Amable was born in Metz, northeastern France to Jacques-Philippe Voïart and Jeanne-Amable Bouchotte.

[4] After an early poem "Le Narcisse" (The Narcissus) was published in 1816 by Mercure de France (the French Mercury gazette), Amable's work was noticed by Adelaïde Dufrénoy who became a patron and with whom she developed a close friendship.

But in 1830, the bankruptcy of her husband's printing business spurred Tastu to support her family by working in the book trade.

[3] She produced educational works as well as literary criticisms including guides to Italian and German literature: Tableau de la littérature italienne (1843), and Tableau de la littérature allemande, respectively.

[2] According to Buck, after Amable's husband died in 1849, Tastu "accompanied her son on diplomatic missions to Cyprus, Baghdad, Belgrade and Alexandria, and only returned to France in 1864 when her sight began to fail.