Michael Greaney

I've read and enjoyed essays based on Jane Austen's work before, so I was hoping to find a lively, entertaining collection of thoughts in this book. Instead, it was a rather dry, scholarly work, probably more suited to research if you are hoping to write your own thesis on Jane Austen. But for a casual reader looking to be entertained, there's not much here that's relatable or fresh. It feels more like reading a dictionary or an encyclopedia.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for this digital review copy.… (más)

An A-Z of Jane Austen by Michael Greaney is an entertaining and accessible look at the whole of Austen's work rather than a focus on a particular work or period.

I'll admit my exposure to Austen, both reading and teaching, is limited to her major novels, so this served as an excellent way for me to see them within the larger context of her other writing as well as her life. I found the writing to be serious but not academic, though some may disagree. I found the writing to be such that anyone with a desire to follow along would be able to, which is my idea of accessible. Some might use a lower bar, but I prefer to think better of readers. Also, I guess I've read so many "academic" texts that this just doesn't fall into the way I use that term when assessing books that are for a general readership. This doesn't require any specialized knowledge of literary theory just having read Austen and a desire to better understand her work.

The entries are all self-contained so feel free to jump around. In my case, I read straight through, but would have been just as happy keeping this by the bedside and picking a chapter/letter at random every night.

What made this most enjoyable for me was bringing together things I was familiar with but in new ways, making new connections across works and themes. Add in the many things I didn't know and this was both an entertaining and educational read for me.

Definitely recommended for anyone who rereads Austen on a regular basis, or even someone like me who only did rereads when I was teaching one of them. This is particularly useful for readers who would like to know more about Austen and her other writing but don't want to devote that much time and energy beyond the novels. This will connect dots and provide background quit painlessly.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (más)