Riddle’s Reviews > Jane Austen: Her Life > Status Update
Riddle
is on page 179 of 464
I'm a little confused. Up until, say, 30 pages ago, I couldn't have told you who this book is supposed to be about. While there is a good deal about Jane, there's also a good bit about Eliza, Cassandra, both her parents, both her brothers, some relatives, Nelson, a Navy officer if I remember correctly, Frank, etc. While that's nice, I want to know about Jane Austen, not several detailed accounts of those nearest her.
— Oct 22, 2026 11:12AM
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Riddle
is on page 460 of 464
It amazes me that the hearing of the death of a woman, who I have never met or had any chance of meeting, can bring me to tears. I will give this book 3 stars. There is a lot of interesting info on Jane Austen, such as her interest in books and music and some of her life; and the analysis of her books at the end was splendid! But while you'll learn a lot about her, the same can be said about half a dozen others.
— Oct 27, 2026 07:45AM
Riddle
is on page 97 of 464
The thought of Jane Austen going out and essentially "people watching," then creating a story about it and giggling with one of her friends is one of the most fascinating and coolest things I have ever read.
— Oct 15, 2026 05:58AM
Riddle
is on page 72 of 464
Honestly, I'm liking it so far and I'm learning a lot. One thing of note is, with several notable figures I have read about, is the amount of social support they all seem to have. One thing I was taught growing up was doing things by yourself, but from the looks of it Austen, Tolkien, Napolean, and Schwarzenegger, to name a few, had quite a bit of help socially. It took me forever to even get help at my job!
— Oct 14, 2026 02:48AM
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jacob
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Oct 22, 2026 08:16PM
I wonder if Honan has made the regrettable (possibly somewhat forced) decision to try to tell the story of Jane Austen through the stories of those around her, since so much of JA's correspondence was destroyed, and her family started with the hagiography when she had barely departed this earth. It's probably quite hard to tell a true & interesting story of Jane Austen with so little as we have of her! But, if that was what Honan was thinking, it's unfortunate if it's not interesting—and truly sad if Jane gets lost in the mix!
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jacob wrote: "I wonder if Honan has made the regrettable (possibly somewhat forced) decision to try to tell the story of Jane Austen through the stories of those around her, since so much of JA's correspondence ..."That's an interesting theory! I hadn't thought of it. I have read the biography her family made about her, and her selected letters, but that might just be making the confusion worse. But it seems to be picking up a bit now; it's looking into her social life and how she actually made similar mistakes as her heroines, such as Emma, which I didn't know and think is really cool! Perhaps that's on me and managing my expectations?
I think it's so interesting that, to a certain extent like any of her heroines in her novels, Austen must, because of a dearth of primary sources (e.g., correspondence, journals, novel manuscripts, &c.), be biographically constructed in large part by telling the stories of those around her. I can certainly see how it would leave a reader a little disappointed, because one wants more of Austen. One always wants more of Austen—and what an interesting and uncommon legacy! We have so much of other authors. Probably (?) wasn't intentional, but the air of mystique has certainly not hurt her standing in literary history! I'll be watching for your updates and review on this one! Very curious where you'll come down on it in the end. Haven't read any Austen biographies yet but certainly want to. Have you read any others?