The Tortoise and the Hare, Elizabeth Jenkins

What a delight it was to re-read this book. I happened across it, with a new introduction (2001) by Hilary Mantel, while perusing the Library shelves. I was obviously in the mood for a bit of Jane Austen: the attention to social detail, the insightful historical perspectives, the splendid nuanced writing laced with gems of observations on the human condition.

The Tortoise and the Hare is her 6th of 12 novels (published in 1954), detailing the marriage of Evelyn and Imogen Gresham (he an aging barrister, her an ingenue) trapped not only in their social standing, but in their own self interests. I love the opening sentence of Mantel's review "Apart from a war, what could be more interestng than a marriage?" There is of course 'another woman', their one son, and a variety of village characters that fascinate and repel while being exquisitely and acerbically described. The post note in this edition was also extremely illuminating (Carmen Calil, 1997) who in an interview with Jenkins discovered that this novel was largely autobiographical! And while you may detest Evelyn (I certainly did), Jenkins comment "well of course you didn't know him" slightly throws you, while fitting in completely with the story. Are you sure you is the tortoise and who is the hare? Have they changed?

If you like Jane Austen or Elizabeth Ironside, this is definitely comparable. Most enjoyable!

This is a perfect book for a rainy chilly autumn day - today!

New Author! Bio of Jane Austen

OK all you Janeites!! there is a new (ish) biography that it utterly fascinating!
Jane's Fame by Claire Harman (2009) How Jane Austen conquered the world. Well written, interesting critique, well researched, such that I am in search of her other three books now too. How did I miss the one on Robert Louis Stevenson?? She is prize winning author and a Fellow of the Royal Society of LIterature (2006) from her noted work : Sylvia Townsend Warner, Fanny Burney and Myself and the Other Fellow: A life of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Paraphrasing from my reading: "two hundred years and tens of thousands of books on Austen later... her fame and readership continue to grow." the Dawn of janeism was around 1870 with Margaret Oliphant. In 2007 Pride and Prejudice was voted the book the UK couldn't do without (the bible was 6th)...Til then Jane was an author "a critic's novelist - highly spoke of and little read" in the 1830s-60s. Many people liked that there were no letters, no private information of either her or Shakespeare to keep the mystery and make the work more important.....
enjoy reading, and then peruse the footnotes, the biography, and be inspired again.