The Jane Austen Handbook
Proper Life Skills from Regency England

This thin book certainly fleshes out the Regency period and codifies much of what goes on beneath the plots of Austen’s novels. What also aids the reader is how Sullivan has divided up her observations on manners, tasks, and responsibilities. It could also have been titled: “How the Gentry can Achie......more

I liked about 40% of this book. Because 40% of it is interesting content about the world and social mores that Jane Austen's characters inhabited. 60% of it pretends to be that, but is actually slightly sarcastic lists that are essentially cribbed from Austen's book plots, rather than being factual......more

Imagine that you were Amanda Price from Lost in Austen or Courtney Stone from Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and you found yourself inexplicably transported to the time period of Jane Austen's novels. Would you be able to pass yourself off as a Regency heroine? Or would your ignorance of Regenc......more

The sole reason I picked this up was for a challenge where I needed to read a "regency" related book. I tried a pure history book, and while I finish almost every book I start, I just couldn't make myself. This light, short book seemed like just the ticket. The frame is that the reader is an aspiring......more

Jane Austen published her first novel in 1811, but today she's more popular than ever. Film adaptations of her books are nominated for Academy Awards. Chick lit bestsellers are based on her plots. And a new biopic of Austen herself Becoming Jane arrives in theaters this spring. For all those readers......more