Jane Austen at Home

A Biography

By: Lucy Worsley

Narrated by: Lucy Worsley, Ruth Redman

"Jane Austen at Home offers a fascinating look at Jane Austen's world through the lens of the homes in which she lived and worked throughout her life. The result is a refreshingly unique perspective on Austen and her work and a beautifully nuanced exploration of gender, creativity, and domesticity."--Amanda Foreman, bestselling author of Georgianna, Duchess of Devonshire

Take a trip back to Jane Austen's world and the many places she lived as historian Lucy Worsley visits Austen's childhood home, her schools, her holiday accommodations, the houses--both grand and small--of the relations upon whom she was dependent, and the home she shared with her mother and sister towards the end of her life. In places like Steventon Parsonage, Godmersham Park, Chawton House and a small rented house in Winchester, Worsley discovers a Jane Austen very different from the one who famously lived a 'life without incident'.

Worsley examines the rooms, spaces and possessions which mattered to her, and the varying ways in which homes are used in her novels as both places of pleasure and as prisons. She shows readers a passionate Jane Austen who fought for her freedom, a woman who had at least five marriage prospects, but--in the end--a woman who refused to settle for anything less than Mr. Darcy.

Illustrated with two sections of color plates, Lucy Worsley's Jane Austen at Home is a richly entertaining and illuminating new book about one of the world’s favorite novelists and one of the subjects she returned to over and over in her unforgettable novels: home.

Critic reviews

"It's fascinating whether or not you're a die-hard Austen fan, and listeners will want to revisit Austen's works, equipped with new understanding." -AudioFile

"Jane Austen at Home offers a fascinating look at Jane Austen's world through the lens of the homes in which she lived and worked throughout her life. The result is a refreshingly unique perspective on Austen and her work and a beautifully nuanced exploration of gender, creativity, and domesticity." - Amanda Foreman, bestselling author of Georgianna, Duchess of Devonshire

wonderful book

I enjoyed this book so much. The details about Jane and her family helped me to understand her life more. I highly recommend this book .

A splendid, moving narrative

Lucy Worsley has produced a wonderful exploration of Jane Austen’s life and world. A must read for Janites or anyone with an interest in this critical era.

Worthwhile

A reasonable balanced narrative of the Austen family and their relationships. Provides a historical and personal context of JA novels.

Wonderful Detail!

At last I finally feel like I know the authoress beyond her books! Excellent work, I truly enjoyed it.

Enjoyable over time

A nice read intermingled with other stories. It was always nice to come back to.