William Austen-Leigh (1843–1921)

This was the second biography of the author written by a member of her family, in this case her great nephew and his son, and published in 1913, a little under a century after her death. It built on the success of its predecessor A Memoir of Jane Austen by her nephew James, published in 1869. This later biography is considerably longer than its predecessor, though there is comparatively little analysis, and what is, in my view, an excessive use of extracts from, and indeed entire texts of, show more many of the numerous letters Jane wrote and received from family members, especially her sister Cassandra during their periods of separation. The simple image of kind and domesticated aunt Jane portrayed by her nephew is somewhat modified here and the authors are able to distance themselves and be a little more objective with the passage of time. Jane's brief romantic encounters are mentioned here, but the authors still don't really I think see her as a personally romantic person, owing to her domesticity and her very close relationship to her sister Cassandra, and to some of her nieces. I was pleased to see that poor lost brother George at least has his existence acknowledged here, with a brief mention of his fits and that he "never recovered sufficiently to take his place in the family, and we hear no more of him, though he lived on as late as 1827."
The authors' conclusion is perhaps best summed up in the following paragraph: "In one respect it is easy to write about her — there is nothing to conceal. Some readers may perhaps add ‘There is little to tell’; and it is true that, though the want of incident in her life has often been exaggerated, her occupations were largely those of helpfulness and sympathy towards others whose lot was more variable than hers, and the development of her own powers to be the delight of generations of readers." Overall, worth reading and I felt I gained a better acquaintance with Jane Austen than I did through the Memoir by her nephew. show less

Anyone who is interested in Jane Austen's life should approach this book with the understanding that it was written by her great-nephew and his nephew. There's a noticeable effort to portray "Aunt Jane" as sweet, even-tempered, loving, and almost saint-like. Don't expect any insight into Austen's work or jarring revelations about her life. The letters themselves are mundane to the point of being boring, with only touches of Austen’s famous wit. Unless you're a true Janeite, stick with her show more novels - you'll enjoy them much more than this memoir. show less

This was a fascinating and engaging account of Jane and her family. I loved getting to know such a talented author and learning about many of the day to day things she was a part of.
I adored learning about her family and I can see why she loved her siblings, nieces and nephews so much. She had such a loving and open minded family.
I can't help but wonder how different her life may have been had she married and been able to live longer. Though she only lived to be in her 40's, she had a show more wonderful life and left this world with the grace and wit she was known for while living. I can't wait to read more about her and her family.
I highly recommend it to those who enjoy Jane Austen's books and want to learn more about her life. show less