“We have only one real portrait of Jane Austen, and that is a sadly sketchy one by her sister -- apart from a watercolour that presents us the charming sight of the back of her head.

In light of that, David Cecil's biography may be the best portrait of Austen we are ever to have. In that it creates a remarkably vivid picture of Austen the author, Jane the woman, the large Austen clan, and to some extent the 18th century itself, it succeeds well as a biography.

As a biography...”

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