---
product_id: 10858000
title: "Jane Austen: A Life"
price: "€ 37.08"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/10858000-jane-austen-a-life
store_origin: FR
region: France
---

# Vivid English countryside setting Comprehensive biography Detailed 18th-century life context Jane Austen: A Life

**Price:** € 37.08
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Dive deep into the life behind the legend — don’t just read Austen, live her story!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Jane Austen: A Life
- **How much does it cost?** € 37.08 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fr](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/10858000-jane-austen-a-life)

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## Why This Product

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## Key Features

- • **Uncover Austen’s True Story:** A meticulously researched biography revealing Jane Austen’s real-life struggles beyond her novels.
- • **Step into 18th-Century England:** Experience the vivid portrayal of Austen’s Hampshire life and the social constraints of her era.
- • **Critically Acclaimed & Reader Loved:** Rated 4.4 stars by 850 readers, a must-have for literary enthusiasts and history buffs alike.
- • **Explore the Woman Behind the Novels:** Gain fresh insights into Austen’s family dynamics, personal hardships, and enduring wit.
- • **Collector’s Choice - Used but Pristine:** Good condition used book with free shipping, perfect for adding to your curated library.

## Overview

Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin is a compelling, well-researched biography that explores the real woman behind the beloved novels. It vividly captures Austen’s personal hardships, family ties, and the social realities of 18th-century England, offering readers a nuanced portrait beyond the fiction. Highly rated and recommended, this used copy in good condition is a valuable addition for anyone passionate about literary history.

## Description

Jane Austen: A Life [Tomalin, Claire] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Jane Austen: A Life

Review: Jane Austen: The Life and Trials of a Single Woman and Author - Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomilan is an excellent biography. For one thing, Ms. Tomilan writes about the facts of Jane Austen's life and doesn't try to embellish her existence. As the she points out in the beginning, Jane Austen's life was one of sorrow and hardship. Although Jane Austen is famous for her wry take on life and detached sense of humor, she lead a life that had many difficulties, Although these days being single is a common option for women, in Jane Austen's day it was not. In the Eighteenth Century, most women married and had many children. Often, the wives were worn out bearing so many babies and died in childbirth. Jane Austen saw at first hand the situation because of her brothers, their wives, and their children. Cassandra, her sister, and she remained "old maids." Because of this, they relied on their family for lodging and care. They were forced to submit to the finances of their family. Even though, Jane Austen produced many famous novels, she had to wait until her father and brother helped her with their publishing. This is the second time that I read the biography and this time I found it very moving. The scenes are fresh and filled with family members. The English countryside is rendered as a vivid place. The trauma that made Jane Austen stop writing for eight years still comes as a shock. This event occurred when her mother and father decided after many years of living in the small town of Steventon, Hampshire, to suddenly move to Bath. Jane, who loved the countryside, her house, and her friends, became unable to continue writing her novels. During this time, Mr. and Mrs. Austen and Jane and Cassandra, traveled a great deal and lived in rented houses. After many years, the family returned to this area of England and eventually settled into a cottage; and Jane once again resumed writing. The book is a wonderful introduction to Jane Austen. The Ms. Tomalin makes a careful study of her many novels, and also shows us the strength that Jane Austen manifested through humor, warmth, and constancy to her family even under stress.
Review: A Dramatic Life of Jane Austen... - 1997's "Jane Austen: A Life" is Claire Tomalin's highly readable, even dramatic account of the life of the popular romance novelist. Jane Austen left little for her future biographers beyond her published novels and some surviving letters and manuscripts. Tomalin addresses Jane in the context of her large and interesting family and their Hampshire friends and relatives. The result doesn't necessarily add a great deal to our limited store of knowledge about Jane Austen; it does provide some interesting insights into her context, and should bury forever any concerns about the source of Austen's acute understanding of human nature or the material for her novels. The good news about "Jane Austen: A Life" is that Claire Tomalin is a gifted writer and her book will be a page-turner for many fans. Tomalin has done her extensive research. In addition, Tomalin is not shy about speculating when it comes to the signficant gaps in our knowledge of Austen's life. Her speculation is generally reasonable and plausible, and almost always fascinating to read. It is less clear how much of the book is reasonable inference from the limited record and how much edges toward historical fiction. Tomalin includes her own literary criticism on Jane Austen's various works. This criticism is frankly hit or miss. Her comments on "Lady Susan" highlight its unusual leading character. Her analysis of the novel fragment "The Watson" explains why Jane Austen never finished it. However, she unfairly slights one of the main characters in "Sense and Sensibility", misreads the fate of Mr. Wickham and Lydia in "Pride and Prejudice", and perhaps misses the point of "Mansfield Park." Readers familiar with Jane Austen's novels can draw their own conclusions. Jane Austen is as vivid as Claire Tomalin can make her in this biography, a clever, acutely observant woman who must on occasion have been a little intimidating in person. She is very much a family person, at the beck and call of brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews all her life. We come to appreciation for how difficult Austen's life was after her father died. Her failure to marry lfet her, her spinster sister Cassandra, and her widowed mother in genteel poverty, dependent on support from her brothers and with few choices about where and how they would live. Unfortunately, Jane's writing did not begin to produce real income before her early death in 1817. "Jane Austen: A Life" is highly recommended as an interesting, even dramatic biography. The book includes an excellent selection of portraits of Jane Austen's family members. It is perhaps ironic that the one verified portrait of Jane Austen in life was said by her family to be inadequate, just as the person behind the novels continues to be elusive to biographers and fans alike.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #111,816 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #70 in Historical British Biographies #241 in Author Biographies #655 in Women's Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (850) |
| Dimensions  | 5.2 x 0.85 x 8 inches |
| Edition  | 0 |
| ISBN-10  | 0679766766 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0679766766 |
| Item Weight  | 13.6 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 400 pages |
| Publication date  | April 27, 1999 |
| Publisher  | Vintage |

## Images

![Jane Austen: A Life - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71XIn5PGUxL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Jane Austen: The Life and Trials of a Single Woman and Author
*by J***R on November 6, 2010*

Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomilan is an excellent biography. For one thing, Ms. Tomilan writes about the facts of Jane Austen's life and doesn't try to embellish her existence. As the she points out in the beginning, Jane Austen's life was one of sorrow and hardship. Although Jane Austen is famous for her wry take on life and detached sense of humor, she lead a life that had many difficulties, Although these days being single is a common option for women, in Jane Austen's day it was not. In the Eighteenth Century, most women married and had many children. Often, the wives were worn out bearing so many babies and died in childbirth. Jane Austen saw at first hand the situation because of her brothers, their wives, and their children. Cassandra, her sister, and she remained "old maids." Because of this, they relied on their family for lodging and care. They were forced to submit to the finances of their family. Even though, Jane Austen produced many famous novels, she had to wait until her father and brother helped her with their publishing. This is the second time that I read the biography and this time I found it very moving. The scenes are fresh and filled with family members. The English countryside is rendered as a vivid place. The trauma that made Jane Austen stop writing for eight years still comes as a shock. This event occurred when her mother and father decided after many years of living in the small town of Steventon, Hampshire, to suddenly move to Bath. Jane, who loved the countryside, her house, and her friends, became unable to continue writing her novels. During this time, Mr. and Mrs. Austen and Jane and Cassandra, traveled a great deal and lived in rented houses. After many years, the family returned to this area of England and eventually settled into a cottage; and Jane once again resumed writing. The book is a wonderful introduction to Jane Austen. The Ms. Tomalin makes a careful study of her many novels, and also shows us the strength that Jane Austen manifested through humor, warmth, and constancy to her family even under stress.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Dramatic Life of Jane Austen...
*by H***E on May 9, 2008*

1997's "Jane Austen: A Life" is Claire Tomalin's highly readable, even dramatic account of the life of the popular romance novelist. Jane Austen left little for her future biographers beyond her published novels and some surviving letters and manuscripts. Tomalin addresses Jane in the context of her large and interesting family and their Hampshire friends and relatives. The result doesn't necessarily add a great deal to our limited store of knowledge about Jane Austen; it does provide some interesting insights into her context, and should bury forever any concerns about the source of Austen's acute understanding of human nature or the material for her novels. The good news about "Jane Austen: A Life" is that Claire Tomalin is a gifted writer and her book will be a page-turner for many fans. Tomalin has done her extensive research. In addition, Tomalin is not shy about speculating when it comes to the signficant gaps in our knowledge of Austen's life. Her speculation is generally reasonable and plausible, and almost always fascinating to read. It is less clear how much of the book is reasonable inference from the limited record and how much edges toward historical fiction. Tomalin includes her own literary criticism on Jane Austen's various works. This criticism is frankly hit or miss. Her comments on "Lady Susan" highlight its unusual leading character. Her analysis of the novel fragment "The Watson" explains why Jane Austen never finished it. However, she unfairly slights one of the main characters in "Sense and Sensibility", misreads the fate of Mr. Wickham and Lydia in "Pride and Prejudice", and perhaps misses the point of "Mansfield Park." Readers familiar with Jane Austen's novels can draw their own conclusions. Jane Austen is as vivid as Claire Tomalin can make her in this biography, a clever, acutely observant woman who must on occasion have been a little intimidating in person. She is very much a family person, at the beck and call of brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews all her life. We come to appreciation for how difficult Austen's life was after her father died. Her failure to marry lfet her, her spinster sister Cassandra, and her widowed mother in genteel poverty, dependent on support from her brothers and with few choices about where and how they would live. Unfortunately, Jane's writing did not begin to produce real income before her early death in 1817. "Jane Austen: A Life" is highly recommended as an interesting, even dramatic biography. The book includes an excellent selection of portraits of Jane Austen's family members. It is perhaps ironic that the one verified portrait of Jane Austen in life was said by her family to be inadequate, just as the person behind the novels continues to be elusive to biographers and fans alike.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A thorough, engaging study
*by P***B on July 19, 2017*

This book is very valuable for a Jane Austen enthusiast, such as myself. It has brought Jane to life in ways I hadn't realized previously, a thorough, engaging study, to be sure. Its family tree note is part of its very valuable note-system, with its detailed indexing is also to be praised. I only objected to some of Claire's views of Jane's characters, so a reader needs to be prepared for some possibly disputable comments in that respect. Describing Fannie Price in Mansfield Part as a "prig" is a serious misunderstanding of that character, in my view, as one example. But this is minor against the extensive and well-arranged bio--strongly recommended. It was also interesting to read what people close to her thought of her stories, with Emma not doing so well against Pride and Prejudice, whereas Emma is now likely her masterpiece. This study also redoubles the understanding that Jane was a forerunner into modern realism, and as fine a writer as we're likely to find.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Jane Austen: A Life
- Jane Austen at Home: A Biography
- The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things

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*Last updated: 2026-02-23*