Until very recently, I had never read a single book by Jane Austen. I bought Emma from a favorite bookstore in early March 2020 when it became clear I would have some time to commit to a more difficult book. As advised by some rando on the internet, I began by reading the book aloud to my cat, Rowena. Reading aloud helped me breakdown Austen’s long sentences. Once I had the cadence down, I could rest my voice and disappear into the story.
Since then, I’ve read several more of Austen’s novels, all of which are listed below. All completed reads will be added here. I’ve slowed down a bit. That is the heartbreaking part of falling in love with classics. The author has a finite amount of work to experience.
I regularly borrow the audio-books of the novels I’ve read from the library to serve as my sleep stories. It’s the coziest way to get to become well acquainted with our heroines.
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Emma by Jane Austen
Emma Woodhouse is who I aspire to be. Slightly arrogant with an eye for improvements in both the world and herself, Emma is fiercely independent, highly values her female friends, and cares deeply for her anxious father. Mr Knightly as a romantic lead is a character that can stand on his own accord, but is greatly improved by picturing Paul Rudd, who played the character in the 1995 film adaptation, Clueless.
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Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Catherine Morland and my teenage self would have been the best of friends. Both a little spacey, we let our common sense slide to the backburner in order to indulge our more fantastical ideas about life brought about by our consumption of media (her the popular gothic novel, me television sitcoms).
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Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Fanny Price is ripped from her poverty and her family at 10 years old to live with extremely wealthy recitatives eager to remind her of how grateful she needed to act. Commonly underrated as an Austen heroine, Fanny Price has a strong mind and kind heart.
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Persuasion by Jane Austen
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