Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Although I am in my Pride and Prejudice category right now, I just finished this book, and wanted to write about it while it is still fresh in my mind. 

I enjoyed the book. It was fun reading a novel about Jane Austen’s life. Even though everything can’t be a fact from her life, it was nice to read about all the important happenings in her life when (and sometimes how) they happened. I’m glad Nancy Moser didn’t have to create scandal or things un-authentic to Jane Austen’s life and the time era to make it interesting, like some people do. 

It was written in first person and present tense - as if Jane Austen were composing it in her mind while it was happening, so one would expect it to sound like Jane Austen would talk/think. In some spots, I thought the wording - mostly terms and figures of speech - didn’t sound right for the late 1700s and early 1800s. I noticed some mistakes, such as spelling the last name “Ferras” instead of “Ferrars”, and a couple misuses of the word “alas”. There was a lot of unnecessary paragraphing - things were put in five paragraphs that could easily have been said in one. Just a style of writing, I suppose, and while I found it a bit irritating, it might not annoy someone else. 

All in all, it was a good read. If I had not liked it, I would not have finished it. :-) I recommend it as a fun way to learn about Jane Austen’s life, especially if you know the sold details but would like to see them reimagined. 

By the way, I thought the front cover was beautiful. Bethany House usually does a good job with that. :-)