Jane Austen: A Biography by Elizabeth Jenkins is a thoughtful and elegantly written portrait of the author. Jenkins explores Austen’s life and social context with warmth and clarity, making it an accessible read for fans of classic literature.

While affectionate in tone, the biography leans more on admiration than critical depth. Some sections feel a bit slow or speculative, especially where the source material is limited. Still, it’s a solid introduction to Austen’s world and a respectful tribute to her legacy.

As much as I love Jane Austen, a biography of her just cannot carry a book of this length. There were too many tangents and "mini-biographies" of other people in her life, that felt throw in there most of all as filler. The story of Jane's life didn't always feel at the forefront, and that makes this a weak biography.

The writing was passionate, with the subject feeling well researched and studied. At the end is a nice bibliography detailing the various sources that the author used to create the book.

The chapters were long and contained a lot of information. There were lots of quotes from Jane Austen's books and letters, which were interesting.

The flow between the chapters was stilted due to the fact that there didn't seem to be a natural pattern. You never knew what was going to be discussed next. You would go back and forth between the novels that were written, understandably because they were written over a number of years, which gave an interrupted feel to the book.

There was a slow pace to the book, due to the amount and type of information that was presented to you. At times the author seemed to go off on a tangent before coming back to the point at hand.

If you didn't know about the novels that Jane Austen wrote then you would get a vague idea after having read this book. This book felt more like a study of her works and then relating the works back to what she was like as a person, which I wasn't expecting. As well as this it did give you an insight into the lives of those surrounding her in an intriguing way.

Time did move on through the book with various events happening throughout Jane Austen's life, ie there was a beginning, middle and end of her life, but it was quite a challenge to keep up with everything.

There were a lot of people mentioned in this book, which made it hard to keep up with what was going on. People also had similar names (as seemed to be customary within families) which couldn't be helped, but it did mean that you had to concentrate extremely hard on trying to follow who was who.

Lastly the settings. There were a few settings mentioned as Jane Austen apparently travelled a fair amount between family members' homes. I was surprised at how much she travelled.

Overall a passionate, well researched book, but one that I personally found hard to read.

Elizabeth Jenkins, Jane Austen: The Biography, August Books, July 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Elizabeth Jenkins is a writer I have admired since reading The Hare and the Tortoise. True to form, there is much to admire in her biography of Jane Austen. However, its meandering pace and byways into allusions that seem to just take Jenkins’ fancy, although on rereading can be attributed to her wide understanding of Austen, her family, society and experiences, make this a challenging read. Part of the challenge can be attributed to the initial, almost undemanding, introduction. Beginning with a description of the eighteenth-century city landscape and comparing it with today’s, with its remaining glimpses of past grandeur makes easy reading. It is also beautiful reading, until the almost jarring introduction of social commentary. At the same time this remains familiar ground to the contemporary reader, after all, it is rare that social issues are absent from modern works. And fairly soon we come to the familiar territory of biography. Steventon, the rectory, and Jane’s father, the Reverand George Austen, his children, and his wife. The sons, Cassandra, and at last, Jane. None of the family information is unusual, none of the description of the Austen’s early lives suggests that this biography will be different.


However, Elizabeth Jenkins’ literary knowledge and own writing of fiction has a strong impact on the biography, presenting at once a delight and a challenge. Perhaps Jenkins recognises the difficulty she poses when in Chapter 7 she warns that she is writing no simple biography. Jenkins’ discussion of Mrs Ann Radcliffe’s Mysteries of Udolpho is instructive. She describes the discursive course the reader must navigate to the novel’s conclusion. This, Jenkins suggests, will create more problems for the modern reader than for Radcliffe’s contemporary audience. This is possibly an acknowledgement that in her own weaving from Walpole’s home at Strawberry Hill to Radcliffe’s Udolpho connection with Northanger Abbey, she is also taking her reader on a discursive course. Her dedication to reflecting upon asides and ideas is prominent throughout the biography, together with more recognisable biographical features.
As the narrative progresses the usual biographical features are more dominant, including some marvellous discussion of Jane’s response to various romantic proposals, and insight into the novels and their publication. In particular, Jenkins ensures that Austen’s work on The Watsons, although truncated, is recognised as impressive. Here, Jenkins makes a strong contribution to Austen’s writing history, not only questioning Edward Austen Leigh’s interpretation, but providing a detailed discussion of the book’s merits. In these chapters, the challenge is the wealth of material and the unique insights into Austen and her writing.

Jane Austen has been criticised by some for her seeming lack of concern with social issues, while being admired by others for her work seen by herself as ‘“…little bit (two inches wide) of Ivory on which I work with so fine a Brush…”. Other studies present a rereading of Jane Austen’s novels, reflecting on their relevance to other writers or particular ideological perspectives. Elizabeth Jenkin’s biography takes a different, and absorbing course. She argues that Austen’s work should be considered as part of the aesthetic genius, a world that some writers inhabit. For Jenkins, Jane Austen is not just a writer from the past, but one whose work will shine as part of a future world where humankind is more able to appreciate such works than is possible in a world she sees as controlled by unwieldy rules and expectations.

This is a thoughtful and enlightening biography, and it is well worth taking up the challenges it presents. There is a short bibliography, including volumes of letters. There is also valuable material about Elizabeth Jenkins and her commitment to Austen and her work.

It felt like a real privilege to read this biography — not only because of its subject, but because of the tone in which it's written. Elizabeth Jenkins approaches Jane Austen with reverence, not in a distant academic sense, but with the warmth and attention of someone genuinely invested in illuminating a complex, quietly brilliant life.

Originally published in 1938 and now reissued to mark Austen’s 250th birthday, this biography holds up remarkably well. Jenkins draws on letters, family anecdotes, and contemporaneous accounts to build a portrait that feels both personal and historically grounded. She doesn’t mythologise Austen, nor does she impose a modern narrative on her life. Instead, she allows space for the small, seemingly mundane details — the household routines, the affectionate family bonds, the modest settings — and reveals how much they shaped Austen’s voice and point of view.

There were moments where the prose dipped into dense territory, particularly when recounting extended family connections or local events with too much granularity. A family tree would have helped. But these are minor things in the context of a biography that so clearly reflects the author's dedication and deep respect.

For Austen fans, this is an intimate, layered look at a writer whose fiction so often gets summarised by wit alone. Jenkins reminds us of the seriousness, solitude, and subtle emotional intelligence behind Austen’s work. And for readers who love being immersed in another time — not just historically, but socially and spiritually — this book offers the rare chance to feel close to someone whose world was small in scale, but enormous in influence.

Thank you to August Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this edition.

As a long time Jane Austen lover, I really enjoyed reading this biography. It's well-written, and I learnt a lot about Jane Austen, both in terms of her life, as well as the world she lived in back then. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Austen is one of the most beloved authors of all time and it is so easy to see why. Her writing is witty, comedic, sweet, biographical, intelligent, descriptive, insightful, and full of human nature. For me her novels are better than hidden treasure. Each re-read is familiar yet enlightening and immersive. What a privilege it would have been to know Jane Austen! Though at the time, who would have thought her works would reach and captivate so many millions of readers?

Author Elizabeth Jenkins has done her research! She details the lives of the Austen family so vividly I can picture them in animated conversation and adventures. So many stories add personality to the family members but a few which stand out are slice of life moments; Jane's precious present to Mary which still exists, Jane's letter folding and Jane's personal letters including her description of a storm. Her earliest writing was at the age of 14 and each of her novels is quoted and described throughout this beautiful memoir. Her relationships with family and friends are described in detail, as are several deaths of those she loved such as her parents. Life in Bath, income from Pride and Prejudice, accolades from Sir Walter Scott, Jane's use of real names as her characters, her love of children and nature, romances, fashion, and contemporary writer Fanny Burney are just some of the many delights to be unraveled in this book. There is also tragedy, of course, including Jane's own death at the age of 41.

Oh, how I enjoyed drinking this all in! As an Austen fan, I read everything on the subject I can get my hands on. The information presented is mesmerizing and the writing is smart. It was fun to read snippets I had not heard of before and catch glimpses into this wonderful family. This book felt like home.

This past semester I learned so much about Jane Austen. I took a class in which I read all six of Austen's major works. I saw a very clever production of Pride and Prejudice in which each actor performed multiple roles with one actor being both Darcy and Lady Catherine, among several others. I am lucky enough to be going on a special guided tour of an exhibit on Austen. I have just finished watching Miss Austen. So...yes, this was a good time to receive approval for a biography of the author. I wanted to go into a deeper dive on her life.

This book is a reissue. That, in no way, takes away from its value. There is so much to be learned about the Austen, her family, her novels, and the times in which she lived in these pages. Jenkins puts the author and her writings in context and perspective.

This book will be enjoyed by those who would like to learn more about Austen and to see how she was written about in the 1930s.

Many thanks to NetGalley and August Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book offers a well-written and thoroughly researched, closely chronological account of Jane Austen's life, inspirations, and the circumstances that shaped her literary works. It provides not only deeper insight into Austen herself but also into the lives of her characters and the influences behind every adaptation of her novels.

I particularly appreciated the inclusion of bibliographic footnotes, which grounded the text in scholarship, as well as the author's personal, opinionated touches that added a human layer to the historical narrative.

Nonetheless, for readers seeking a comprehensive, nuanced understanding of Austen’s world and its legacy, this book is a rewarding and insightful companion.

A wonderful read!
Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A well written and well informed, closely chronological telling of jane's life, inspirations, and happenstances upon producing her life's works. This book lends more insight into not only her life but the lives of her characters and the inspirations of every adaptation of all things Austen. I appreciated the bibliographic foot notes and the personal opinioned touches of the author. Although I was able read it as an ebook instead of listen as an audiobook, as i feel the material would not translate well into spoken word. some language and use of matter-of-fact recollections came off quiet droll.

I liked this, and as a fan of Jane Austen found it interesting.

However, it was very "dry" and wordy at times - and went into details about some topics I didn't find particularly interesting (some of the more distant relatives...)

I realised it is a reissuing of an older book but I would have appreciated some illustrations or photographs (perhaps of the places she lived) and a family tree would have been very useful because she did have a lot of siblings and nieces / nephews / cousins which it was easy to lose track of.

I think anyone interested in Jane Austen would probably like reading this but I expect the writing style is not for everyone.

I was surprised to see that this was written in 1938 but from the start it's obvious that the author was a huge admirer of Jane Austen and not just her books, like every other student., we had to read one of Miss Austen's books for our exams at school and having to study the book for themes etc ruined them for me but as an adult, I went back and have read some of them again, so it was interesting to delve into the background of Jane Austen and her family . Clearly as I have said before, it shows from this author's research and attention to detail that it wasn't a subject that waa difficult for her to write.

If you are one for the classic’s and a fan of one of the most treasured & wonderful authors Jane Austen this is a must read.
Perfect for her 250th anniversary!

Thank you August Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A splendid reissued biography, perfect for Janeites and anyone who wants to know more about the celebrated author. A perfect read during the 250th anniversary of her birth. Highly recommended!

Such a great and interesting biography of one of the most interesting and treasured authors of our time Jane Austen. A perfect gift for fans of the icon.