I was probably a less than ideal candidate for reading this book. I've struggled with this type of newer nonfiction, a combination of memoir and literary, in the past. Plus, I haven't read Austen since my high school days and wasn't a fan back then. Despite that I was drawn in at certain times to her personnel story, new child, father recently passed, and curious about her literary comments. Interesting to see that [author:Ta-Nehisi Coates|1214964], has also written literary criticism of Austen. For three years she diligently read Austen, trying to make sense of her own life through Austen's words.

I think I would have gotten more from this had I previously reread Austen's more popular novels. Was just too long ago, maybe I would get more from her works than I did reading as a teenager. It did, however, spark my interest in rereading, at least I'll start with one and see how it goes.

ARC from Netgalley. ( )

I received a copy of this memoir from the publisher via NetGalley.

This isn't for me sadly, despite the fact that I am very fond of Jane Austen's novels. The opening section lacked any sense of structure and wandered to and fro in time and the novels and I felt lost. After that it settled down to focus on the novels one by one (or so I thought, but there is still a tendency to meander). I was not aware of Rachel Cohen before requesting this book and, while she writes movingly of her grief for her father, I am not interested enough in her to persist for that reason. I'm not learning anything I didn't already know about Austen or the novels either. The division of the heroines into 'E's' (Emma and Elizabeth) and the 'anns' (Fanny and Anne) was the end for me. ( )