I read this quite a while ago; therefore, I cannot give an exhaustive review. From my memory I found the analysis of her life, times, and work to be thorough and insightful. For all those critics who think Jane Austen knew little of the world, this book is the antidote. While not at all sentimental it was obvious that Honan admired and delighted in his subject. I must admit that I cried at the end. I suppose it is not a spoiler to tell you the subject dies.

This it THE one book that an Austenite will want to read. Other accountings are fine, but this is so far the definitive analysis ( )

Now that I know of her life and views, some of the more obscure references in her work are clearer. It’s always hard for me to get into the spirit of the age with no factual knowledge of it whatever. I never knew that she was so devoted to her family. Good thing too, it would have been odious to her to have to be kept by them if she despised them. I knew she began writing for her family’s amusement, but I never knew how dearly she valued their opinion of her work.

I think too, this biography helped me distinguish between Whig and Tory. I’ve always heard those terms but never knew the difference or the significance of them. I wonder how I could fit these tow into the adages relating governmental systems into cows and who owns them.

Now I know that she wasn’t predisposed against men, but it was the circumstances both daily and constant that kept her from marrying. She looked upon the whole thing as rather a silly indulgence. I don’t think she took this to be the fact for all women, just herself. It’s too bad the one man she could have possibly tolerated in marriage had to go and die. If he believed in her and supported her writing, he could have fought with the publishers for her. With his rights as a man, he could have got her work published more than her preoccupied relatives did.

Now I know where her sister duos were drawn from. It must have been the worst pain for Cassandra to lose Jane so early. And with her head in her lap, too. It’s strange how in these days of diluted emotions and social propriety, familial relations, especially among siblings, were so strong and outwardly affectionate. Sometimes it makes me wish for a sister.

This book claims to cover a great deal of new material, although I would have to say that it doesn't seem to me to add much to other biographies. I would guess that a lot of the new material relates to Frank Austen, since the biography begins, somewhat surprisingly, with a several page account of his entry into the Navy. I would therefore recommend it to Janeites, who will want all the details, but those who have already read a biography and are not terribly interested probably won't find that this rewards the additional reading. (I am among those who just love details, although this is a bit much even for me.)

Previous biographers, such as Elizabeth Jenkins (Jane Austen: A Biography), have portrayed the Austens as a loving and harmonious family. Recent biographers have challenged this view, sometimes even arguing for serious tension between Jane and her sister Cassandra. Honan argues for a relatively harmonious group, with some normal dissensions.

I give somewhat mixed marks to the writing. I find statements such as "The deepest purpose of her burlesques was always to ensure her freedom within the loving group of the Austens ... " (p.70) as unverifiable verbiage that adds little to the reading experience. I don't think that we needed several pages on the actual events of the Battle of Trafalger, although of course it adds to the general historical detail. On the other hand, Honan's reconstruction of JA's possible thoughts as she agonized over withdrawing from her engagement to Bigg-Withers are quite affecting, even if speculative. I don't think that I have ever read a more moving account of her courage during her last illness.

The bibliographic citations are frustratingly uneven and incomplete. Previous biographers have pilloried Edward Austen (Knight) for his failure to offer his mother and sisters a home immediately after his father's death. Honan claims in passing that he did make such an offer and they declined it. There is no citation for this startling, and in understanding the interactions of the Austens, important statement! Honan also agrees with Valerie Grosvenor Myers (Jane Austen, Obstinate Heart: A Biography) in stating that Mrs. Cassandra Austen (JA's mother) was reluctant to get married, but neither cites a source! This claim suggests a number of interesting possibilities regarding the mother-daughter relationship and JA's own decisions regarding marriage, and is certainly important enough to require substantiation.

One of the reviewers has mentioned that there are numerous errors in the book. I can't say that I was struck by them, unless the reviewer is speaking of difference in interpretation, but I can't claim to be any expert, either.

Honan includes several family trees and the notes, such as they are, are arranged so as to be easy to find. There is an index, not as detailed as it might be. There is a useful review of materials and previous writings on Austen and related topics.

Honan does not like John Halperin's book, The Life of Jane Austen, which he claims is inaccurate, but it is so far my favorite and the most focussed of the long biographies. For a short biography, which I like to read before long biographies when available, I recommend Carol Shield's book, Jane Austen (Penguin Lives), and Valerie Grosvenor Myer's Jane Austen, Obstinate Heart: A Biography, as a midlength book. The latter is flawed by a lack of notes. ( )