Patchwork

A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen

by Kate Evans

#Patchwork #NetGalley

I recently took a class on Austen. I also went to the exhibit on her that was at the Morgan Library in the spring. While there, I saw a poster size copy of the quilt that is referenced in this title. For these reasons, I was quite excited about this title.

This book, based on Austen’s life, is a graphic biography. I loved the illustrations and the way that her story was told.

Patchwork will be a welcome addition to Austen fans bookshelves.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Verso Books. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 28 October 2025

From the publisher:

A bold reimagining of the life of much-loved English Regency writer, Jane Austen, 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.

Editorial Reviews:

“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

“Inspired by a quilt Austen made, [Kate Evans] pieces together the story of her life…The author’s point is to situate Austen more firmly in lived reality; Evans’ lively drawings similarly capture the past without prettifying it. A bracing corrective to the more simpering extremes of the Janeite universe.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“This original and historically rich graphic biography uses a patchwork quilt as a framing device to pastiche together the story of Jane Austen’s life. Evans employs an omniscient, storybook voice throughout, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions about the colorful cast of characters in Austen’s life…Rich with creative liberties and historical detail.”
—Booklist

“Evan’s fascinating graphic biography of Jane Austen. A work of extraordinary depth…The art is charming, with expressive characterizations and period-accurate renderings of clothing, carriages, and architecture. Patchwork is an inventive graphic biography of Jane Austen, putting her works into personal context.”
—Foreword

“This artful and thought-provoking graphic biography from Evans stitches a postcolonial layer into the narrative by examining the fabrics worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries…Evans pointedly and beautifully illuminates the seams of this quilted narrative.”
—starred review, Publishers Weekly