Why I love Jane Austen…

I was 7 when I spent my first summer in Dorset visiting my godmother, Mrs. June Dansey-Browning. She became my godmother because my mom was her husband’s nurse. Her husband was the preeminent eye surgeon in Hong Kong, when I was born. After their tour of service and were ready to retire, they returned to Salisbury.

I was invited to spend the summer with them because my parents worked and the fields of England sounded like an idyllic place to be. It was a rainy afternoon when I went exploring up to the attic and found a chest with a bunch of books in it. The first one at the top was “Pride and Prejudice.”

I opened the book and started reading about Elizabeth and her sisters, and I couldn’t put it down. As an only child, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have four other sisters, but the book pulled me in, and it was love at first read.

That summer, I read “Emma” and “Sense and Sensibility,” too. Loved them both for different reasons, though I thought Emma reminded me of a girl in my class I was not too fond of, so I’ve always held that book at a certain distance.

I’ve gone back and re-read those books and the remaining three over the years, and am always amazed at how I find something new in them each time.

Which book is my favorite? It’s still P&P, but I would have to add “Persuasion” as I think Anne Elliot is the heroine most like me: She’s devoted to her family, had a chance at love early in life but passed on it, but still believes in second chances. Her happy story works out in the end, as I hope mine does as well.

The reason I love Jane Austen is because no matter what the book, the reading experience always feels like she’s talking to me, personally and right now. What she writes about is relevant and fresh because we’re all still dealing with the same questions: How does one find purpose in life and find true, long-lasting love? Perhaps this is why Austen and her work will stay relevant forever. I certainly know they will to me!