Sixteen celebrated Austenesque authors write the untold histories of Austen’s brave adventuresses, her shy maidens, her talkative spinsters, and her naughty matrons. Peek around the curtain and discover what made Lady Susan so wicked, Mary Crawford so capricious, and Hettie Bates so in need of Emma Woodhouse’s pity.
Featuring: The Edification of Lady Susan by Jessie Lewis.
Tropes: strong heroines • prequels • back stories • anthology • feminist focus
All of the authors have been so creative in their imaginings of what might have happened to these female characters of Austen’s before, during and after the action taking place in the original novels.
Amazon review, 5 stars
The Edification of Lady Susan, about Lady Susan Vernon – an epistolary story that I thoroughly enjoyed, and another one recommended to people who love deceit and con games.
Amazon review, 5 stars
This is a BRILLIANT collect of short stories examining the strong female characters from Jane Austen’s novels. There are prequels, alternative versions and sequels.
Goodreads review, 5 stars
Read an excerpt
Letter 13
LADY SUSAN BEAUMONT TO MISS ALICIA FFORDHAM
That two grown people should inadvertently find themselves unhappily shackled to one another, quite without any deliberation on either’s part, is almost as absurd as my brother’s notion that I should have the slightest desire to marry one of them, or that I would not discover his attempts to trick me into doing so. Add to this both Claire and Jennifer’s fragrant pleas that I sacrifice my happiness to save theirs, and I am quite done with the whole matter of marriage.
Yours in disgust,
SUSAN BEAUMONT
