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Obres de Jasmine A. Stirling

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Little Jane's world was filled with words and inspiration. She delighted in doing nothing more than spinning tales for her family's enjoyment, and could wile away an afternoon with merely her pen, paper, and curious mind. She was well on her way to becoming the authoress we know and love...until one day, her voice was all but stolen. Tragedy struck tilting her world with seemingly no end, and young Jane was at a loss. Never before was her mind, her imagination silenced, but hardships, and heartache have been known to do that and more. The seasons turned and over time, once life began its uphill climb ever so slowly to happier times, she began to dabble once again...rediscovering her inner muse, and ultimately solidifying her well known voice that would echo for generations to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting an inside glimpse at the life of this illustrious author, and the beautifully illustrated pages throughout let your imagination take flight. You are there with young Jane entertaining your friends and family. You see the dinner party at which she understands through observation the differences between those around her, and how best to fit those types of personalities to her characters. You are inspired when she finds inspiration. You are downhearted when her pen rests. You want to reach out with reassurances that a better tomorrow looms on the horizon, and cheer for joy when it comes to pass. Through the written words and the wonderful images, you are taken on a journey that young and old can truly appreciate, learn from, and be inspired by.


**ebook provided for review; opinions are my own
… (més)
 
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GRgenius | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Jul 31, 2022 |
I'm experiencing a personal renaissance of interest in all things Austen. It's probably habit(I used to binge it before the college semester started). Anyway...

Delightful illustrations and insightful thoughts here. And the backmatter(I learned that term at a conference I attended and I feel smart that I now know to look for it) was superb. I hope things like this keep being written and printed.

Also, can I just say that Vesper is an awesome name?! However they got it, I totally approve.… (més)
 
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OutOfTheBestBooks | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Sep 24, 2021 |
First-time author Jasmine A. Stirling and illustrator Vesper Stamper team up in this lovely picture-book biography of Jane Austen, chronicling some of her major life events, and the gradual maturation process whereby the famous writer discovered her narrative voice. Raised in a comfortable and loving family, Austen grew to womanhood in rural Hampshire, indulged and encouraged by her father in her storytelling and writing. The loss of her childhood home, and then of her father a few years later, led to a period of intellectual inactivity, but eventually Austen did find her voice, penning some of the best-known novels in the English language...

Although I have read all of Austen's novels, as well as a healthy smattering of her juvenilia, I have never read any biography of her, and am therefore ill equipped to judge how accurate of a picture Stirling creates here. That said, from a literary perspective I found A Most Clever Girl: How Jane Austen Discovered Her Voice quite convincing. When reading that Austen laughed at the over-the-top Gothic novels of her day, I immediately thought of Northanger Abbey. When seeing Austen at the dinner table with family and friends, I thought of some of her dinnertime scenes, in novels like Pride and Prejudice. One really gets a sense of Austen, and of the world that created her in this title, just as one gets a sense of how the events of her life shaped her vision of that world, and the stories she wanted to tell about it. I really appreciated Stirling's afterword, in which she discusses her aim in this book, which is to explore Jane Austen's genius, and where it came from. I have had a number of conversations of late, about the weaknesses of so many recent picture-book biographies about women, so when I read Stirling's statement that: "So many of our narratives about women in history revolve around them being the first to do one thing or another. In this book, I wanted to tell a different kind of story," I wanted to cheer.

The accompanying artwork here from Vesper Stamper is beautiful. I particularly liked the decorative endpapers, which my library thoughtfully kept viewable by glueing the dust-jacket to the book at the book edges, but leaving the flaps liftable. The use of color here was particularly well done, with Austen's childhood depicted in full color, and her middle years in shades of grey. I also liked all of the little historical details - things like Jane's writing desk, which was a gift from her father - that Stamper got right. All in all, a wonderful first introduction to this key figure of English literature, one I would recommend to picture-book readers who enjoy biography, or are interested in writers.
… (més)
 
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AbigailAdams26 | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Aug 31, 2021 |
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 and lived only to age 41 (cause of death unknown), but managed to become one of the most popular novelists of all time. Her six major books, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion, have gone through countless reprints, movie adaptations, and retellings, and have been analyzed extensively by scholars.

Author Jasmine Stirling takes a look at Jane’s life beginning when Jane was a young girl who liked to write silly stories poking fun at the “fluff” popular for readers at the time. She grew up with six brothers and one sister, as well as three or four boys who lived with them and were educated by Jane’s father. The author writes:

“Words echoed joyfully through the house. Her mother wrote and recited poetry in one room while her brothers debated the news in the next. Jane and her sister, Cassandra, sang songs upstairs as her father taught the wonders of Shakespeare to students below. . . . Words made Jane happy. Her family made her happy. Jane knew her own happiness and chased it.”

Jane struggled to find her own voice, writing about what she observed around her. But something was missing, and she didn’t know what it was. Years passed, and “life became a quick succession of busy nothings.” Then her beloved father died, leaving the family in dire financial straits to boot, and no words came at all. Finally she made her way through the pain and loneliness and began to write again. The author observes:

“Jane’s voice was clever, as it had been in her childhood.
It was still filled with real people.
But grief and loss had added something new.
Jane’s voice was wise.”

Jane picked up the books she had started writing ten years earlier and revised them: “The clever, real, and wise were all mixed together in a way that was completely new.”

Her books were published and became wildly popular. She even got a request from the librarian working for George IV, the future king of England, who asked her to write “one of those sticky-sweet love stories" that Jane just couldn’t stand. . . ." She declined his request, writing to him:

“I could not sit seriously down to write a serious Romance under any other motive than to save my life . . . No, I must keep to my own style & go on in my own way.”

Stirling concludes that after this, Jane "finally knew. . . . [that she] had found her voice.”

Award-winning illustrator Vesper Stamper explains in a note at the end of the book, “England has always been my happy place. . . . ” So to work on this book, she “got on a plane and took a walk in Jane’s footsteps.” She writes that she wanted to capture the beauty of Jane’s Hampshire countryside but also show through her art how Jane’s emotions evolved over time. She changed the colors of the story to reflect Jane’s inner journey throughout her life - vibrant pinks in her youth, a grayer time in her middle years, and lush greens when she found a new maturity. Most interestingly, she says that “the book’s palette comes from textile shades that were popular in Jane’s time.” Period costumes and other historical touches are excellent and full of fascinating detail. Consumers of children’s picture books don’t always realize how much research and effort go into the art work, especially when it so seamlessly helps illuminate the narrative.

The book ends with a section called “About Jane Austen” with background for adults, quotations from Austen’s work, an Author’s Note, Illustrator’s Note, resources for young readers, and a select bibliography. The Author’s Note begins cleverly, paraphrasing one of Austin’s most famous lines: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl with an astonishing appetite for books must grow up to have a great many literary heroines.” The author recounts that while she was studying at college, she “fell head over heels for the Austens and even more deeply in love with Jane.” She especially appreciated Jane’s “spirited and complex characters, her wit, and her passion for moderation.. She adds:

“So many of our narratives about women in history revolve around them being the first to do one thing or another. In this book, I wanted to tell a different kind of story - one centered on Jane’s genius. Where did it come from? And more broadly, how do artists learn and grow over time? I wanted children to see that genius is the product of experimentation, persistence, and life’s hard-won battles.”

She definitely accomplished that goal with this book for children aged 5 and over, imparting the important message that if success is elusive, don’t despair - be patient and you may yet reach your goals. Jane’s talent wasn’t immediately apparent, but took a lot of work and a willingness to buck convention.

Evaluation: Even kids who aren't [yet] familiar with Jane Austen will enjoy this story and its depiction through both words and pictures of Regency England. Moreover, the message that success is not always immediate will inspire and encourage children who fear they may never excel.
… (més)
 
Marcat
nbmars | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Jul 29, 2021 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
3
Membres
39
Popularitat
#376,657
Valoració
4.1
Ressenyes
5
ISBN
4