An interesting perspective on the father of Jane Austen. Interesting to better understand the background of her life and how it shows up in her books.

When imagining the top Regency Era authors, most point to the witty and amusing novel-writing Jane Austen. As with her previous charming delve into Jane Austen’s friendship with Martha Lloyd, Zöe Wheddon explores the life of the man who played such a strong role in molding Jane Austen’s mind and talent.



Wheddon delves into the Austen family history, social history of the times, documents, letters, and family memorabilia to glean what was needed to flesh out the life of a man who was interesting in and of himself apart from his role as father to a now world-renowned author.

George Austen’s humble and inauspicious beginnings offered an amazing contrast to the man who rose to scholarly heights at Oxford, established his family into the country gentry, and left a legacy through his children’s successes that proved the important role he played in their lives. It was evident early on that George Austen loved all his children and wanted them all, girls included, to have a solid education and encouraged them in their pursuits.



For me, the new and intriguing parts were George Austen’s background and his own early history and scholarly achievements before he became a family man. I also enjoyed the chapters that delved into his life after this as a family man and cleric. My only niggle was there was a repetition of thought a few times that didn’t seem necessary.

Wheddon included speculations about Jane Austen’s portrayal of fathers and clerics in her novels and how that connected to her intimate knowledge of her own father. I thought it was woven together with the biographical details rather well.



All in all, I thought Wheddon did a good job inviting readers to a more warm and friendly knowledge of George Austen, his family, and Regency life focused on fathers. A light approach with an obvious scholarly research effort made Jane Austen, Daddy’s Girl: The Life and Influence of the RevdGeorge Austen an engaging biography I can recommend.

This is another brilliant title from Zöe Wheddon. I was such a fan of her first book Jane Austen's Best Friend: The Life and Influence of Martha Lloyd so I was delighted to receive an arc for Jane Austen: Daddy's Girl. Wheddon creates a comprehensive portrait of Jane's father the Reverend George Austen, and utilises their relationship to create a compelling exploration of the many fathers in Austen's fiction. Once again, Wheddon has brought Jane Austen's nearest and dearest to life with an immersive look at the person who inspired some of Austen's most revered characters. An accessible and engaging read, Jane Austen: Daddy's Girl is perfect for fans of Austen as well as those just getting started with her works.

No one has had the same influence on me as my father. I'm a daddy's girl. So of course I was interested in this one! (My mom's amazing, too.)

I found it a bit thick and convoluted, as a British-ish novel based on history often is. The premise of influence and backdrop is strong and interesting. Recommended for Austin fans.

Entertaining and informative: the perfect book to learn something new about Jane Austen.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In this interesting Austen-centric biography, Wheddon focuses on Jane Austen’s relationship with her father, Reverend George Austen, and on George Austen’s life and biography. With many references to the various father characters in Jane Austen’s six novels, Wheddon explores the pivotal role that George Austen played in Jane’s development and early career as a writer, supporting her writing and self-education while also ensuring that she lived the life that propriety demanded. Wheddon explores George Austen’s childhood and family life (particularly with his sister Philadelphia) and his time at school and at Oxford before joining the Church of England and taking up his post. By exploring themes of fatherhood in Austen’s novels, Wheddon shows her readers where George’s influence on Jane and the meaningfulness of this relationship reappears in her literary works, providing this nuanced insight into classic British literature. With these incredible lines of analysis and biography, Wheddon’s book is a fantastic contribution to current scholarship on Jane Austen and adds some new context and influence to existing lines of analysis and inquiry. An enjoyable read full of fascinating detail and insights into both the author, her father, and her books, Austenites and historians alike will greatly enjoy Wheddon’s latest book.

This was an interesting book looking at Jane’s father rather than Jane herself. It was well written and researched. I enjoyed this very much and highly recommend it.
One tiny niggle is that I don’t like the title - it seems out of step with what is a well written biography and slightly disrespectful of a sensible and loving man.

A unique perspective on one person who affected Jane Austen's life and literary career. her father. The reverend was the head of the household and had a big impact on how Jane looked at relationships and wrote about them in. her novels. Find out why in this book. If you love Jane Austen, you won't want to miss this novel.

This was a captivating biography of George Austen, Jane’s Anglican vicar and farmer father, who had such a great influence on his famous daughter. Indeed, he had a huge influence on all of his eight children. It is truly a tale of hard work, courage, and a well-lived life.

George had a difficult time when he was young. Orphaned at an early age, he faced abandonment from his stepmother and separation from his siblings. Luckily, his benevolent uncle came to the rescue and George was given a headstart. Diligent and clever, he eventually went to Oxford and became a Fellow before settling down, marrying Cassandra who had aristocratic relations, and serving as a vicar, farmer and schoolmaster. During his time at Oxford, when he was a Proctor, he and some others actually stood up against the university, showing some courage.

Enlightened and ‘liberal’for his time, George saw his daughter’s talents and encouraged them, even helping her with publication of her work. He allowed her to have access to his huge library, sharing with her his love of reading, and even let the children stage rather bawdy plays! His main influence, though, was, of course, her deep Anglican beliefs and Christian upbringing.

This is a great book to read for anyone who wants to know yet more about Jane! The author’s podcast looks fascinating as well.



I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Zöe Wheddon, Jane Austen: Daddy’s Girl, The Life and Influence of The Revd George Austen, Pen & Sword Pen & Sword History, March 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

A significant part of Jane Austen’s life has been omitted in the concentration on her relationship with her sister Cassandra. Such attention has been successful in showing Jane as a woman influenced by her own female friendships and then reflecting them in her work. Jane Austen: Daddy’s Girl, The Life and Influence of the Revd George Austen adds another important dimension to the influences on Austen’s writing, not only proving a detailed account of George Austen’s life from his early years but in the impact he had on Austen’s depiction of men, the social environment and moral imperatives with which her work is imbued, and the educational and inspirational environment in which she thrived.

Not only is this book a valuable addition to what is known about Austen and her writing, but it is a wonderful read. Packed with information it is, but a turgid recounting of events it is not. As is usual with the Pen & Sword style Zöe Weddon’s writing is extremely accessible. The book is entertaining to read and enhanced by frequent references to where Jane’s life and the influences upon it are reflected in her novels. Titles are in brackets and the text often elaborates on the connections she made between real life and fiction.

Zöe Wheddon adds judicious speculative dimensions to her work. These are some of the best examples of a writer using wide ranging research to provide a context and enhancing the way in which we can understand the events and characterisation based on known material. Some of the speculation is aided by Austen’s fictional work which is based on her knowledge of the events and circumstances around her. Together, the novels, Wheddon’s research-based knowledge of context, and her ability to draw together this with material which can be cited, produces a wonderfully woven familiarity with Austen, her family, in particular her father and her environment.

Together with such speculation is a host of information for which Wheddon has references. Each chapter is well endowed with citations, and the bibliography, plus material referred to as extra reading, demonstrates the important place Wheddon gives to research and using that research to produce a thoughtful encounter with the Austen family, Jane and her father, her siblings and her mother, Cassandra, as well as more far-flung relatives. The end result is a pleasure to read, and makes an important contribution to understanding Jane Austen, her world and her novels.

As an Austen fan, I was looking forward to reading this title. It was at best an uneven read. The author strays from biography to psychoanalysis offering suggestions for Reverend Austen’s behavior and actions. I would have expected in a biography for there to be much more definitive explanation for the subject’s actions and reactions.

I would suggest students utilize the text sparingly. There is much to recommend its use as a secondary source.

This revealing biography explores the pivotal father-daughter bond that shaped Jane Austen’s life and writings. Delving into Reverend George Austen’s journey from orphan to family man and clergymen, it examines how his roles and experiences influenced Jane’s portrayal of fatherhood in her novels. An interesting, well-researched, and easy-to-read book, it’s a gem for Jane Austen fans.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I'm so happy I got the wishbone for this book because I was very interested in it. I love Jane Austen, so reading this story about her family was amazing. She is such an amazing writer, and learning about her father and how she became a great writer was a story worth reading for all Jane Austen fans.

Once again, my Jane Austen obsession sneaks back into my life. Zöe Wheddon's Jane Austen: Daddy's Girl was an amazing non-fiction read, detailing the life of George Austen and his impact on Jane Austen and her writings.

Before Wheddon's book, I hadn't thought too much about the impact of Austen's family on her writings and in her book, Zöe Wheddon opens your eyes to an array of little-known information on the influential clergyman and father who shaped many characters in his daughter's writings from childhood to her successes.

Overall, Jane Austen: Daddy's Girl is a witty, well-researched book that shows the little-known influences behind Jane Austen's beloved classics. Wheddon's book should be on every Janeite's bookshelf this year.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pen & Sword for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The impact of Jane Austen's father on her and the entire family is revealed in this lovely book by biographer Zöe Wheddon. Jane learned so much from the erudite Reverend George Austen, and he even championed her work to publishers while gifting her the iconic portable writing table.

This unique, rich, and witty bio illumines how one loving man profoundly influenced the world's greatest novelist--at a time when women did not usually receive such support--with all of us as beneficiaries. Highly recommended!