This is a perfectly delightful read for the newest and most devoted Janeites alike. I love the format of bite-sized portraits that make learning about Jane Austen's life less intimidating than picking up, for instance, Claire Tomalin's behemoth of a biography (which is also fantastic, just different!) I got through the entire book in under two hours and found it very easy-to-read. The author does an excellent job of tying Austen's life, writings, and legacy to both the historical and cultural context of Regency England and more contemporary phenomena. The 100 "pocket portraits" cover family histories, the varied season of Austen's life/career, and her continuing legacy in modern-day film adaptations and similar stories such as Bridgerton. The sections of blue text at the end of each portrait - "the more you know" and "literary connections" - greatly enhance the work by providing relevant and fascinating trivia that I, as a Austen afficionado and knowledge collector, crave. Excerpts from Austen's writings and other featured texts augment the work as well.

I personally think some of the portraits - especially those with more modern ties/interpretations - were stretched a little too far out of context...though that's purely based on my own subjective views.

Overall, this was a charming, well-researched little book. A perfect gift for anyone even minutely interested in Jane Austen.

Absolutely love the idea of the book, it was obviously well researched and the author goes into a lot of detail. I think it would read well as a resource book rather than one to read quickly. I think it would be nice to dip in and out, as chapter is very short, just two pages. It includes some history of the time to help you put the books into context, handy if you’re like me and struggle with history. I enjoyed the pretty illustrations and the extra info written in blue was a nice touch. The added excerpts were also very welcome. I think this would be an excellent Christmas present for a Jane Austen fan or someone who is interested in history from that time. Lots of excerpts from letters are also included and really bring the author to life. As well as details of Jane Austen’s life the author brings in more modern stories that she has inspired which was interesting.
I absolutely loved the addition of Anne Lister to this book and for me this showed how much research and thought has gone into the book, managing to make a book about Jane Austen as diverse as this is really makes it 5 stars for me. It’s not just a cut and paste of Jane’s life which you can find in lots of other books, rather it’s the authors own personal research and thoughts. The extra resources at the end were a very helpful additional reading and listening resources.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinions. I read an uncorrected proof and I hope they don’t change anything, other than remove the red writing telling me it was an uncorrected proof!

As a die hard Jane Austen fan, you can never go wrong with a good Jane Austen biopic. As a cute little pocket book, this one tells various stories throughout Jane's life, with lovely imagry and cursive style close ot Jane's own script. The book flips between letters and a third party statement of facts, keeping the reader enaged with Jane's story. A must read for any Jane Austen fan.