A well-written, well-researched biography of our beloved, complex spinster. While the book doesn't annoyingly dwell on its far-fetched claim to be the "true love story that inspired the classic novels", it does often try to make some leaps of faith (most notably the weight it places on the character names of novels as evidence). Some of the interpretations of her novels are equally improbable. But this is an engaging, interesting biography woven with Jane's letters and her novels. It is the story not only of her life and her times, but also of the people who surrounded and influenced her. It is a story of how she saw the world, of her complex character, and how the woman in love with marriage chose her novels to be her children. Well worth the read. Grade: B+

If you are looking for every detail of Jane Austen's life and works, this is the book for you. For me, there was so much detail that it made for slow reading, but if I was an Austen fanatic (instead of an enthusiast), this would be the book for me.

This is a wonderful book. It also arrived quickly and in perfect condition! Good Work.

I was skeptical about this book when I got it. But I ended up loving it. The information is presented in a way that makes it very interesting. You get to know more than just Jane, you get to know her family and friends too. I would recommend it to any Jane fan.

Very good book---I have read 6 other bios on Jane Austen this book was one
of the best.

Spence is a scholar but here he is writing for the public. He appears to draw heavily from published anthologies of Austen's letters, the Austen family will, etc., rather than primary sources themselves. This is information that readers could have sought out on their own or found in another biography. Where Spence shines is in his inter-weaving of family biography with literary critique, and, perhaps more controversially, his attempts to explicitly link events/people in Austen's life to her fictional characters and senarios.

I would consider this a fairly edgy enterprise relative to the work of "traditional" historians. Still, the discipline has, like others, changed over the past several decades, and not only recognizes the impossibility of objectivity, but allows for more explicit individual interpretation. And in fact, most of Spence's extrapolations are not only fascinating but well-supported; for example, his contention that Austen's own family history laid the groundwork for the three Ward sisters' differing marriages (in Mansfield Park) makes perfect sense. A minority of his contentions appears to have involved a bit too much creative interpretation, but one can simply research those on one's own or come to one's own conclusions.

To read this book is to be impressed by the very fragility of life--especially for childbearing women--in early 19th century England. The book is riddled with so many early (under 30) and childbirth deaths, it appears amazing women agreed to marriage in the first place. But that, of course, is Spence's second achievement: impressing upon us the deeply precarious financial position in which women found themselves, unable to earn their own keep and forced to rely on the support of a brother, husband, or the bequest of a dying relation.

My only problem with the book is the slightly prosaic writing style, the repeated use of slangy words (i.e. tetchy) and the puzzling reliance on second-person address (i.e. "You see.." "You read this and feel..."). I have never read a work by a professional historian to refer directly to readers and not to the general populace ("one feels..." "one can see...").

Novel-like in its readability, thoughtful and unafraid of contention, Becoming Jane Austen deserves a place on the shelf of every English lit or history fan, Austenite or no.

I saw this paperback movie tie-in last night and grabbed it.
I love Jane and am looking forward to the film. I've read a
number of bios of Jane over the years and this one looks
interesting.

However, I have to give a thumbs down to the publisher.
Where are the illustrations that are clearly listed in
the text? The author obviously included them in the
original edition, but they are gone from this one.
When I pay $15 for a book, even a paperback, I expect
to get the WHOLE book, illustrations included. The
paperback edition of "Queen Isabella" by Allison Weir,
which was about the same price, included ALL the
illustrations from the original, and in color! So
what's the deal with Continuum? I'd return the book.
except I still want to read it. Maybe I'll get it
out of the library and see what I'm missing!