Lady Susan »

Jane Austen's delightful, carefully wrought novels of manners remain surprisingly relevant, nearly 200 years after they were first published. Her novels -- Pride and Prejudice and Emma among them -- are those rare books that offer us a glimpse at the mores of a specific period while addressing the complexities of love, honor, and responsibility that still intrigue us today.

This abruptly finished--some would say unfinished--novel is told as a series of letters between the various characters, followed by a brief summary of subsequent events delivered by the author. It recounts the machinations of the corrupt Lady Susan as she schemes to marry off both herself and her young daughter to the greatest financial advantage. Though not as fully developed as Austen's complete novels, it still reflects her use of well-rounded characters as well as her keen eye for the details of nineteenth-century society manners. A must-read for Jane Austen fans!