Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice
Byrne&#8217;s aim is to show how these objects, many of them reproduced in her book in lush color plates, reveal a much more cosmopolitan awareness of the world than is commonly credited to Austen.&#8221; (Maureen Corrigan, NPR for THE REAL JANE AUSTEN)Vividly persuasive&#8230;. THE REAL JANE AUSTEN is excellent&#8230; particularly on the dissonant topics of theater and slavery&#8230;.Byrnes section on slavery is better still, establishing links between Austen&#8217;s protagonists and contemporary figures, her pointed references and contemporary events, which highlight her supposedly oblivious fiction&#8217;s sharp views on the slave trade.&#8221; (New York Times Book Review for THE REAL JANE AUSTEN)&#8220;Byrne takes Austen seriously as a writer...[she] brings to life a woman of &#8220;wonderful exuberance and self-confidence,&#8221; of &#8220;firm opinions and strong passions.&#8221; Little wonder that every other man she meets seems to fall in love with her.&#8221; (Michael Dirda, Washington Post for THE REAL JANE AUSTEN)&#8220;Byrne brings to this brief history an eye for telling details of daily life, slaveholders&#8217; unthinkable cruelty, and the fervent work of a few good men and women who changed their world.&#8221; (Kirkus Reviews)