The festive season is fast approaching. Jane Austen fears that without her lively siblings at home, there won’t be much Christmas cheer in the Austen household this year. But when she uncovers a skeleton in the cellar of Deane Parsonage, Jane soon forgets her woes. For who needs merriment, when there’s a mystery to solve? […]
The curious allure of Miss Mary Bennet
Poor Mary Bennet. The plain, bookish one in Pride and Prejudice, delighting us long enough. But, as Alice McVeigh reflects, the many reimaginings of Mary’s story demonstrate the curious allure she holds for so many of us. The late, great Hilary Mantel was already scribbling her own Mary Bennet novel when she died. Janice Hadlow’s […]
Bringing Jane Austen to life
Jessica Bull has a confession. She didn’t set out to write a novel about Jane Austen. She’s been obsessed with her, though, for years — to the point that the only way to find out more about her favourite author was to bring her to life… in Jessica’s own book. Her debut novel, Miss Austen […]
Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull
Welcome to Hampshire in 1795, where a young Jane Austen has her sights set on securing a marriage proposal from the dashing Tom Lefroy at a local ball. But when a shocking discovery is made — a milliner’s lifeless body tucked away in a linen closet — Jane finds herself embroiled in an unexpected murder […]
Review: Sanditon
Does Sanditon, the new ITV Sunday evening serial, succeed as a drama? Historian of the Regency period Naomi Clifford reviews it for Historia.