A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith - eBook

Lori Smith is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly, Washingtonian and Today’s Christian Woman. She is author of The Single Truth and creator of the popular literary blog Jane Austen Quote of the Day.

In this engaging, deeply personal and well-researched travelogue, Smith (a PW contributor) journeys to England to soak in the places of Jane Austen’s life and writings.... This is an unusual look at Jane Austen. Readers will learn plenty of biographical details–about Austen’s small and intimate circle of family and friends, her candid letters to her sister, her possible loves and losses, her never-married status, her religious feelings, and her untimely death at the age of 41. But it is the author’s passionate connection to ‘Jane’–the affinity she feels and her imaginings of Austen’s inner life–that bring Austen to life in ways no conventional biographer could. Smith’s voice swings authentically between her own raw, aching vulnerability as a single Christian woman battling a debilitating and mysterious chronic illness and the surges of faith she finds in the grace of a loving God. And yes, Smith even meets a potential Darcy at the start of her journey. This deliciously uncertain romantic tension holds the book together as Smith weaves her own thoughts, historical research, and fitting references to Austen’s novels into a satisfying whole. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

“In some ways, this trip is about sorting out the possibilities of my life, working and dreaming to ensure that I will still somehow be significant.” Lori Smith writes these personal words in her captivating memoir A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith. Taking a break from the disappointments in her career and romantic life, Smith pursues her dream to trace Jane Austen's history throughout England. In the process of discovering Austen, Smith allows the reader to follow intimately her own journey of self-discovery, search for significance, and, ultimately, a greater realization of God's goodness and grace.

A Walk with Jane Austen takes the reader throughout England, including the colleges in Oxford, a monastery in Hampshire, friends in London, as well as inns in Lyme and Bath. And while there is a great deal of history about Austen and her family, the writing stays entirely fresh with the many personal anecdotes by Smith. Smith's faith is marked by profound thoughts, and her discussion of Austen's faith is both interesting and inspirational.

The love story aspect of Smith's tour is wonderfully engaging, and the rarity of such intelligent and poetic writing makes reading this book pleasurable. In her memoir, Smith describes herself as thoughtful, passionate about faith, but uncomfortable with much of evangelical Christianity. Her candor and humor about the human failings of Christians, herself included, are extremely refreshing. And, whereas some might be offended by her criticisms of the church-at-large, others will appreciate her desire to have a strong intellectual aspect to her faith. Her sometimes-biting wit is used when describing the modern Christian woman's struggle to date within the church and her own fading hopes of finding a man who passionately loves God, loves her, and is not weird. As a Christian with Anglican leanings, she seems to extend grace easily to others, while struggling to find grace for herself.

Not for the ultra-conservatives, A Walk with Jane Austen could appeal to a variety of women in the 18-40 age range. Single women may especially appreciate the dating anecdotes, but the overall themes and humor in the book will be universally appealing. And don't shy away simply because your completed checklist of Austen classics is wanting. I've read only the famous Pride and Prejudice, though now I have the desire to read all the rest. Anyone who has seen movie adaptations of her books would do just as well reading Smith's memoir. Because of Smith's objective perspective toward her faith and her skillful avoidance of Christianese vocabulary, this could be a great reading experience for non-Christians as well as Christians. I would recommend this to anyone who is remotely interested in Jane Austen, or to those who simply are hungry for an interesting and well-written memoir. -- Stacie Miller, Christian Book Previews.com

“A young woman goes looking for Austen in all the places Austen once lived and many of the places she wrote about. The Austen she finds is a woman of family, and of quiet but sustaining faith. Austen shares these things and many others with author Lori Smith whose book gives the reader the great pleasure of time spent with both. A lovely, intimate read.”
–Karen Joy Fowler, best-selling author of The Jane Austen Book Club

“Sensitively written and carefully paced this memoir takes the reader on a tour of the author’s experiences while journeying around England in the footsteps of Jane Austen. Lori Smith moves seamlessly from romantic daydreams, through a close questioning of her relationship with God, to battles with her mental and physical health. The book reads as an intimate and honest memoir and has enough to satisfy the non-Christian (like myself) if they choose to look beyond the somewhat unexpected (in a mainstream book at least) pairing of Jane Austen and Christianity. Above all else, this is a book about searching–for love, meaning, peace with oneself, health, a good night’s sleep, and a decent cup of coffee that wasn’t made with that freeze-dried-instant-powder–and these are experiences that anyone of any faith can relate to.... A welcoming read. Lyrical and questioning...perfectly pitched.”
–Emma Campbell Webster, actress, author of Lost in Austen, and founder of lostinaustenblogspot.com


“With wit, charm, and rare honesty–of which I have to believe Jane Austen would have thoroughly approved–Lori Smith weaves her personal life experiences throughout her journey into the life that was Jane’s. Infused with faith, romance, loss, and a search for self, A Walk With Jane Austen makes for that rare book that keeps popping into one’s thoughts and beckoning one back.”
–Tamara Leigh, author of Perfecting Kate and Splitting Harriet

“With deep and sometimes heartwrenching honesty, Lori Smith weaves her story and Jane’s together into a wholly unique narrative. In the midst of a craze for treating Austen’s novels as little more than glorified bodice-rippers, Lori brings to bear her perspective as a single Christian woman who can identify in many ways with Austen’s own beliefs and experiences, exploring truths and ideas that others gloss over. The resulting book stands out like a beacon.”
–Gina R. Dalfonzo, editor of The Point weblog (http://thepoint.breakpoint.org) and writer for BreakPoint Radio