 15 books, including his highly acclaimed biographies of D. Wayne Lukas, Wellington Mara, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto.
He lives with his wife, pet publisher Dominique DeVito, and their two sons, on their farm, the Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY.
Mr. DeVito has also been the editor of many successful traditional trade books, including Strange Fruit by David Margolick, On the Shoulders of Giants by Stephen Hawking, and three titles by Malachy McCourt. Other authors include John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, Philip Caputo, E. O. Wilson, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the author of more than 15 books, including his highly acclaimed biographies of D. Wayne Lukas, Wellington Mara, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto.
He lives with his wife, pet publisher Dominique DeVito, and their two sons, on their farm, the Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 1, 2015
When it comes to Jane Austen and Christmas, Janeites and Austen-lovers long to know how their beloved authoress celebrated the holiday season. Many of the holiday traditions we celebrate and recognize come from the Victorian Era and later, but what about the Georgian Era? What are the differences and similarities between the Austens’ holiday festivities and our own modern-day celebrations?
In A Jane Austen Christmas, Carlo DeVito illustrates six different and significant Christmas seasons in Jane Austen’s life. Each chapter is devoted to a different year and expounds upon not only the special event that occurred that year but also the traditions and festivities the Austens would take part in and practice during that time. The six years and a breakdown of each chapter is below.
1786 – Jane meets cousin Eliza de Feuillide for the first time.
1794 – Jane receives her writing desk for her birthday.
1795 – Jane encounters and flirts with Tom Lefroy.
1802 – Jane receives a proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither.
1809 – Jane’s first Christmas at Chawton.
1815 – Jane publishes Emma.
I loved how this book was segmented and highlighted specific Christmas seasons in Jane Austen’s life. The traditions and pastimes of the Austen family were easily brought to life with the vivid descriptions and details provided in these chapters. In addition, I greatly appreciated the informative context of traditions and customs practiced during the Georgian Christmas season. I loved learning about the games and amusements, the making and drinking of homemade wine, beer, and other libations, and the household customs and family celebrations that dear Jane and her family would have enjoyed. I found the background information fascinating and wonderfully edifying. It is exactly what I wanted to know about Jane Austen and the Georgian Christmas season!
I thought the concept and premise for A Jane Austen Christmas was brilliant and well-executed, I was such a fan of how the information was presented, the years and traditions highlighted, and the book’s overall attractive and elegant design. However, much to my disappointment, there were a surprising amount of uncaught errors. I’m not talking about typos and missing commas – more along the lines of embarrassing blunders that were too frequent and too big for me to ignore. Such errors included:
- Misspelling the names of two Austen bloggers that were cited
- Mixing up family relations (Thomas Knight, who adopted Edward Austen and made him his heir, was not George Austen’s brother!)
- Citing the unpublished Northanger Abbey (Susan) manuscript sold to Crosby as both Catherine and Lady Susan.
- Referring to Mr. Bingley as a character in Sense and Sensibility.
- Misspelling Austen (Austin) and Charlotte Lucas (Luca) to name a few.
I’m not one to bring up editing often in my reviews as I know that to “err is human” and because a couple misspelled words or grammar mistakes are forgivable and not very distracting. But I’m afraid the numerous amount of errors and misrepresented facts I found in this book is not as forgivable. These mistakes present inaccurate information that misinforms the reader and puts into question the research, attention, and time put in by the author and editors. It’s both disappointing and frustrating as I loved everything else about this book and would have been happy to give it 5 stars! But I’m afraid due to the many unacceptable errors that I found to be disruptive to my overall enjoyment, my rating will have to be 3.5 stars. Which is a shame because this could have been a perfect gift to give to Janeites and Austen-lovers this year!
Austenesque Reviews
In A Jane Austen Christmas, Carlo DeVito illustrates six different and significant Christmas seasons in Jane Austen’s life. Each chapter is devoted to a different year and expounds upon not only the special event that occurred that year but also the traditions and festivities the Austens would take part in and practice during that time. The six years and a breakdown of each chapter is below.
1786 – Jane meets cousin Eliza de Feuillide for the first time.
1794 – Jane receives her writing desk for her birthday.
1795 – Jane encounters and flirts with Tom Lefroy.
1802 – Jane receives a proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither.
1809 – Jane’s first Christmas at Chawton.
1815 – Jane publishes Emma.
I loved how this book was segmented and highlighted specific Christmas seasons in Jane Austen’s life. The traditions and pastimes of the Austen family were easily brought to life with the vivid descriptions and details provided in these chapters. In addition, I greatly appreciated the informative context of traditions and customs practiced during the Georgian Christmas season. I loved learning about the games and amusements, the making and drinking of homemade wine, beer, and other libations, and the household customs and family celebrations that dear Jane and her family would have enjoyed. I found the background information fascinating and wonderfully edifying. It is exactly what I wanted to know about Jane Austen and the Georgian Christmas season!
I thought the concept and premise for A Jane Austen Christmas was brilliant and well-executed, I was such a fan of how the information was presented, the years and traditions highlighted, and the book’s overall attractive and elegant design. However, much to my disappointment, there were a surprising amount of uncaught errors. I’m not talking about typos and missing commas – more along the lines of embarrassing blunders that were too frequent and too big for me to ignore. Such errors included:
- Misspelling the names of two Austen bloggers that were cited
- Mixing up family relations (Thomas Knight, who adopted Edward Austen and made him his heir, was not George Austen’s brother!)
- Citing the unpublished Northanger Abbey (Susan) manuscript sold to Crosby as both Catherine and Lady Susan.
- Referring to Mr. Bingley as a character in Sense and Sensibility.
- Misspelling Austen (Austin) and Charlotte Lucas (Luca) to name a few.
I’m not one to bring up editing often in my reviews as I know that to “err is human” and because a couple misspelled words or grammar mistakes are forgivable and not very distracting. But I’m afraid the numerous amount of errors and misrepresented facts I found in this book is not as forgivable. These mistakes present inaccurate information that misinforms the reader and puts into question the research, attention, and time put in by the author and editors. It’s both disappointing and frustrating as I loved everything else about this book and would have been happy to give it 5 stars! But I’m afraid due to the many unacceptable errors that I found to be disruptive to my overall enjoyment, my rating will have to be 3.5 stars. Which is a shame because this could have been a perfect gift to give to Janeites and Austen-lovers this year!
Austenesque Reviews
December 20, 2015
Great idea, very poor execution. Reads like the draft of a very pedestrian high school research paper, complete with a selected bibliography chock full of websites of dubious credibility... Disappointing.
November 9, 2015
A true Christmas gem for the Jane Austen Lover! From its gorgeous presentation to the contents within, it was like the unwrapping of a much anticipated gift.
The book is sectioned by a handful of years that highlight significant points in Jane Austen's life. The focus is the Christmas season for each of these years. Beyond this, the author fills in details of English daily life, Christmas traditions, social customs, recipes, descriptions, illustrations, and of course the details of Jane and her Austen family's life found in letters and research notes of Austen and Georgian Era experts.
The strings of quotes might have been considered dry or even disconnected, but I found them insightful, informative, and most definitely entertaining. I found it interesting which moments of Jane's life the author chose to highlight and also how his opinions leaned about these fascinating moments. For instance, the first and second chapters placed a spotlight on Jane's cousin, Eliza. And not just Eliza, but the situation with Henry and James Austen vying for her attentions. I knew about Henry's interest of course seeing as how he married Eliza, but that was a surprise about James. And it was fun to see the parallels made to Jane's infamous character, Lady Susan.
For the most part, the details, but no less of interest. I felt delightfully immersed in the Georgian Holiday Season and I treasured this time to spend it with the witty, vivacious Jane Austen.
This would make a lovely gift for the Austen lover and I would definitely recommend it to serious Austenesque lover and those who are new to Jane Austen and wish to know her better.
The book is sectioned by a handful of years that highlight significant points in Jane Austen's life. The focus is the Christmas season for each of these years. Beyond this, the author fills in details of English daily life, Christmas traditions, social customs, recipes, descriptions, illustrations, and of course the details of Jane and her Austen family's life found in letters and research notes of Austen and Georgian Era experts.
The strings of quotes might have been considered dry or even disconnected, but I found them insightful, informative, and most definitely entertaining. I found it interesting which moments of Jane's life the author chose to highlight and also how his opinions leaned about these fascinating moments. For instance, the first and second chapters placed a spotlight on Jane's cousin, Eliza. And not just Eliza, but the situation with Henry and James Austen vying for her attentions. I knew about Henry's interest of course seeing as how he married Eliza, but that was a surprise about James. And it was fun to see the parallels made to Jane's infamous character, Lady Susan.
For the most part, the details, but no less of interest. I felt delightfully immersed in the Georgian Holiday Season and I treasured this time to spend it with the witty, vivacious Jane Austen.
This would make a lovely gift for the Austen lover and I would definitely recommend it to serious Austenesque lover and those who are new to Jane Austen and wish to know her better.
November 3, 2024
Not quite what I was expecting. It was all right, but did not dive into Jane's Christmas traditions nearly as much as I had hoped. The style of the information presented here is very disjointed and did not put me in the shoes of a young Jane celebrating Christmas with her family. In hindsight, I'm not even sure what this book is actually about or why it needed to exist at all.
Update: Okay, I'm losing my damn mind right now. I'm freaking out. I just finished reading this book only to discover that I have already reviewed it. I HAVE NO MEMORY OF READING THIS. I always remember every book I've read but I genuinely have thrown this book from my mind. And the even weirder thing was that I liked it way more than this old review says. I enjoyed it quite a bit. When the hell did I read this? I'm so confused.
Update: Okay, I'm losing my damn mind right now. I'm freaking out. I just finished reading this book only to discover that I have already reviewed it. I HAVE NO MEMORY OF READING THIS. I always remember every book I've read but I genuinely have thrown this book from my mind. And the even weirder thing was that I liked it way more than this old review says. I enjoyed it quite a bit. When the hell did I read this? I'm so confused.
December 17, 2015
This was a profoundly disappointing book. The book is nothing more than a long string of block-quotes, occasionally strung together by typos and factual errors. At best, five percent of the text is actually written by the author.
Mostly, the author simply pulls multiple paragraphs at a time from other and better writers, puts them in quotation marks, and considers that sufficient.
On the rare occasions that the author does bother to write a sentence or two, it invariably is riddled with mistakes, sometimes mere spelling or grammatical errors, and at other times incorrect summaries of Austen's novels, suggesting the author is perhaps not actually familiar with the books - characters and storylines get attributed to the wrong novels with alarming frequency.
At one point, there was an entire paragraph that appeared to be written by the author himself. Shocked at this change in format, I searched online to see if perhaps the ever-present quotation marks had merely run into the perpetual typographic errors, and been accidentally omitted. I discovered that, in fact, the paragraph had been lifted without attribution from Wikipedia.
Mostly, the author simply pulls multiple paragraphs at a time from other and better writers, puts them in quotation marks, and considers that sufficient.
On the rare occasions that the author does bother to write a sentence or two, it invariably is riddled with mistakes, sometimes mere spelling or grammatical errors, and at other times incorrect summaries of Austen's novels, suggesting the author is perhaps not actually familiar with the books - characters and storylines get attributed to the wrong novels with alarming frequency.
At one point, there was an entire paragraph that appeared to be written by the author himself. Shocked at this change in format, I searched online to see if perhaps the ever-present quotation marks had merely run into the perpetual typographic errors, and been accidentally omitted. I discovered that, in fact, the paragraph had been lifted without attribution from Wikipedia.
January 2, 2016
Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Every single year I see some shiny book at Barnes and Noble that looks historical and Christmassy and I pounce on it, deluded by the glossy stuff on the cover, only to find that it will not actually make me an expert on Customs of Christmases Past. This years’ epic fail is A Jane Austen Christmas: Celebrating the Season of Romance, Ribbons, and Mistletoe by Carlo Devito. It has a great concept, but not much actual content. The embossing is a trap, people.
This book has two huge problems that turned me into a raging hulk monster from hell. Here they are:
1. There’s actually not that much about Christmas. The majority of the book talks about Austen’s life. The framing of the book is potentially interesting (it explores the Christmas season in different years of Austen’s life) but also misleading (it’s about two-thirds biography, one-third Regency Christmas customs).
2. For a book that includes so much history, it’s very superficial. Obviously, Devito did research. There’s an extensive bibliography and a lot of quotes from various sources. But so many things involve gross speculation or things taken out of context that it’s difficult to believe any part of it.
I like the concept behind this book. The idea of taking a number of important Christmases in Austen’s life, and structuring the exploration of Christmas traditions around those events, is a great idea. But I’m not sold on this as a reliable source of biography or history. I also don’t feel like I know much more about Regency Christmases than I did before I picked the book up. Granted I did come to the book as someone who knows a little Regency history, and I think this book is aimed at people who are just starting to dip a toe into these waters. But still, for a book that cost $16.99 with a member discount at Barnes and Noble, there’s not a ton of Christmas stuff in here.
- Carrie S.
Every single year I see some shiny book at Barnes and Noble that looks historical and Christmassy and I pounce on it, deluded by the glossy stuff on the cover, only to find that it will not actually make me an expert on Customs of Christmases Past. This years’ epic fail is A Jane Austen Christmas: Celebrating the Season of Romance, Ribbons, and Mistletoe by Carlo Devito. It has a great concept, but not much actual content. The embossing is a trap, people.
This book has two huge problems that turned me into a raging hulk monster from hell. Here they are:
1. There’s actually not that much about Christmas. The majority of the book talks about Austen’s life. The framing of the book is potentially interesting (it explores the Christmas season in different years of Austen’s life) but also misleading (it’s about two-thirds biography, one-third Regency Christmas customs).
2. For a book that includes so much history, it’s very superficial. Obviously, Devito did research. There’s an extensive bibliography and a lot of quotes from various sources. But so many things involve gross speculation or things taken out of context that it’s difficult to believe any part of it.
I like the concept behind this book. The idea of taking a number of important Christmases in Austen’s life, and structuring the exploration of Christmas traditions around those events, is a great idea. But I’m not sold on this as a reliable source of biography or history. I also don’t feel like I know much more about Regency Christmases than I did before I picked the book up. Granted I did come to the book as someone who knows a little Regency history, and I think this book is aimed at people who are just starting to dip a toe into these waters. But still, for a book that cost $16.99 with a member discount at Barnes and Noble, there’s not a ton of Christmas stuff in here.
- Carrie S.
December 25, 2016
A description of Jane Austen's and Georgian Christmas traditions, divided into six different years. An interesting read for this day.
December 23, 2023
This book is for the ardent admirer of Jane Austen. It’s a short work discussing Regency Christmas celebrations and traditions with specific examples from Jane Austen’s novels and personal letters.
Her sister Cassandra’s notation in her personal copy of Persuasion (posthumously published) made me all teary.
I highly commend this book to you, but only if you are interested in the minutiae of Jane Austen’s life.
Her sister Cassandra’s notation in her personal copy of Persuasion (posthumously published) made me all teary.
I highly commend this book to you, but only if you are interested in the minutiae of Jane Austen’s life.
December 12, 2015
I do have to agree with Meredith who in her review lists misspellings and misinformation. I took a pen or pencil and wrote corrections in my hard cover version.
I did find that Mr. DeVito quoted many other authors or historians in giving us the viewpoints of not only what is happening in history but also in Jane’s family during this period. Jane’s relatives are quoted in telling us of the family and its personal history around the years listed in this book.
First of all it is pointed out here, as it is on many blogs concerning Jane Austen, that Christmas in the Georgian Era is not the Christmas of the Victorian age, noting that Queen Victoria placing a Christmas tree in the palace in honor of her consort’s Germanic culture was the beginning of all the decorating that we consider traditional now.
Then the author takes time, as have others in JAFF, to label and describe all those decorations, the kissing bough, the Yule log, the plum pudding, etc. Subsequently he points out that Jane’s time in history was a time of travel and visiting between family, friends and acquaintances. He pays attention to some years between 1786 and 1815 and gives many details to the relationships, paying some notice to Jane’s love interests (Tom LeFoy and Harris Bigg-Wither) and the attentions of her two brothers to a cousin, Eliza. I have read or viewed movies which also make note of these. Plus we read of the family’s interest in literature and the promotion of such, with family theatrics during holidays. All of Jane’s books with the publication of such are detailed. We read of the Prince’s interest in her works and the “suggestion” of a book dedicated to him…much to her chagrin.
Some focus was paid to the recipes for and brewing of various spirits and beers, etc. for the community of this period. That was new intelligence for me but not something I plan to attempt.
This was a very short story of some interest. The cover is lovely. But it could use a good proof reading.
I did find that Mr. DeVito quoted many other authors or historians in giving us the viewpoints of not only what is happening in history but also in Jane’s family during this period. Jane’s relatives are quoted in telling us of the family and its personal history around the years listed in this book.
First of all it is pointed out here, as it is on many blogs concerning Jane Austen, that Christmas in the Georgian Era is not the Christmas of the Victorian age, noting that Queen Victoria placing a Christmas tree in the palace in honor of her consort’s Germanic culture was the beginning of all the decorating that we consider traditional now.
Then the author takes time, as have others in JAFF, to label and describe all those decorations, the kissing bough, the Yule log, the plum pudding, etc. Subsequently he points out that Jane’s time in history was a time of travel and visiting between family, friends and acquaintances. He pays attention to some years between 1786 and 1815 and gives many details to the relationships, paying some notice to Jane’s love interests (Tom LeFoy and Harris Bigg-Wither) and the attentions of her two brothers to a cousin, Eliza. I have read or viewed movies which also make note of these. Plus we read of the family’s interest in literature and the promotion of such, with family theatrics during holidays. All of Jane’s books with the publication of such are detailed. We read of the Prince’s interest in her works and the “suggestion” of a book dedicated to him…much to her chagrin.
Some focus was paid to the recipes for and brewing of various spirits and beers, etc. for the community of this period. That was new intelligence for me but not something I plan to attempt.
This was a very short story of some interest. The cover is lovely. But it could use a good proof reading.
November 3, 2015
Since Christmas is my favorite holiday, I was especially interested in reading more about how it was celebrated in the time of my favorite author. This non-fiction book is a delightful and informative look into the lives of the Austen family during six special Christmastides. From balls and assemblies to the publishing of Emma, we get a glimpse into some of the history of Jane and her family as well as the traditions of the times.
I found A Jane Austen Christmas by Carlo DeVito to be well researched and fascinating. Some things I had read before and others I had not. For any fan of Jane Austen or the Regency period, this is a book to own and have readily available. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more of how Christmastide was spent in the life and times of Jane Austen, from what was cooked to card games and dances. Add to that some history of Jane and her family, a few illustrations and a gorgeous book jacket on a hardcover book, you have a book worthy of a special place in any library.
The book is divided into the six Christmastides plus an Epilogue but for the purposes of this review, I will not include the small sampling from each part. If you are interested in reading my full review, please do so at my blog, More Agreeably Engaged. http://moreagreeablyengaged.blogspot....
I found A Jane Austen Christmas by Carlo DeVito to be well researched and fascinating. Some things I had read before and others I had not. For any fan of Jane Austen or the Regency period, this is a book to own and have readily available. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more of how Christmastide was spent in the life and times of Jane Austen, from what was cooked to card games and dances. Add to that some history of Jane and her family, a few illustrations and a gorgeous book jacket on a hardcover book, you have a book worthy of a special place in any library.
The book is divided into the six Christmastides plus an Epilogue but for the purposes of this review, I will not include the small sampling from each part. If you are interested in reading my full review, please do so at my blog, More Agreeably Engaged. http://moreagreeablyengaged.blogspot....
October 5, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this delightful book. It was fascinating to learn how important Christmas celebrations were to the social culture of the time, particularly young adults of marriageable age. The author researched the roots of some of the Christmas customs; for example, I did not know that the custom of wassailing began in pre-Norman England with the practice of singing apple trees awake.
What was most intriguing to me about this book, was being introduced to several of the people in Jane's life who later influenced her characters, such as her cousin Eliza.
What was most intriguing to me about this book, was being introduced to several of the people in Jane's life who later influenced her characters, such as her cousin Eliza.
December 28, 2017
Really like 2 and a half. Overall it was really interesting but it took like a while to get into the book because, especially the first section, felt so redundant at times and for the most part there were too many quotes, no footnotes, citation from websites. It felt a lot like I was reading a college paper instead of a researched book. It also felt a bit like the author was grasping at straws. I like Jane Austen enough to forgive the faults of certain and there was a lot of interesting information that I didn't know about or forgot about, especially when dealing with the period of times. But it fell flat because of the writing and because I felt the author was trying to draw this Austen Christmas narrative that wasn't totally there. Overall I enjoyed it but it could've been much better.
December 19, 2016
A disappointing attempt to capitalize on "all things Austen", this book made me feel like I was reading a research paper done by a high school student, full of quotations by other people and very little original content. And there are some editorial errors in spelling, grammar, and content that reinforce that sensation.
I was even more disappointed the book didn't focus more on Christmas and Christmas customs. It was a great idea; not so great execution. (Even if what the Austen's actually did at Christmas isn't known, surely more could be extrapolated from other primary sources.) And the book concludes oddly because it never circles back to Christmas.
I feel that Stephanie Barron handled this subject better in a work of historical fiction.
I was even more disappointed the book didn't focus more on Christmas and Christmas customs. It was a great idea; not so great execution. (Even if what the Austen's actually did at Christmas isn't known, surely more could be extrapolated from other primary sources.) And the book concludes oddly because it never circles back to Christmas.
I feel that Stephanie Barron handled this subject better in a work of historical fiction.
December 24, 2015
This is a quick but interesting read. It provides historical context for some of what happens in Jane Austen's novels as well as shedding light on how Christmas was celebrated in her time. It mostly made me want to throw a fancy Christmas party and read more Jane Austen novels.
November 29, 2020
What a delightful book! I so enjoyed the way this biography was presented - how Christmas was celebrated (food - including recipes!) . I liked how it was divided by Christmastides in order of years.
And, it's such a beautiful cover. I would recommend this book to anyone!
And, it's such a beautiful cover. I would recommend this book to anyone!
December 30, 2015
2.6 -- It needs a better editing job. The author borrowed heavily from previously published books.
January 9, 2017
Much information of interest, I would have enjoyed it more with closer attention to editing.
December 12, 2022
Not as much about Christmas as about Austen's life, but interesting nonetheless.
December 14, 2017
I was hoping this book would be more than it was. It had such promise as a little collection of Austen family Christmas traditions and moments.
However, it ended up a disappointment for me. While I thought much of the Austen-related trivia was interesting, it did seem like a book of trivia, rather than a well-described portrait of Christmas as Jane would’ve experienced it. There was much information in the book that did not seem to fit with the topic of either the Austens or Christmas.
And, as I just completed my English course at college, I could not help but notice that this book suffers greatly from clumsy source integration and a lack of copy editing.
Unfortunately, much of the book reads like a long collection of quotes by specifically-named people from Austen-related websites strung together rather inexpertly. The effect is that much of the information seems disconnected and some of it is unrelated or confusing.
It reads like a research paper more than a book. I noticed many typographical errors that took away from the professionalism of the book as such.
I wish I liked this book more! I liked the idea, but wished the author would’ve writing more himself, instead of simply compiling from other sources.
However, it ended up a disappointment for me. While I thought much of the Austen-related trivia was interesting, it did seem like a book of trivia, rather than a well-described portrait of Christmas as Jane would’ve experienced it. There was much information in the book that did not seem to fit with the topic of either the Austens or Christmas.
And, as I just completed my English course at college, I could not help but notice that this book suffers greatly from clumsy source integration and a lack of copy editing.
Unfortunately, much of the book reads like a long collection of quotes by specifically-named people from Austen-related websites strung together rather inexpertly. The effect is that much of the information seems disconnected and some of it is unrelated or confusing.
It reads like a research paper more than a book. I noticed many typographical errors that took away from the professionalism of the book as such.
I wish I liked this book more! I liked the idea, but wished the author would’ve writing more himself, instead of simply compiling from other sources.
April 11, 2024
Whilst I appreciate the idea of this book, there were a huge number of inaccuracies. Mr Bingley in Sense and Sensibility? I don't think so.
There was a significant lack of explanation, with family and friends of Austen lacking introductions and hard to follow. It was largely comprised of quotes from academics and less-than-reliable sources (blogs and fan-sites for example), leaving me questioning the legitimacy of any information I read. I had expected more of a fun manual for the reader to have their own Austen inspired Christmas, or a true academic work, and received neither.
The best part was reading Austen's own letters and some contemporary recipes. The ending felt slightly against the idea of Christmas cheer, as it focused on Austen's death.
I feel sorry for people who bought this book and didn't just get it out a library like I did.
There was a significant lack of explanation, with family and friends of Austen lacking introductions and hard to follow. It was largely comprised of quotes from academics and less-than-reliable sources (blogs and fan-sites for example), leaving me questioning the legitimacy of any information I read. I had expected more of a fun manual for the reader to have their own Austen inspired Christmas, or a true academic work, and received neither.
The best part was reading Austen's own letters and some contemporary recipes. The ending felt slightly against the idea of Christmas cheer, as it focused on Austen's death.
I feel sorry for people who bought this book and didn't just get it out a library like I did.
January 17, 2019
This book follows Jane Austen over several Christmas seasons, with five or so years between. I learned about how Christmas was celebrated in the era and what Austen's life was like at these different periods. The book includes some traditional holiday recipes, and those seemed wacky to me. I was very interested in learning more about Austen's life, family, and love interests, so I really enjoyed that. I liked the snippets of Austen's letters and the references cited seemed good to me. Two things kept me from giving it more stars. There were mistakes that should have been corrected with editing. And I don't like it when a book says something like, "Jane must have felt...". I can make my own assumptions.
December 27, 2020
The historical information in this book was interesting, and that's the only reason I finished reading it. But I couldn't give it more than three stars because (a) there were many mistakes in the book so, clearly, the editors did the author a disservice, (b) the author relied heavily on quotes, which was distracting (he could have woven in the information in his own words and used footnotes when he wanted to give credit to his sources), and (c) the flow from one topic to the next seemed random at times. But, again, I appreciated learning more about the customs of Austen's time and her family history.
December 27, 2018
I can only give this an 'it was OK' rating. For a Janeite, it's really just a Christmas decoration. The writing and editing is careless in spots, with errors, some spelling, others that clang. Tom Lefroy arrives to see Jane with his 'brother George'. A few paragraphs later it turns out that George is a cousin, not a brother. Also, Mr. Bingley is not the man sent away from a penniless love interest in Sense & Sensibility, because he is not in it. That would be Mr. Willoughby. Bingley as everybody knows belongs to Pride & Prejudice.
December 12, 2020
This was enjoyable. However, it was in need of a copy editor (or a better one) because I found numerous mistakes -- in spelling, punctuation, and other errors that should have been caught. Also, I was expecting more about Christmas and less about Jane's life. This was more of Jane Austen's life story, with tiny smatterings of Christmas thrown in, than the opposite as the title would lead you to believe.
That all being said, I did enjoy reading it and especially enjoyed what little anecdotes there were about Christmas during her time.
That all being said, I did enjoy reading it and especially enjoyed what little anecdotes there were about Christmas during her time.
January 26, 2018
This book is a fun little read, although one that would have benefited from another editing read through before publication. It describes the Christmas season during various years of Jane Austen's life, quoting experts and her letters. The writing style is a bit odd as it is mostly quotes, but it pulls together well enough for anyone who is interested in Jane Austen and wants one more quick little tidbit to read.
December 31, 2022
A view of the Georgian Christmas via an examination of six Christmases in Jane Austen's life.
The contents include many of Jane's letters and quite a lot of recipes from the time but there were was very little that I felt connected me in any way to Jane Austen. A bland little book which I suspect was cobbled together rather roughly then Austen's name popped on the cover to cash in on the current craze for anything 'Regency'.
The contents include many of Jane's letters and quite a lot of recipes from the time but there were was very little that I felt connected me in any way to Jane Austen. A bland little book which I suspect was cobbled together rather roughly then Austen's name popped on the cover to cash in on the current craze for anything 'Regency'.
December 2, 2017
This is the worst book I have ever picked up. It is embarrassing how bad this book is. The author is an idiot. The entire book is quotes. It is full of errors. In short, this book should have never been published. Waste of money.
January 3, 2019
Challenge: Holiday Book Bingo 2018 - Non-fiction (2). The last of my book bingo categories completes 2018 holiday reads during these Twelve Days of Christmas befitting Georgian/Regency England and the happiness and losses experienced by Jane Austen at this time of year.
December 26, 2021
I highly enjoyed the first few chapters of how it described the history behind Christmas traditions. As it then moved forward with describing how certain Christmas events shaped Jane Austen, I found the writing lacking. There were many editing errors that it almost felt like a draft.
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