Reviewer: Amy Lignor
Title: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
Author: Syrie James
Publisher: AVON, an Imprint of HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0-06-144369-5
Release Date: November 2007
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Fiction
Year/Setting: Jane Austen’s World/1800’s
Overall Rating: 4.0
Sexual Content Rating: None
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: None
Syrie's Website:
www.syriejames.com
Dear Readers: Yes. I am a definite Jane Austen fan. She is, in my mind, one of the most prolific and fascinating writers ever to grace us with her imagination. This book is absolutely charming and if you are a Jane Austen fan, you will understand literally every word and feeling the woman ever had. The Editor of this beguiling story of the beloved writer is also President of the Jane Austen Literary Foundation. In the beginning of the book she offers us the information that some may not know – Austen’s journals were recently found in Chawton Manor House – one of many homes owned by Jane’s brother, Edward, where Jane lived for many years. A workman employed to repair the old roof discovered an old seaman’s chest that was bricked up behind one of the walls in the attic. The box held old manuscripts and a tiny velvet box with a gold and ruby ring inside. Much to everyone’s extreme happiness, Jane Austen’s lost memoirs were found and have been preserved for the next generation.
The question of who Jane’s handsome man was, who must have been the basis for many stories of love that flowed effortlessly from her pen, is answered in these journals. Not only that but the stories of her and her sister are so completely fantastic that you will literally ‘see’ where the much beloved scenes from Pride and Prejudice, (which was originally titled First Impressions), Sense and Sensibility, Emma – and all her other masterpieces – came from.
This will not only entrance readers, but struggling writers as well. Jane was an independent, confident woman living in a world where men held the professions, acquired wealth and respect, while the women simply married and had children – more for security than love. But Jane was the ultimate romantic. She had met her own ‘Mr. Darcy’ during her lifetime and was not about to settle for any relationship that wasn’t based on true love.
There are parts, of course, that will break your heart. I was reading a letter sent to Jane very early on in the book where ‘Mr. Perfect’ had to leave town – immediately. All I could think of was poor Jane in Pride and Prejudice when Mr. Bingley sent a letter saying he was leaving, and how much her heart hurt. Jane Austen definitely wrote from experience and continues connecting with new generations of readers who find her truly amazing. Read This!
Amy
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