A Light Hearted and Lovely Read

I just finished reading Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners today. It was both light hearted and funny. I had no idea there was so much attached to being a person of society in Jane Austen's day. The rules are many and if a person fails to adhere to them, they could be cast out of all good society - doomed to a plain existence. This book covers every circumstance and activity - from how to be introduced to another person and how to properly call on and converse with someone to how to properly refuse a marriage proposal and deal with servants. Life for a lady of society must have been complicated under the burden of all these rules! No wonder people slipped up often.

The best part of this book is that it is written as if it were speaking to a Regency Era person. Ms. Austen's niece, Anna Austen, had tried her hand at writing a book and was looking to her Aunt Jane for guidance. This guidebook is infused with Austen's wit and humor regarding her own life in society as well as her advice to her niece on how the fictional characters of her book should behave. It is funny and relevant at the same time.

If you want to understand some of Austen's characters a little better, give this book a read. It was a fast read (about 2 hours for me) and reminded me of some of my favorite scenes in Jane Austen's collection of writings.