A Jane Austen Christmas

Author: Carlo DeVito
Publisher: Cider Mill Press Book Publishers
Publishing date: 2015
Pages: 188

Today marks a birth of Jane Austen, one of the most influential and inspirational female authors, whose works keep her alive in hearts of all her devotees. She would be 242 years old today, which makes me marvel at her power as a writer. Two centuries and a half passed by, and she's still being published in various new editions, which celebrate her wit and fitting observations along with her thrilling storytelling, all wrapped up in her beautifull writing style. 

She's one of my all time favourite authors. I love all of her novels very dearly and a day seldomly goes by without me having mentioned her in some conversation or other with my family or friends. I can relate to her works in such a way that she seems like a friend to me. And whenever in doubt or trouble, I always remember her and seek help and refuge in her books. After reading her novels repeatedly, though, I've started to be more and more interested in her own life and realized how little I actually knew about her. Which is the reason why I've picked up this charming little book by Carlo DeVito.

A Jane Austen Christmas is essentially a biography that summarizes up her life in Christmas time. I never realized how many of the important affairs in her life were so closely linked with the Christmas season. Beside her birthday she also celebrated publishing of her first novels in December. She experinced her first love during the Christmastide as well as the sorrow of loosing her beloved father. Because Jane Austen was a big fan of dances and theatricals, I believe Christmas was her favourite season, since it gave her lots of opportunities to take part in them during the family gatherings. The Christmas gaieties also enabled her to observe people getting together, and thus she could find inspiration for her writing...

This book is also about Christmas season itself. It tells us about the history of Christmas in England and how it's gotten to be of the kind we celebrate today. I really enjoyed all the facts about my favourite period of the year and I was very glad to find out about the way Jane Austen decorated her house and what herself and her family would do and eat during the holidays. A Jane Austen Christmas is a beautiful, well researched book, perfect for everybody who loves Jane Austen and Christmas and want to learn a bit more about the history of both...

Rating: 5/5