Kicking Ass in a Corset: Jane Austen’s 6 Principles for Living and Leading from the Inside Out Book Review

By nature, the corset is a garment meant to constrict the body of the person who is wearing it. It can also be a metaphor for the lack of opportunity and the second-class treatment that has been the norm for women for generations.

Andrea Kayne‘s 2021 book, Kicking Ass in a Corset: Jane Austen’s 6 Principles for Living and Leading from the Inside Out, is half self-help book and half wisdom via Jane Austen. Using six of Austen’s beloved leading ladies (Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, Anne Elliot, Elinor Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Catherine Moreland) as an example, Kayne explains how readers and women readers, in particular, can learn from these beloved characters. Combining real-world advice with exercises and examples from the novels, she inspires us to go for what we want while learning from the women whose stories we adore.

I loved this book. Kayne brings both worlds together in a way that increases my love of Austen while lighting the proverbial fire under the behind. It makes me want to re-read all six books and be open to the lessons that can be gleaned from the genius that is Jane Austen.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Advertisement

Flashback Friday: The Boss Baby (2017)

The addition of a new baby to any family is bound to make waves. In an ideal world, the older child(ren) would welcome their new sibling with open arms. But that is not always the case.

In the 2017 film, The Boss Baby, Tim (voiced by Tim Miles Bakshi as a boy and Tobey Maguire as an adult) is not exactly pleased with his new baby brother. An only child for the first seven years of his life, he has been indulged by his parents and allowed to let his imagination soar. The arrival of Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin), an infant wearing a three-piece suit, sets him off. Determined to prove that this child is not what he seems to be, he discovers that the child is not your average newborn.

Boss Baby is a James Bond-esque spy who is fighting against the takeover by puppies. The head of this puppy takeover is Francis Francis (Steve Buscemi). The only way to stop this invasion is to work together.

I’ve only seen part of this movie, but the part I saw, I enjoyed. Part buddy comedy and part hate to love bromance with a dash of a spy thriller, it is entertaining and funny. The comedy from the dry wit of Boss Baby contrasting with Tim’s wildly fantastical mind.

Do I recommend it? Yes.