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Awhile back I was asked if I would be interested in writing a review of The Jane Austen Handbook : Proper Life Skills from Regency England. As a big fan of Miss Austen it didn't take me long to decide!
The Jane Austen Handbook is a guide about how to conduct yourself in Regency England as a genteel lady. However stuffy that may sound (except to Austen fans of course), stuffy it is not! This is a light-hearted, often hilarious read packed with genuine guidelines and advice. Each chapter presents the correct conduct and unspoken social rules for differing occasions which make it very easy to look up a particular subject at the drop of hat.
So many of the topics are still relevant and useful today ("How to get rid of unwanted guests"), some are what should be relevant today ("How to become known as a valuable neighbour") and others are full of amusing facts, some of which I did not previously know (Why Regency ladies usually did not wear underwear!)
Between chapters are pages of fascinating information such as who influenced fashion's of the era and the hierarchy of the social order.
The appendix are thorough and helpful; my favourite of which is the glossary of terms from the era which is quite invaluable for truly understanding the details of Regency life and Jane Austen novels.
If you are enjoying Jane Austen novels, films and the Regency era for the first time or if you would like to know more than you already do then this book is "must have". If you are a long time Austen fan then you may not benefit from every bit of knowledge packed into this book but you will still enjoy the playful way so much of it is written.
The Jane Austen Handbook : Proper Life Skill from Regency England is available from book shops at the retail price of £9.99 but....
we have one very pretty hardcover copy we will give-away to a lucky winner!
For a chance to win simply leave a comment telling us which Jane Austen novel is your favourite! Anyone can enter and we will pick a winner on Friday the 20th of May.
please note that our copy has the orginal cover from when the book was first published so will look different to the one above although all text is the same.
Good Luck!
14 comments:
My personal favourite has to be Pride & Prejudice! Mr Bingley has my heart though :)
O my. My favorite Jane Austen book has got to be without a doubt Pride and Prejudice. My daughter and I read it over and over again sometimes together and sometimes alone.
My favourite is Persuasion, I think it is one of the most beautiful love stories ever wrote :) xxx
It's a toss up between Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, but I guess Pride wins, for I all to frequently suffer from both and they can lead us astray.
I think Emma is my favourite, though it is hard to choose. Her writing is so lively and true to life!
Pride and Prejudice is my favorite though Sense and Sensibility runs if a close second.
I'm not sure whether this give-away is open to bloggers outside the UK ~ but I'd love to enter anyway :). My favourite would still have to be Pride and Prejudice, but Emma is almost right up there with it. The book sounds fantastic ~ and how wonderful that you got to write the review! Love Brenda
I always find Jane Austen very hard going!! I've just read Emma and didn't enjoy it one bit..LOL!!
However,I did visit the Jane Austen centre in Bath,not long ago and found that very interesting!
So, I will try harder with the books! ;-)
I originally posted the first day but bloggers technical difficulties erased my post.
In my original post I said that my daughter and I both love Pride & Prejudice. We read it together sometimes out loud and sometimes just to ourselves but it is our all time favorite Austin book.
It has to be Pride & Prejudice, though I do love all her books. I have a 1st edition of P&P published in 1894 with the most wonderful illustrations which I treasure. We live near Chawton House too. I would love to win this!
Emma is my favourite, because I love the idea that she was trying to create a heroine that nobody but she would like.
It was also one my Nana's two favourite books 9the other being Jane Eyre).
This book sounds fabulous! I love this sort of book, they're always fun to read,
Victoria xx
It's the obvious choice but Pride and Prejudice is my favourite Austen read. The characters are so well-known that re-reading it is like meeting up with old friends. And I still can't help but shudder everytime I come across Mr Colins - uggh!
Hi Kelly, I just love reading your blog. I too found this book very interesting and also teaches you etiquette. I would love to enter your contest but because I am your mom, I won't. Any looking forward to reading the book your writing . Love you
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