"The book opens a closed window to the private and obscure life of Jane Austen where we find Martha Lloyd sharing an inseparable bond born out of love, empathy, passion for literature, and the unkind phase of destiny as well."

About the Book

Jane Austen’s Best friend: The Life & Influence of Martha Lloyd, is a biographical memoir of Martha Lloyd, penned down by the author Zöe P Wheddon. Author Zöe Wheddon has recollected the life of Marth Lloyd and her friendship with Jane Austen after extensive research of archives, meeting people, visiting places, and taking a note of every piece of information available about them. This recollection is curated & crafted into an intimate memoir of a special friendship between a 13-year old Jane and a 23-year old Martha which grew deeper over the decades of their lives.

An unusual bond of friendship bloomed in the study chambers of the Austen family when Martha Lloyd, daughter of Revered Noyes of Bishopstone and Mrs. Martha Crave came to live in Dean Parsonage, after the demise of her father. Martha Lloyd, who met an unkind fate at a young age, was soon smitten by the creativity and artistic taste of the Austen family. But for Jane, who was known for her intellectual curiosity, wit and burlesque mannerism, it was not enough to have a good taste to become ‘the friend and sister under every circumstances’. Martha’s rationality, intellect, good humour and opinionated personality interested Jane, and it didn’t take long for these two to become acquaintances and then close friends. Martha was Jane’s escape from the dull, irrational, and unjust social circles and her companion & confidant in the secret world of writing. Jane was all ears to Martha’s opinion in her decisions and conscious of her criticism of her work. Their friendship had to suffer the pain of separation and unexpected turbulent times, but the warmth never faded. The book opens a closed window to the private and obscure life of Jane Austen where we find Martha Lloyd sharing an inseparable bond born out of love, empathy, passion for literature, and the unkind phase of destiny as well.

Structure and Elements of the book
The book is a biography of Martha Lloyd, and traces the life of Martha and Jane with a detailed account of births, marriages, literary career, death and other events with dates & places that can be validated from the referenced sources in the book. The 16 well-curated chapter, capture the essence of the thrill, humour, warmth and depth of friendship between Jane & Martha. Besides, the central characters, the book also describe the characters, lives and the significance of both Jane & Martha’s family. Mary James Austen is one character you can never forget in your life and can’t help but imagine living with her.

The author deserves appreciation for portraying a consistent, concise and absorbing narrative despite the vast collection of memories of Jane, Martha and their family members. This book is a detailed nostalgic note that takes us back to the time when ‘Juvenilia’ was born. There are excerpts of Jane’s dedication, letters and poems written for Martha. I couldn’t help but be intrigued and thrilled to find the life of Jane & Martha as one of the Jane’s protagonist’s life. The book echoes the sentiment and characteristic style of Jane Austen’s novels.

Writing

It is a pleasure to read such a well written book. It appears that the author has handpicked every word to suit the sentiment of the sentences. It is a delight to read Zoe Wheddon’s rich expressions, precise sentences and enchanting narrative of people, places and the period. The chapters are well knitted in a sequence of events occurred in the life of Martha Lloyd and flows without effort. The conversations between the characters are a typical of Jane’s literary style and readers can relate to Jane’s expression as she would have said herself. One of the many reasons to read this book will be Zoe’s realistic and beautiful portrayal of Jane & Martha’s friendship.

Recommendation

Who would not read the story of life of the most celebrated novelist of all time? Although a formal tone of review is followed by Shelley Reviews I couldn’t contain my emotions from inking this review. I found this book more than an evidence of Martha’s influence in Jane Austen’s life & work. It is a testimony of their great friendship which survived the test of time and destiny. In the book we find Jane as a concerned and proud friend of Martha Lloyd trying her best to ensure Martha's happiness. For Jane, Martha’s presence was both a blessing and a recluse for her fleeting life. I compliment the author for giving me another Jane Austen work to cherish for life. With these words, I recommend this emotional yet exciting voyage of friendship & unseen phases of best & worst of Jane Austen & Martha Lloyd's life.

Shelley Reviews Rating

Story/Plot: 4/5
Structure and Elements:4/5
Writing:4.5/5
Creativity:4/5
Overall: 4/5

All the opinions and comments are posted voluntarily by Shelley Reviews and we thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reading copy of the book in exchange of fair and honest review.

#JaneAustenBestFriend#NetGalley

As a huge fan of Jane Austen this book was right up my alley. It was a beautiful read that touched my heart and seeing friendships blossom. It was your typical, cute, classic love story between friends. It honestly was good to read something so uplifting that made me smile and feel cosy.

Thank you Zoe for allowing me to read this ARC and NetGalley for the opportunity.

3.5 stars
I will pretty much read anything that relates to Jane Austen.
This is a very quick, but very informative read that gives a new lens to Austen’s works.
I’m not a huge reader of nonfiction, but this did entice me. To me, the beginning dragged on a bit, but once we got into the pair’s tight friendship and into some romances, I found it quite interesting.
It felt a bit disconnected at times and sometimes too much of a knowledge dump, but I did learn a lot and have a new appreciation for Austen’s best friend Martha Lloyd.

Definitely one to check out if you’re a lover of all things Austen!

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

This was such an interesting and informative read. The author has obviously researched the subject matter thoroughly. This was an in-depth and insightful look at Jane Austens relationship with her very good friend Martha . I actually found it especially enlightening as a lot of biographies concentrate on the relationship between Jane and Cassandra. You get a real sense of the vibrancy of both women's personalities and the vitality of spirit they share.
I actually read this in one sitting and was surprised when I'd actually finished it . It's a very enjoyable read and I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish. What a great book. Learned quite a bit about Jane Austen's BF. Will recommend this to others..

Reading this book is almost like being transported to the time of Jane Austen. It is surprising that authors are still writing about this Pride and Prejudice lady. Martha must have been a good friend to have stayed close for so long-to Jane. Try this one as it is worth the time.

My life is richer after reading this thought-provoking book. We have been given a wonderful glimplse

into a bygone age through best friends Jane Austen and Martha Lloyd. They shared a friendship that we all wish

for in a lifetime. We learn about their intertwined lives which helped mould Jane Austen's personality and

writing.. I particularly liked how laughter and wit was part of her and her books..It is still a mystery why Jane was

always matchmaking in her fiction but did not manage to find an eligible suitor for herself..

This is an extremely well-researched book and is an excellent best friend for all who study or admire Janes work.

I found this book fascinating. It was written in a scholarly but accessible way, immaculately researched and gave lots of insight and detail into the relationship of Jane Austen and her closest friend Martha Lloyd. I enjoyed the way it was structured to look at different aspects of the friends ' relationship through the lens of writing, family, fashion, society and other approaches. Entertaining, illuminating and full of interesting historical information, this was a very enjoyable read.

I received an advance copy of, Jane Austen's Best Friend, by Zoe Wheddon. This is a very interesting book, about the friendship between Jane and Martha. I learned a lot more about the two of them.