The Tarot of Jane Austen is a marvelous achievement. Diane Wilkes has beautifully blended two worlds that, on the surface, are not connected. As she scratches that surface and digs deeper, she reveals that these two worlds do have much in common, for both expound the virtue of balance and provide guidance in recognizing our own moral compass.
Based on the Rider-Waite-Smith format in image composition and interpretations, this deck can be used by a fairly wide audience. Unlike many such marriages of theme and Tarot that often feel contrived or forced, there are enough moral, spiritual, and mundane scenes in Jane Austen’s work to provide images for each card.
There are two caveats with this deck: First, Wilkes says in the companion book that “the ideal audience for this deck and book is two-fold; Tarot enthusiasts and devotees of Jane Austen.” She means that both the Tarot enthusiast and Jane Austen fans can equally enjoy it. I must respectfully disagree. I believe that the Jane Austen admirers who know nothing of Tarot would truly enjoy this journey. However, I think that one must have an interest in Austen’s novels for this deck to be useful on any level. The card images are fantastic triggers to parts of the novels. If you know the story, the visual trigger will allow many ah-ha moments and revelations about meanings. But for those who don’t know the stories, I do believe this deck might not be the best choice—unless someone truly wanted to learn about Austen’s works.
Second, if you are interested in this deck, you simply must get the book, too! The book is too delicious to pass up. Wilkes’ knowledge of Austen, the organization of the content, and the writing style make this book one of the best companion books I’ve seen. Unless you know all the Austen novels extremely well, the little white booklet simply isn’t enough. Seriously, don’t cheat yourself out of the pleasure of reading this book. (llewellyn.com)
