Where Jane Sees What the Rest Don't

Jane and the Stillroom Maid by Stephanie Barron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second read of this book, and I keep finding (as I progress back through the series) that I like them even more the second time.

And I liked them a lot the first time.

The whole series, this book included, make good use of Jane Austen's biographical details, fitting stories into times and places where she actually traveled, using real people (often) who lived there and impacted history, along with other period-appropriate details, such as the various stillroom recipes that preface each chapter. As always, this is a mystery, following the normal mystery conventions, but it's also written like a novel of manners, or is at least adjacent to that, and I enjoy how deftly that is done. No; I enjoy the story, and I admire how deftly it is done.

Jane herself is a marvel. She is bright and witty, but she's also kind and caring. She can push back against foolishness or enforce her boundaries with a bit of sting, but she holds no grudges, and can be patient with the most annoying people. I kinda love one scene when she and her sister are discussing the details of the young woman's death, and their clergyman cousin keeps trying to get them to stop, but they just keep talking without saying anything to him. They just disregard him as if he wasn't even speaking, and it was the best way to handle it.

The main reason I love these so much and happily give them a 5/5 is that Jane is an awesome character and the author lets her BE awesome. She's not floundering, being goofy, making lots of mistakes. She's confident, useful, and insightful, and in most ways she is the best person in every setting and scene. She's not superhuman, but she's very cool, and watching be amazing is what makes this fun. Watching other characters be impressed with her coolness, her brilliance, just adds to the fun.

Highly recommended for mystery fans and Austen fans.

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