Rosa

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.<BR><BR>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.

From a Malaysian penthouse overlooking the turquoise Strait of Malacca, to a miniscule, under-furnished apartment in West Hollywood, Kate and her husband Dave travel the world living in other people's houses. They tend to their gardens, sleep in their beds, and care for their pets. Along the way, other opportunities appear, and they follow: working and living in China, attending a wedding in Vietnam, and tracking wild animals in Indonesia. Eventually they buy a casita in Mexico that is nearly blown away in a hurricane, but they continue wayfaring, creating a web of connection with others throughout the world. In Wanderland, Kate explores how this unconventional lifestyle, launched upon her early retirement, makes her alternately free and unsettled-especially as she faces a dire medical emergency requiring surgery and the pandemic hits. All along the journey, she questions what "home" really means.FROM THE BBA "AUTHOR OF THE YEAR" AND THE WINNER OF THE BISEXUAL BOOK AWARD"With an eye for descriptive detail and the reflections that cause one to ponder definitions of home, Kate Evans leaves her heart in so many places. I didn't want Wanderland to end!" - Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber, author of Queering the American Dream"To be educated and entertained at the same time...this is the greatest gift of nonfiction literature. In Wanderland, Kate Evans adds another "e" for enlightenment, when she leads us to examine the chains forged by our possessions and how they deny us the opportunity for yet another "e": exploration." - Cathleen Miller, author of Champion of Choice and Desert Flower"Another fabulous life story from the ever-enchanting Kate Evans who seems to be living her nine lives. I love how she embraces the joy and flexibility of life on the road, housesitting, meeting up with friends, and jamming to her own beat. What an inspiration for anyone thinking of an untraditional path of nomad life and adventuring out into this beautiful world." - Chris Englert, EatWalkLearnKate Evans is the author of eight books, including Call It Wonder: An Odyssey of Love, Sex, Spirit & Travel, winner of the Bisexual Book Award for Best Memoir. Her essays, stories, and poems have appeared in more than 50 publications, including HuffPost, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, Zyzzyva, and Santa Monica Review. A recipient of a PhD in Education from the University of Washington, she holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in English from San Jose State University, where she is Emeritus Faculty.