Catherine Reef, author of non-fiction works about Ernest Hemingway, Sigmund Freud, and George Gershwin, offers teen readers an erudite and historically sensitive biography of Jane Austen that combines the author's personal life with the culture and society of Georgian England in Jane Austen: A LIfe Revealed (Clarion Books, 2011).
Synopsis of Catherine Reef's Jane Austen: A Life Revealed for Teens
Catherine Reef covers Jane Austen's brief life in nine short chapters. She informs the reader that she'll do her best to find the real Jane despite the Austen family's attempts to manage Jane's image after the author's death.
From birth to death, Jane Austen's life is viewed through her letters and those of her loved ones. Lessons on historical events, dress, and values of Georgian England as well as synopses of Austen's works such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma carry the narrative when evidence of the author's life is lacking. Readers will be delighted to learn of Austen's lovers, known and unknown, what her nieces and nephews thought of her, and how she spent her youth, among other fascinating tidbits.
Review of Catherine Reef's Jane Austen: A Life Revealed
Reef's research for this biography is impressive, to say the least. She cites over fifty sources in her bibliography, including many previous biographies of Austen, letters from Austen's neighbors, siblings, and contemporaries, and early editions of Austen's novels. Jane Austen fans of all ages are likely to learn from Reef's extensive research. An Austen family tree, images of Austen's friends and neighbors, and list of Austen's complete works bring Jane Austen's world alive for her fans today.
Reef is not afraid to admit when evidence is lacking about Austen's life, adding to the mystery about this much beloved contributor to English literature. She uses general information about Austen's day, quotes from famous contempories such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Princess Charlotte, and synopses of Austen's novels to fill in some gaps, though the overview of the novels can be tedious for the well-read Austen fan.
Jane Austen: A Life Revealed is an excellent and well-crafted biography of Jane Austen, though better suited to a Jane Austen fan than a teenager seeking to learn more about Jane but less familiar with the author's work. An Austen fan myself, I read the book in an evening and grieved when the end came. Grade: A-
About Catherine Reef
Catherine Reef lives in Maryland with her husband and beloved dog. For nearly twenty years, she has written non-fiction for young adults. She has won numerous awards for her books, though Reef shares on her website that she writes what she does because "no readers are more important than our young people. They deserve good books!" (Reef, Meet the Author page).
Source:
- Reef, Catherine. Jane Austen: A Life Revealed. Clarion Books: Boston, 2011.
Melissa Roberts - A trained hospital chaplain, Melissa is a freelance writer, teacher, retreat leader, and spiritual director.
