Jane Austen’s Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman

By: Lori Smith
Publisher: skirt!
Publication Date: April 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7627-9642-7
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor 
Review Date: March 29, 2014

There is many a female who wonders what Jane Austen - the woman who is not only heralded as the mistress of romance, but also a woman who worked hard, kept her strength, and was unfortunately taken from the world far too soon - would think if she was living in the 21st century. Would she be able to understand the electronic clicks instead of dinner conversations being held in households across the world? Would she understand the sex before marriage issue, or single parenthood? Or, the woman having the career over the man?

Well...chances are she most definitely would understand some, shake her head negatively when it came to others, and sit back and ponder others. And, perhaps, create yet another bestselling novel for us to think about and enjoy.

In this thoughtful book, Author Lori Smith, has dove head-first into the mind of Jane Austen, and by using her books, her few personal words left behind and her life story, she has brought nuggets of pure gold to the reader; offering solid advice on everything from getting a career to finding the love of one’s life to living with joy.

To name just a few topics...Living Your Dreams is a chapter that shows people that if they persist, follow their head and heart and be brave, they can make all dreams come true. When it comes to a career, one of the most poignant topics talks about what a person would do for work, even if it was a job where they could end up poor. Austen was all about passion and becoming a woman of substance through conversations, thought, and valuing yourself without devaluing others, and her strength certainly shines through in lessons such as these.

The author also explores the world of finance. And rightly so, explains how, in Austen’s world and mind, she always believed recognizing that money was essential was a certainty, but it was not essential to a person’s happiness. Another piece of sage advice is the fact that no one should ever equate fame with their success or importance in this world.

There is also a full spectrum of thoughtful lessons from Austen regarding the world of love. Whether it be marrying well, enjoying passion, or how to go it solo in the world and be happy with that. Cherishing family, friends, yourself, and thriving because you embrace your gifts and enjoy the laughter of life that IS accessible, are also words of wisdom for one and all.

Although Austen certainly came from a very different time period than females in the 21st century, her words have endured for this long for a very important reason: The woman was intelligent. This is not a self-help guide; this is a way to open doors to things that you have closed off within yourself because of hardship, broken love, dreams that never came to fruition, or simply because life has become mundane. A super project that offers superior advice for all of us.

Quill says: A perfect way to re-learn or first understand the precious life each of us was given! Great job!