Jane Aiken Hodge (1917–2009)
Author of The Private World of Georgette Heyer
About the Author
Jane Aiken Hodge was born near Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Decmber 4, 1917. Her father was the Pulitzer prize-winning poet, Conrad Aiken. She attended Oxford University and Radcliff College. She wrote about 30 suspense novels and historical novels. She was a longtime believer in the right of show more people to end their own lives. In 2009 she chose to do this to the shock of her two grown daughters. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Carol Stephenson's Blog
Series
Works by Jane Aiken Hodge
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hodge, Jane Aiken
- Birthdate
- 1917-12-04
- Date of death
- 2009-06-17
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Somerville College, Oxford University (BA|1938)
Radcliffe College (BA|1938) - Occupations
- civil servant
journalist
historical novelist
detective novelist
book reviewer
biographer - Agent
- Georgia Glover (David Higham Associates)
- Relationships
- Aiken, Conrad (father)
Aiken, Joan (sister)
Aiken, John (brother)
Hodge, Joanna (daughter)
Hodge, Jessica (daughter) - Short biography
- Jane Aiken Hodge was the daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer Conrad Aiken and his first wife, Jessie McDonald. Jane was three years old when her family moved to Great Britain, settling in Rye, East Sussex where her younger sister, Joan, who would grow up to become a novelist and a children's writer, was born. Their parents divorced in 1929. Jane read English at Oxford University, and in 1938 earned a second degree in English at Radcliffe, her mother's alma mater. She worked a civil servant in the USA for a time, and also worked for Time Magazine, before returning to Great Britain in 1947. Her published works included historical novels, biographies, and contemporary detective novels. In 1972, Jane Hodge renounced her USA citizenship and became a British subject.
- Cause of death
- suicide
- Nationality
- USA (birth)
UK (naturalized 1972) - Birthplace
- Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Places of residence
- Lewes, Sussex, England, UK
Rye, East Sussex, England, UK - Place of death
- Lewes, East Sussex, England, UK
- Burial location
- cremated
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Another Governess Romance in Name that Book (February 2012)
Reviews
In this book, Marianne wakes up after a carriage accident with no memory of who she is or where she is going. There is a child traveling with her, and they disembark in the middle of nowhere--a place Marianne herself requested but now cannot remember why.
She ends up staying at a place called Maulever Hall with an eccentric but kind older lady. Efforts to restore Marianne's memory are minimal. Instead, she becomes entrenched in the routine of the house, acting as companion to Mrs. show more Mauleverer.
The old lady has a son she rarely sees, but, of course, he soon appears on the scene, a perfect example of the brooding, Rochester-like hero for a besotted Marianne. (I did find him a little too much of a jerk for a while, though.)
And! Check all the boxes! He has a mysteriously scarred face! Handsome but dangerous!
I enjoyed this Regency romance very much, although I think it could have been a little shorter. It is well told and does not suffer from any annoying anachronisms or misplaced modern sentiments. However, it does feature a pair of characters who are in love but ready to believe the worst about each other, and their gullibility toward the end does stretch one's patience. Especially when the heroine quickly chooses on very flimsy proof to believe a man who she knows has lied to her before.
Also, when it was revealed who Marianne is, who the child is, and why they were on the run, I felt I should have figured it out much earlier. Many readers probably do. It's not a particularly surprising twist.
This book, Maulever Hall, is what I used to think Georgette Heyer novels would be like. True confession: For some reason I have not really liked the Georgette Heyer novels I've read. This, on the other hand, was easy to get into, charming and funny at times, and romantic in a brooding sort of way. Toward the end it had me speeding to find out what would happen next. I hope to read more by this author.
I received a digital copy of a new edition of this via NetGalley in exchange for a review. It did have a few distracting typos, but other than that I thought it was a great read. show less
She ends up staying at a place called Maulever Hall with an eccentric but kind older lady. Efforts to restore Marianne's memory are minimal. Instead, she becomes entrenched in the routine of the house, acting as companion to Mrs. show more Mauleverer.
The old lady has a son she rarely sees, but, of course, he soon appears on the scene, a perfect example of the brooding, Rochester-like hero for a besotted Marianne. (I did find him a little too much of a jerk for a while, though.)
And! Check all the boxes! He has a mysteriously scarred face! Handsome but dangerous!
I enjoyed this Regency romance very much, although I think it could have been a little shorter. It is well told and does not suffer from any annoying anachronisms or misplaced modern sentiments. However, it does feature a pair of characters who are in love but ready to believe the worst about each other, and their gullibility toward the end does stretch one's patience. Especially when the heroine quickly chooses on very flimsy proof to believe a man who she knows has lied to her before.
Also, when it was revealed who Marianne is, who the child is, and why they were on the run, I felt I should have figured it out much earlier. Many readers probably do. It's not a particularly surprising twist.
This book, Maulever Hall, is what I used to think Georgette Heyer novels would be like. True confession: For some reason I have not really liked the Georgette Heyer novels I've read. This, on the other hand, was easy to get into, charming and funny at times, and romantic in a brooding sort of way. Toward the end it had me speeding to find out what would happen next. I hope to read more by this author.
I received a digital copy of a new edition of this via NetGalley in exchange for a review. It did have a few distracting typos, but other than that I thought it was a great read. show less
This readable biography was a pleasant surprise. Hodge created an accurate and sympathetic view of the historical fiction written over the decades by Georgette Heyer. The prose never descended into maudlin praise or esoteric speculation about the very private person that was ‘Miss Heyer’. Remarks and quotes throughout about the development of most of her novels added an excellent insight into Heyer’s way of writing. At one point, Hodge details very succinctly that people who sneer at show more Heyer's work clearly haven't read any. I loved her passages on this topic because it shows how thoroughly the inner workings of Heyer's writing was analyzed.
It was especially astonishing to read about her difficulties with the British income tax assessments. One now can understand why many citizens became British ex-pats in order to survive. It was also very refreshing to have Heyer’s work revealed as highly capable and well-researched narratives that men apparently read as well as women. It was increasingly evident as Heyer’s research came to light that she was a notable expert in military strategy of the Napoleanic and Peninsular war histories. Highly recommended biography. show less
It was especially astonishing to read about her difficulties with the British income tax assessments. One now can understand why many citizens became British ex-pats in order to survive. It was also very refreshing to have Heyer’s work revealed as highly capable and well-researched narratives that men apparently read as well as women. It was increasingly evident as Heyer’s research came to light that she was a notable expert in military strategy of the Napoleanic and Peninsular war histories. Highly recommended biography. show less
I'm not generally keen on thrillers, but I do enjoy Jane Aiken Hodge's genre, which tend to be light thrillers - often in a historical setting - with an underlying romance. Her writing style is crisp, her suspense is just scary enough to keep me reading but not unpleasant enough to stop me sleeping at night!
'Last Act' is set in the 1960s, and features Anne Paget, a singer who has just learned that she has an unspecified illness. Her doctor informs her that she has - at most - six months to show more live. The same day, she receives an invitation to be understudy in a newly-discovered opera in the small European town of Lissenburg.
With nothing to lose, Anne decides to take up the offer, and finds herself rapidly involved in intrigue, scandal, and extreme danger.
It was a pleasant light read. Not my favourite novel by this author, and somehow I didn't find myself deeply involved with any of the characters although they were mostly believable enough. But it certainly kept me interested for a couple of days and I enjoyed reading it. show less
'Last Act' is set in the 1960s, and features Anne Paget, a singer who has just learned that she has an unspecified illness. Her doctor informs her that she has - at most - six months to show more live. The same day, she receives an invitation to be understudy in a newly-discovered opera in the small European town of Lissenburg.
With nothing to lose, Anne decides to take up the offer, and finds herself rapidly involved in intrigue, scandal, and extreme danger.
It was a pleasant light read. Not my favourite novel by this author, and somehow I didn't find myself deeply involved with any of the characters although they were mostly believable enough. But it certainly kept me interested for a couple of days and I enjoyed reading it. show less
I'd heard that this book was disappointing for Heyer fans, because it depicted Heyer in an unsympathetic, cold, snobbish light. However, I really liked the book a lot. To me, Heyer's personality was not at all incompatible with the books she wrote - her letters are amusing (very Austen-esque) and she almost seems to have lived in the world she wrote about. I enjoyed the synopses of her novels and the descriptions of her struggles in writing them and getting them published. There were also show more (at least in the hardcover version I read) a lot of interesting paintings and photographs, mostly depicting the Regency world. I have so much more respect for Heyer now; I used to think of her novels as well-written fluff, but she actually did huge amounts of research on the Regency period, collecting notebooks full of costumes, carriages, slang, political events, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I was completely floored. In short, I highly recommend this bio to Heyer fans, and to anyone who likes to read (or write) Regency romance. show less
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