Yes, the famous amber cross gifted by her brother is one, and her writing desk gifted from her father.

She considers Austen through the lens of physical objects that impacted her life. No matter how many books on Jane Austen I read, there is always something new to learn.īyrne's book is entertaining and I enjoyed reading it. The end result is a portrait of a far more sophisticated woman than hitherto presented, one who matches the impressive skill, wisdom and wit of a novelist whose work continues to reach new audiences over two centuries later.Every scholar brings their own interpretations and insights to their subject. She has found clues in unlikely places to give us a fresh and rounded perspective. She demonstrates, for instance, that Austen had numerous male admirers, men she could have married, if not for her alarm at the premature deaths of friends and sisters-in-law in childbirth-and because what she wanted to do was write.īyrne approached her subject as a fan with a complex understanding of Austen’s novels. And Byrne has not skimped on her research, which appears to have been both exhaustive and perceptive. Working from the perspective of key influences, rather than chronology, has teased out surprising details not found in other biographies.

The format provides lively detail and seems to engage Austen herself in a duet-like performance that brings her on stage as a partner in her own biography. She builds interest and surprise throughout, enlivening her standard nonfiction form with quotes from Austen’s novels. More than any other biography to date, Byrne’s approach reveals the sources for Austen’s inspiration for her characters and settings, entering each new area of her life, sparked by a significant personal object as a metaphoric portal.īyrne’s approach could be and confusing, moving back and forth as it does across the span of the author’s short life, but it’s not. Her chapters focus on the influence of Austen’s family setting, her brothers, her passion for theatre and her moral code, to name a few. She didn’t follow the usual linear path, starting from Austen’s birth on a snowy winter morning in 1775, but instead approaches her subject from thematic subjects. Byrne approaches her subject from a unique perspective.

Perhaps you’re writing a biography and want a fresh approach? Or maybe you’re a fellow “Janeite” longing for new insights into the author’s inspiration and ideas? Both can be found in Paula Byrne’s new biography The Real Jane Austen, A Life in Small Things (2013). Here’s a New Approach to Writing a Biography Book Review: The Real Jane Austen, A Life in Small Things, Paula Byrne

The Real Jane Austen by Paula Byrne