Patchwork
A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Verso Books
Publishing:28th Oct '25
£25.00
This title is due to be published on 28th October, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A bold reimagining of the life of a much-loved writer, from the author of RED ROSA and THREADS
In her later years, Jane Austen made a patchwork quilt. She folded thousands of tiny scraps of fabric over diamond-shaped slips of paper and painstakingly stitched them together. Kate Evans employs these slivers of cloth to illustrate Jane Austen's life story. Evans teases apart the threads that connect Austen's beloved novels, the events of her life, and the fabric of society in Regency England.
Patchwork is a major new work of graphic biography. Kate Evans has an unparalleled ability to marry drama, comedy, and historically immersive detail, bringing Austen's story to life with fluid, dynamic artwork, at times embroidered onto cloth itself. The author's love for Austen shines throughout. Her incredible eye for historical detail - panes of glass, bits of lace, hedgelaying styles, the cut of a coat or the architecture of a Hampshire cottage - creates a captivating vision of Jane Austen's world.
A thing of beauty. -- Mary Talbot, author of The Dotters of Her Father's Eyes
A fresh and vibrant reimagining of Austen's life, literally stitching her story into the wider tapestry of capitalism and colonialism. Kate Evans ties her well known talents for research and storytelling in with humour and heartbreak, reclaiming Austen from the dusty pages of history and rendering her with colour and energy. This stunning graphic biography is sure to draw new and diverse audiences into Austen's world and bring her story firmly into the 21st century. An impressive achievement! -- Karrie Fransman, author of Death of the Artist
A beautiful thing woven round a brilliant device, with snags to make you pause and think deeply, and maybe even cry as well as laugh. -- Martin Rowson, author of As I Please
A treasure trove of a book -- Lucy Adlington, creator of Bad Girls in Bonnets
I'm an Austen fan who loved Kate Evans's Red Rosa, so I'm basically the target audience here. Particularly, I'm excited to see how Austen's patchwork quilt is handled as a storytelling device, and what that means for the book's artwork, panel to panel. It's so cool when narrative and form meet. * Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025 *
ISBN: 9781804296226
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 350g
240 pages