Becoming Jane : A Biography of Young Jane Austen

An intimate portrait of Jane Austen, her relationship with a charming young Irishman, and the profound effect this had on her life and her art.

Jon Spence's brilliant biography of Jane Austen is an intimate portrait of the much loved novelist. Spence paints a vivid picture of Jane's world; her situation and circumstances, their benefits and drawbacks, and the people who influenced her - family and friends, rejected suitors, tiresome acquaintances and unruly nephews. Becoming Jane shows how Jane Austen's own personal experiences resonated throughout her work and how one person, above all, affected her life and caught her imagination; the young Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy. It is a world familiar to us from Jane Austen's novels - but in Becoming Jane, Austen herself is the heroine.

About the Author

Jon Spence was born in Georgia, USA and was educated at King's College, London University. Spence lived abroad for many years and towards the end of his life he divided his time between London and Sydney, finally passing away at his Sydney home. He is the editor of A Century of Wills from Jane Austen's Family and Jane Austen's Brother Abroad: The Grand Tour Journals of Edward Austen. He acted as Historical Consultant on the film Becoming Jane.