Subtitled “A Novel of Jane Austen’s Life,” this one is suitable for Janeites everywhere, but I don’t know how much the casual fans or (heaven forbid!) nonreaders of Jane Austen are going to get out of the book. It’s an easy read, not too challenging intellectually speaking, but enjoyable.

The theme is “learning to be yourself” and to be content in all circumstances. It’s published by Bethany House, but Christianity is kept in the background just as it is in Austen’s novels themselves. A Christian heritage is assumed, and clergymen are ubiquitous throughout. But Jane herself spends a lot more time worrying about the fashions and the drains in the house than she does about her relationship to God. This Christianity-as-a-foundation (not a lifestyle or a relationship) is historically accurate, I think. It’s only in later centuries and mostly in America that people began to think about “how to live the Christian life” or “how to have a relationship with Jesus.” Immersed in modern evangelical culture as I am, I wanted to shake Jane and tell her: “You can pray about these problems you’re having.” “God cares.” “You are not alone.” But I wonder if we would be communicating across a cultural abyss that would be difficult to bridge.

So, Just Jane: recommended to Regency fans, Austen-lovers, and others who appreciate a quiet, fictionalized biography of an insightful and sometimes acerbic author who still influences our culture today.

Some other treats for Austen fans that I discovered during Book Blogger Appreciation Week:
Jane Austen Today. The blogger here writes about all things Jane: movies, books, cultural influences, news and views.

Austenprose: a daily celebration of the brilliance of Jane Austen’s writing.

Austenblog. “A compendium of news about Jane Austen in popular culture: mentions in newspaper articles, books and magazines; film adaptations; paraliterature such as continuations of the novels or modern retellings; Austen-related events; and other manifestations of the delightful way in which Jane Austen and her work have informed today’s popular culture.” Here’s a brief Austenblog review of Just Jane.

Are you a Janeite or do you lean towards Mark Twain’s (boorish) views: quoth Mr. Twain, “Jane Austen? Why I go so far as to say that any library is a good library that does not contain a volume by Jane Austen. Even if it contains no other book.”

You can tell by the parenthetical adjective where I stand on the matter.

Postscript: Today is Constitution Day, a celebration of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Here’s a Semicolon post on Constitution Day and some books with which to celebrate.