This outstanding biography of a well-beloved novelist catches the spirit of Jane Austen herself. May Lamberton Becker enjoyably introduces us to the 18th and early 19th century world Miss Austen lived in¿her family, her friends, her varied settings and her many keen interests¿as we are given insight to the personal background of all the Austen novels. Enlivening her narrative with many quotations from Jane Austen¿s own correspondence, Miss Becker puts her own enthusiastic appreciation of one of the world¿s most delightful writers at our disposal.