A very good collection of Jane Austen’s thoughts, arranged thematically. Quotes come from her letters and her novels. A must for Janeites I would think.
I have all her novels, a couple of biographies and her Letters but I like the way this is arranged. I read an ARC which as a document does not resemble the final book. I will look out for the book on publication to add to my collection.
Highly recommeded.

In a Nutshell: A compilation of some of Jane Austen’s shrewd quotes and observations from her published writings and personal correspondence. Will work better if you are a devout Janeite as context is quite important in getting the best from this collection.


With 2025 being the 250th year of Jane Austen’s birth, there are some wonderful new releases that commemorate the contributions of this intelligent writer to the literary world. However, this isn't a new book but the latest edition of a book first published in 2002 and republished several times since. (Mine is supposedly a revised edition, but I am not sure about what exactly has been revised.)

As I’m one of Austen’s biggest fans, I grabbed the chance to read this as soon as I saw the cover and the title. Seeing a collection that claimed to honour her “wicked wit” stirred every bit of my curiosity.! Having read and loved all six of her novels (only four of which were published in her lifetime), her novella ‘Lady Susan’, and her two unfinished works ‘The Watsons’ and ‘Sanditon’, I always get annoyed when certain “readers” dismiss Austen’s work as classic romances. While romance (or to be more accurate, love) plays a role in all of her books, her prime focus is always more practical and even satirical, subtly ridiculing the mores of the society she was raised in. Those who have read her ‘Juvenilia’, a collection of the stories she wrote between the ages of eleven to seventeen, will even be aware of how mischievous her younger self was. We get a glimpse of some of her best witticisms in this compilation.

‘Wit’ has two meanings: astuteness and funniness. While there can be an overlap in these two traits, they aren’t synonymous. This book contains both, with a slight tilt towards the former. So when the title promises you the ‘Wicked Wit of Jane Austen’, you need to remember that this book is more an ode to her sharp intellect than her funny bone, which is also evident in the content but not the mainstay of the writing.

The book begins with an ‘Introduction to Austen’, a delight for Austen fans and a useful informative piece to those who know little to nothing about her. Next up is the Dramatis Personae, containing a list of the recipients of Austen’s letters and their exact relation to her. Only after this strong foundation does the main content begin.

This book compiles several observations made by Austen in her early works, her novels, and her letters to her family, especially to her elder sister Cassandra. (I wonder how Austen would have felt if she knew that the letters she wrote in confidence are now subject to public opinion and analysis.) The quotes from her personal correspondence best reveal her snarky side, which all of us have in private but don’t reveal to outsiders.

The observations are segregated into chapters based on commonality of themes, such as Austen’s thoughts on London vs. Bath, on ballgowns and parties, on the monarchs of her time, and so on. The first section, titled ‘Early Exuberances’ presents lines taken from ‘Juvenilia’. I think this was a poor decision. These quotes have nothing in common except that they were written by her in the initial days of her writing journey. Most readers have not even heard of ‘Juvenilia’, and of those who have, many might not have read it. So these quotes don’t create a great impact as they feel incomplete without the contextual background.

Austen was at her best when she wrote about the double standards of the society around her, be it in matters of marriage or wealth or gender or even reading preferences. These quotes are also present in the book but only later. It is up to us to decide whether Austen was being serious, mocking or ironic in these quotes, but whatever the case, these quotes were the best to read. I enjoyed revisiting many of my favourite Austen lines, including this one from ‘Northanger Abbey’: “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who hast not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” 😁

That said, without context, it is difficult to understand and appreciate Austen’s brilliant character detailing. This especially applies to the quotes taken from her popular novels. I best enjoyed the lines where I remembered the scene the quote was taken from. Viewed in isolation, many remarks lose their impact.

All in all, while I do love the thought behind this collection, I feel like the title indicates something different, and the lack of context hinders those unfamiliar with Austen’s works. I liked the book enough, but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, mainly because of the content from Juvenilia and her letters feeling incomplete. (And partly because I am not really a “book of quotations” person, but that’s a ME problem, and not a BOOK problem.)

This book is strictly for hardcore Janeites who would enjoy reading her quotes at random. This might also work as a good gift for your beloved English teachers.

3 stars.

My thanks to Michael O'Mara Limited for providing the DRC of “The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A perfect addition for a library of those who love Jane's unique humour. Separate chapters give a great quote lens into her letters and her books.
Would be great to dip into it after a busy day, to make you smile.

This book presents quotations from Jane Austen's early writings, her published novels, and her correspondance. They are divided into thematic chapters such as balls, gowns and other fashions, books and writing, the marriage market, etc.

While I always find pleasure in reading Jane Austen's writing, there is no context or commentary on the quotes and the whole book feels rather empty as a result.

A recommended read for fans of Jane Austen and quotes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael O'Mara for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rated 3.5

The book gave a nice overview of Jane Austen's life and gave a good idea of what a few of the close people in her life were like.

The book opened with a summary of her life and explained who the recipients of the letters were. It was then split into sections with various quotes from her books and letters relating to the title of the section. The quotes chosen made me smile and I got a good insight into her true thoughts and feelings on the community that she was surrounded by and how she then represented those thoughts in her novels.

The different sections of the book gave nice snapshots into different parts of general life. It amused me how relevant Jane Austen's thoughts still were. I think that we do still judge each other in exactly the same way and even though some things have changed, her thoughts and feelings could still be applied today.

The quotes from the letters that were included mentioned real people and that fascinated me, especially as her thoughts and feelings about these people were then represented in her novels. It showed how close to real life the novels were.

You could easily tell which quotes were from real letters and which were taken from novels as they were clearly labeled at the end of the quote. I also liked that dates were included.

Each of the sections weren't overly long, so it was quite easy to dip in and out of.

By the end of the book I felt like I knew Jane Austen a little bit better and the society that she lived in. It was a good snapshot in time.

Overall a nice book that allowed you to see a bit more into the life and times of Jane Austen through her words.

An interesting collection of quotes from Jane Austen, both from her books and personal letters, separated into subject areas like marriage and friendship. There’s a short biography at the start which provides some context, especially for the letters to her sister, and it’s interesting to see her more personal thoughts but this is not a detailed look at her life and writing. That is not a criticism though – her writing is full of wonderful quotes and it’s lovely to see them gathered like this in a little book which is perfect to dip in and out of.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Overall I did enjoy this, Jane Austen has always been a literary figure I've loved and I've always thought that her work is timeless. To find out about her more as a person through this book was fantastic.

I adored this collection of fabulous Austen quotes and excerpts from her books and letters. A great addition to any Janeites' personal library, and a wonderful gift for fans of the still wildly popular author.

I received a free copy of, The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen, by Dominique Enright, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jane Austen sure had a lot of opinions about everything, and was not shy about writing them in letters. I learned a whole new side of Jane Austen, this was an intriguing read.

Omg this book! Where do I start? I couldn't put this book down for a bit. I always wanted to read more of it through my day wherever I was. So well written! A masterpiece!