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Lady Susan

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 7,158 ratings · 663 reviews

Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression.

Paperback, 80 pages

Published November 8th 2005 by Dover Publications (first published 1791)

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Feb 18, 2013 Petra X rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reviews, fiction

This is a very clever book indeed. Quite different from the rest of Austen's oeuvre, it is not the sort of book that you can imagine a teenager might be able to write. To conceive the character of a woman of 35ish and her use of sexual attraction and seduction for a 19 year old, as Jane was when she finished this, shows remarkable powers of observation and deduction. How much harder in the more sheltered world of the 18thC than the tell-all media-driven world of now?

Unlike all Austen's other boo...more This is a very clever book indeed. Quite different from the rest of Austen's oeuvre, it is not the sort of book that you can imagine a teenager might be able to write. To conceive the character of a woman of 35ish and her use of sexual attraction and seduction for a 19 year old, as Jane was when she finished this, shows remarkable powers of observation and deduction. How much harder in the more sheltered world of the 18thC than the tell-all media-driven world of now?

Unlike all Austen's other books, this is in no way a comedy of manners, this is a single-minded depiction of the manipulative and rapacious Lady Susan.

Lady Susan is a beautiful and very charming widow whose greatest delight in life is to trump it over all other women, to lure their men, their husbands and suitors, no matter what age into her sphere. As a widow she needn't stop at flirtation and promises of future, married delight and she doesn't. The book talks of a married man staying the night with her. She is a scandal wherever she invites herself, but the men cannot resist her.

She has two main aims, one is to get her milk-and-water daughter whom she has no feelings for married to as wealthy a man as possible in as short a time as can be managed. Her other aim is to marry money herself.

This plot is quite secondary to the absolutely brilliant drawing-out of her character via letters. Jane's marvellous technique of an epistolary novel each letter detailing the writer's perception and judgement of Lady Susan is among the best writing of any of her novels. The moral issues she brings out are tailored to the character of the letter writer - some admire and encourage her, some do so falsely because she brings interest to their boring country lives and some thoroughly disapprove of her and try to protect the daughter who cannot stand up to her cold and dismissively cruel mother.

But where it is let down and probably why it wasn't submitted for publication until more than 50 years after Jane Austen's death is that the ending is abrupt and quite badly-written. It is as though Jane knew that she had to punish Lady Susan for her adultery but could not quite find the right device in which to bring it to that conclusion, so the end is a summary of what happens and is very, very disappointing.

This was, like most of Austen's books, a solid 5 star read, but for the ending. So 4 stars. (less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this excellent audiobook version of Jane Austen's epistolary novel narrated by Harriet Walter, Kim Hicks and Carole Boyd. It's so short that I was able to complete it by listening to it at the gym and then on my way to work and home again in the course of a single day. The novel is very different from Austen's other works. The central character is an anti-heroine: the amoral Lady Susan Vernon, a predatory widow who endeavours to seduce a married man and arrange...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Sketchbook rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady Susan makes me think of Lee Radziwill, who takes comfort in the cold-blooded sport of carnal manners even when her husby is bumping junk at an Other Bar.

Age 35 or so, Lady S has a sexual-social allure, along w a young daughter. To support a life-style, she's an intrigante. She's not trying to join any club, rather she's a member already who, you might say, cheats at cards. Milady has no pointless badness. Her badness, like her selfishness, has a purpose. (Very Lee).

This early novella, based...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Chiara Pagliochini rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classici-inglesi

"Romanzo epistolare che vede al centro la figura di Lady Susan, vedova ancora giovane, affascinante e amante dei raggiri, la cui massima aspirazione è piegare tutti gli uomini che incontra alla sua volontà. Mr Manwaring, Sir James e Reginald De Courcy sono solo alcuni della lista. Offuscata dalla sua ombra è la figlia Frederica, che la madre si impegna a denigrare con ogni mezzo. Ma la scaltrezza di altre donne che hanno compreso la vera natura di Lady Susan restituirà a ciascun personaggio il g...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Hanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, shelf-a-ton-13, classics

I can understand why this Jane Austen novel isn't as famous as most of her other ones. It just isn't as good as her other novels.

This book follows Lady Susan Vernon, her daugther Frederica and her sister-in-law Mrs Vernon; and it is the first time with a Jane Austen novel that i find myself cheering for the downfall of the lead character.

What bothered me the most about this book is not so much the story or the characters, but the method she used to write this book: via letters. We get to see let...more

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Apr 26, 2009 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, classics, reviewed, romance

Oh Lady Susan, you minx, you. You delight in causing misery in others while pitying yourself when they go contrary to your designs. Not very nice. Not nice at all.

This was another delightful Austen story. This was written as an epistolary novel, and we essentially get the full picture from everyone's differing views. Jane has a way with descriptions so that you feel like you're sitting right there, writing the letter, or maybe reading it over the writer's shoulder, or maybe the recipient. I lov...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Danya rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like Jane Austen in general, but, to quote a friend, it really is often "glorified chick lit." Her works are generally regarded as great pieces of literature, and while they do serve as a nice glimpse into a different period, the plots are repetitive and follow a formula, and the characters, though well drawn, aren't especially interesting, nor do they lend them selves to the analysation you usually do to characters in "classics." And, wow, talk about a long sentence (does that qualify as a ru...more

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Mar 28, 2013 SIMON Karine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sur la blogosphère ou les forums littéraires, nous entendons énormément parler de Jane Austen célébre auteure Britanique, du début du 19ème siècle, en particulier pour ses oeuvres les plus connues que sont « Raison et Sentiments » et « Orgueil et préjugés ». J’avais très envie de la découvrir à mon tour, tout en étant un peu méfiante, en effet, l’univers austenien étant à mille lieues de ce que j’ai l’habitude de lire. Alison m’a conseillé de commencer avec un roman court, afin de me faire ma pr...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Katia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Lady Susan est un court roman épistolaire qui permet de profiter de la plume de Jane Austen en quelques heures. Avec son peu de pages, et sa construction aérée, il se lit rapidement ce qui est bien utile pour terminer ce challenge ! On entre dès la première lettre ou presque dans l'histoire, et on retrouve instantanément l'esprit de l'auteur. Il s'agit d'une oeuvre de jeunesse (écrit en 1794, Jane Austen a alors 19 ans) mais on ressent pourtant que l'auteur qui écrira Orgueil et préjugés, et Rai...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Lisa Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jane Austen is famous for creating heroines that have admirable qualities, such as intelligence, beauty, humility, and class. It is rare that Austen creates a heroine that is not admirable to the female reader; one instance is Emma and the other is Lady Susan. Unlike Emma, however, Lady Susan neither has good moral intentions nor a metamorphosis at the conclusion of the novel to a more sensible woman. Lady Susan is a bad woman, but very entertaining.

Lady Susan is a beautiful and meddlesome thi...more

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Nov 28, 2012 Vibina Venugopal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady Susan is a short story or a novel and one of the less acclaimed works of Austen..Though it was published posthumously , it was written before the prime of her career...Before reading her letters I thought of giving a try to this...This book is an old version of gossip girl series...This work is unique because of the protagonist Lady Susan, young widow in her mid thirties, she is involved with a married man, yet plotting her way to marry yet another young man manipulating and seducing him wi...more Lady Susan is a short story or a novel and one of the less acclaimed works of Austen..Though it was published posthumously , it was written before the prime of her career...Before reading her letters I thought of giving a try to this...This book is an old version of gossip girl series...This work is unique because of the protagonist Lady Susan, young widow in her mid thirties, she is involved with a married man, yet plotting her way to marry yet another young man manipulating and seducing him with her beauty, charm..She is also on the hunt for finding a suitable boy for her daughter Fredrica who would soon be off marriageable age..She is ready to get her married against her will without real love from her side..Lady Susan got me interested by her way of flirting with wealthy young man, and her feeling of despise and hatred towards her own daughter...She is selfish, egotistic, overbearing, proud, scornful yet honesty flaunts them without any guilt or second thoughts...Reignald De Courcy is lady Susan's new kill who is unable to see through Lady Susan and her real character..Catherine Vernon Lady Susan's sister in-law is all set to save her brother Reignald from Susan..But in between Lady Susan has to compete with her daughter to marry Reignald..Catherine is also determined to save Fredrica from her oppressive mother..The story revolves as an exchange of letters between all these characters and many other additional to the above, and it took me some time to get the hang of it..But after awhile the story went about Lady Susan and Alicia Johnson with whom Lady Susan confides all her secrets..Mrs Johnson is like the other side of the coin who enjoys the plots and Lady Susan's plan..

The novel was an interesting read for me , unlike Austen's other Protagonist Lady Susan didn't come across as a loveable character, yet she appealed with her self assertion...I also liked the oppressed character of Fredrica who is portrayed in all innocence...Catherine who dislikes Susan is all set to save Reginald from her falseness, she eventually writes letters to her mother, Reignald and letters travel back and forth...The handsome , warm, kind Reignald looked dumb most often..This book is a must read for all Austen fan, others might skip or give it a try for the sake of curiosity(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Ceridwen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rule-britannia, janeites, reviewed

Cute little epistolary novel about a conniving sociopath who goes to visit her relations. And destroy them. One of Austen's very early writing projects, as evidenced by the epistolary form which is obnoxious and unwieldy. And hard to pull off if a writer has little experience writing voice. (Pride and Prejudice was initially started not long after she wrote Lady Susan as an episolary novel called First Impressions, but was happily rewritten in the form it is today.) One of my favorite things abo...more Cute little epistolary novel about a conniving sociopath who goes to visit her relations. And destroy them. One of Austen's very early writing projects, as evidenced by the epistolary form which is obnoxious and unwieldy. And hard to pull off if a writer has little experience writing voice. (Pride and Prejudice was initially started not long after she wrote Lady Susan as an episolary novel called First Impressions, but was happily rewritten in the form it is today.) One of my favorite things about Austen's writings is her narrators, and though we can find flashes of that snappy snark here, it's dampened by the episolary form. But, still, stuff like this is just priceless:

My dear Alicia, of what a mistake were you guilty in marrying a man of his age! just old enough to be formal, ungovernable, and to have the gout; too old to be agreeable, too young to die.

As Lady Susan says to her friend and enabler. This probably would be better coming from a narrator, as it feels bald from one person to another, no matter how big of bitches they are. But still durn funny.

The whole thing reads like a series of long form Facebook updates which I don't mean as a disparagement, more as a gesture to how all of the social scheming seems pretty fresh despite the gaps in culture and time. Lady Susan even has a tendency to capslock when she's feeling affronted, which is much of the time. The whole round robin of Lady Susan kicking over anthills and destroying marriages, the commentary of everyone about everyone, unfortunately comes to an abrupt halt, with a conclusion relating the bare facts of how it all wraps up feeling very much like a placeholder until Jane could get back to it someday. Alas, she did not.

Oh, and one other thing I dug about this was how most of the major writers were older ladies - Susan herself is the ghastly age of 35 and a widow, and her sister-in-law probably at least late-20s with a house full of kids. Most of Jane's protagonists are young, unmarried women, which is perfectly fine, but it's fun to see the older ladies, especially the older villainous ones, without a filter of the younger girl as focus.

Now get off my lawn. (less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audio, classic, library, romance

I picked this up from the library because I finished all the books I said I'd read for Roof Beam Reader's Austen in August event, and I still had a few days left in the month. Little did I realize, I had time for this book, and probably the rest of Austen's unfinished novels. It went fast.

Lady Susan is an epistolary novel, meaning it's told through the exchange of letters. That may well have been Austen's substitute for outlining stories, though, as Sense and Sensibility also started out as epi...more I picked this up from the library because I finished all the books I said I'd read for Roof Beam Reader's Austen in August event, and I still had a few days left in the month. Little did I realize, I had time for this book, and probably the rest of Austen's unfinished novels. It went fast.

Lady Susan is an epistolary novel, meaning it's told through the exchange of letters. That may well have been Austen's substitute for outlining stories, though, as Sense and Sensibility also started out as epistolary, and there's such an unfinished quality to the ending. The last few minutes of the audio book were a summary of what happens after the correspondences cease, which could've been told in letter form just as easily.

The novel follows Lady Susan Vernon, recently widowed and with a 16-year-old daughter named Frederica. She goes to stay with her brother-in-law and his wife, Catherine Vernon. Six years before, she'd tried to prevent the marriage, so Mrs. Vernon is understandably wary of her, and warns her brother, Reginald De Courcy, to steer clear. He's more intrigued than warned off, though, and soon Mrs. Vernon and her mother are fretting about the possibility he might propose to Lady Susan.

Meanwhile, Lady Susan is trying to marry her daughter off to the rich Sir James Martin, but her daughter tries to run away from school to escape this obligation, and gets expelled. She comes to stay with the Vernons, and Catherine takes a liking to her. Frederica, meanwhile, falls for Reginald, and asks his help in influencing her mother to give up on the engagement she doesn't want.

This is not a story of comeuppance. In the end, Frederica escapes her mother, and there's a strong implication she marries Reginald De Courcy, who learns just in time what a terrible person Lady Susan is. There's relief for the Vernon family, in the end, and for Frederica, but Lady Susan remains selfish and manipulative.

This book seems like more an exercise in perspective than a real story. Lady Susan sees herself as put-upon by her inferiors, looks down on Frederica and considers her stupid, and complains she's taken advantage of. Alicia, the friend she corresponds with throughout the story, agrees with her assessment and writes of her deserving better treatment than she manipulates out of people, while Catherine Vernon practically tears her hair out that no one else can see what a terrible person Lady Susan is, beneath the beauty. Each person clearly believes their perspective to be the right way of looking at the world, and Lady Susan feels she has perfect justification for her behavior.

Nonetheless, the story still shows Austen's skill in depicting a full characterization in a few lines. We know Catherine Vernon has plenty of reason to hate Lady Susan even before she outlines all of her thoughts on the matter, because Lady Susan preemptively defends herself against everything she might be hated for, and even mentions some things Catherine doesn't. We see how she's neglected her daughter, even as she's defending herself against such charges. We see her influence in Reginald, who's forewarned against her manipulations, and still falls prey.

I listened to an audio edition that had different readers for each letter writer. Each reader sounded distinct and spoke clearly. I would've liked more collaboration between the readers for Catherine and Susan, so that the parts where Catherine quotes Susan in her letters would sound more like the way the narrator speaks. The audio quality wasn't excellent, but it was acceptable.(less)

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May 16, 2012 Lindsay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Jane Austen fans

Shelves: brit, epistolary-novels, fiction, read-for-fun, read-postcollege, romance, marriage-plots

As with any Austen work, calling Lady Susan a "romance" is to court controversy. This is because the title character doesn't have a romantic bone in her body, and she --- along with just about every other female character --- regards courtship and marriage as less a search for True Love and happiness and more as a woman's only way to provide for herself and, eventually, her daughters.

Lady Susan is more frankly mercenary than any other Austen character, and she is not facing down the spectre of p...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Doreen added it

In this early epistolary "minor" novella by Jane Austen, Lady Susan Vernon, a widow, seeks a new husband for herself and one for her daughter Frederica.

The protagonist is certainly unusual: an accomnplished coquette who is totally self-centered and selfish. She uses her beauty and intelligence to trap the best possible husband while maintaining a relationship with a married man. She is not a character for whom the reader has much sympathy since she is such a flagrant manipulator who treats her...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reading-list

As a huge Austen fan this one the one work of hers I had never read before.

It's totally different than anything you've read before by dear Jane. Lady Susan is a horrible, horrible woman. You never find yourself feeling a little bit of pity for her, just contempt. But that said, it's a really good piece of drama. The epistolary style means a lot of the wit of conversations isn't there. You get brief descriptions of events that instead of being written out it's more like "Aunt Catherine went up t...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Read my full review here: http://virtualmargin.blogspot.com/2011/08/lady-susan-35100.html

Jane Austen's Lady Susan covers themes familiar to those who've read her novels: marriage, class, social mores and manners. But this time the heroine is an anti-heroine. A wicked woman and master of words who uses her charm to get what she wants. And what she wants is to find a husband for herself and for her daughter -- by any means necessary.

This was a really fun read. Austen is a master of language, and f...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Bry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, jane-austen-esque, historical-fiction, kindle

Considering Jane Austen is my favorite author ever I am ashamed to say that I had never read Lady Susan until I was going to participate in a group discussion on the book.

This book was difficult to understand at first. The entire work is written in letter form so from the get go you as the reader are trying to undrstand who the characters are (those writing the letter, those reading the letter, and those referenced in the letter). Once I understood though I was pretty sucked in.

Lady Susan is th...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Amy Wilder rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's not a bad story, but it's clearly for someone who is scraping the bottom of the Jane Austen barrel, hoping for one more fix. I clearly need to move on and try to find her reincarnation - this person must exist - like the Dalai Lama, Jane Austen must be reborn in each generation.

Lady Susan is a manipulative woman in search of a fortune - read: gold-digga. Her daughter is the heroine of the story, but the story suffers from the heroine being off-stage for the better part of the novel.

Once the...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Austen Fans

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: Kandice

Shelves: classics, romance, fiction, novels

Lady Susan is the earliest of Austen's novels, and in my opinion the weakest. (Really a novella, it's only 23,021 words.) It was written in 1794 when Austen was still in her teens. I found it hard to get into at first. Unlike her other novels, this is an epistolary novel told almost entirely in 41 letters, not third-person narration. The story feels thin compared to her other works as a result, although about halfway through we got more of a sense of scenes, with actual dialogue.

It's not that I...more

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Jan 26, 2011 EZRead eBookstore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amelia-reviews

Lost stories and unfinished works from famous authors are always a gamble to publish. In Jane Austen’s case, the short stories and bio were published by her niece. The private letters from Austen are intriguing, since readers are given a peak at the real side of this famous authoress. And, although the background of her aunt’s life provides insight to what influenced Austen’s famous works, having the scenery and time period explained to readers feels more like a lesson in history and decor than...more Lost stories and unfinished works from famous authors are always a gamble to publish. In Jane Austen’s case, the short stories and bio were published by her niece. The private letters from Austen are intriguing, since readers are given a peak at the real side of this famous authoress. And, although the background of her aunt’s life provides insight to what influenced Austen’s famous works, having the scenery and time period explained to readers feels more like a lesson in history and decor than a biography of Jane Austen.

The best part of this novel is in the first short story, “Lady Susan.” Each chapter is provided in the form of a letter, switching back and forth from the various characters in the story. The originality of Austen’s formatting is impressive for her time period. Each character is allowed to give their own perspective of characters and circumstances as the story progresses, allowing the story to move along with empathy and understanding of the characters. Having a story centered around a vain, seductive, and manipulative women keeps the story from losing any edge. The only tricky part is getting used to the large group of characters in the beginning; however, adjusting to this story’s layout is well-worth it.

“The Watsons” is not nearly as creative as “Lady Susan,” which can a bit of a let-down after reading something so unique from Austen’s usual style. Themed around a ball, first impressions, and manners, “The Watsons” has many similarities resonant to Austen’s famous and all-ready published works: i.e. “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility.”

Overall, the book is definitely an intriguing read, especially for fans who hunger for more of Austen’s work, whether it be unknown or unpublished. However, I have to say that some works, like “The Watsons,” should remain unknown and unpublished. There was a reason that Austen left the work incomplete. Instead of tarnishing Austen’s reputation with an unfinished story, perhaps works like these should be put in a museum, while creative and complete works like “Lady Susan” should be shared with the world.

-EZ Read Staffer Amelia(less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Huma Rashid rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 18th-century, england, fiction

This novelette was FANTASTIC. I chose it initially because it seemed like a good train read: short and light. I hate lugging thick books around to read on the train. Sorry, Brothers Karamazov, you stay on my shelf. I've always been a fan of Jane Austen - not because I think her writing is particularly stellar (I reserve that high honor for writers like E.M. Forster and Hemingway and half the time, Melville), and not because I am all about love stories with happy endings.

I've always been a Jane...more This novelette was FANTASTIC. I chose it initially because it seemed like a good train read: short and light. I hate lugging thick books around to read on the train. Sorry, Brothers Karamazov, you stay on my shelf. I've always been a fan of Jane Austen - not because I think her writing is particularly stellar (I reserve that high honor for writers like E.M. Forster and Hemingway and half the time, Melville), and not because I am all about love stories with happy endings.

I've always been a Jane Austen fan because I find her stories engaging and her characters three-dimensional. Sure, I enjoy fun romance stories without all the smut, but I also like the insights into historical England and country life, for example. One of my professors in college was working on a paper about Austen and had come across this really, really old book of village stories that was so eerily similar to Jane Austen's work that it got her thinking. She dug around a little more and found the barest scraps of scholarship that suggested that Austen had been greatly influenced by traveling rural story-tellers, including books like the one my professor had found, but the research made no mention of the actual titles of such books. She considered it quite a breakthrough, and I always think about that when I read Jane Austen. I always feel like I'm getting a remarkably accurate look at life far removed from London in the 18th century, out in the country.

Turning back to the book, it is composed of a series of letters between various characters. The characters are never properly introduced, so I had to mind-map them in my head at first, and even then it took me a few chapters to be certain of all the relations of blood, marriage, and friendship. After I was able to keep track of the players in this sordid game, the plot just leapt alive.

That's the beauty of the story Austen tells here: though it is most certainly about British aristocracy, the machinations and motivations are timeless and relateable. I'm sure a lot of us have that sister-in-law we just can't stand, or a younger brother that pains and worries us with his stupidity, or a sweet niece so horribly abused (psychologically, not physically) as to be rendered tragically vulnerable well into her adult life. I'm sure a lot of us are able to see our family or friends lurking somewhere in this story, with characters on a page giving voice to their real-life ploys.

The title character is one of the most vile, treacherous women I have ever come across in a book, and she makes my skin crawl. I have tremendous sympathy for her sister-in-law, who is married to Lady Susan's husband's younger brother, as well as for Lady Susan's poor, timid, terrorized daughter Frederica, who never stood a chance with that creature for a mother. Lady Susan's best friend disgusts me; I have never been able to sustain even a modicum of respect for any woman that connives to destroy another woman's marriage or relationships for amusement at worst and selfishness at best. Her lack of solidarity with her fellow women and her blind, sycophantic devotion to Lady Susan repulse me.

The men in this story I find simply terrifying. Austen is not kind to them. Lady Susan's brother-in-law, the nobleman Charles Vernon, is too willing to give his sister-in-law the benefit of the doubt...over and over and over again. At some point, a man that does that ceases to be generous and simply becomes weak and easily beguiled instead. Mr. Mainwaring is the worst sort of cad, and doesn't seem to suffer for it, aside from trying vainly to be with Lady Susan. Mr. James Martin (I think that's his name) is just a complete, unmitigated dolt, and that seems to be fine with everyone.

And Reginald De Courcy is the absolute worst. I know he's supposed to be young, but there can be no excuse for a man so easily duped by a woman - into falling in love with her, into defending her horrible deeds, into going against his sister, into being so cold and awful to Lady Susan's daughter just because Lady Susan didn't like her, into lying to his parents, and into almost marrying her and disgracing this family's entire legacy as his father basically lies on his deathbed! Man at his worst: weak, stupid, disloyal, and so far removed from his own ability to perceive and analyze. Creepy.

But that's part of what made the novel so amazing. It seemed *true.* True to our worst nature, true to our worst fears, and true to some sort of crippled notion of karma. Even though Lady Susan wasn't set on fire at the end, as she would have been had karma been properly portioned out by the cosmos. (less)

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Mar 21, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady Susan is a novel written in letters. Austen develops her plot through the exploits described in correspondence between family and friends. Lady Susan is a huge flirt that likes to set goals of conquest and follow them through. The reader finds out that Lady Susan's husband has passed away and she is planning on visiting her brother in law while she works through her grieving process. Her sister in law is not thrilled by this announcement. In a letter from her brother, the sister in law, Cat...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars

An early work that is outrageously fun and artfully melodramatic

Jane Austen’s epistolary novel Lady Susan has never received much attention in comparison to her other six major novels. It is a short piece, only 70 pages in my edition of The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen: Minor Works containing forty-one letters and a conclusion. Scholars estimate that it was written between 1793-4 when the young author was in her late teens and represents her first attempts to write in the epistolary format pop...more An early work that is outrageously fun and artfully melodramatic

Jane Austen’s epistolary novel Lady Susan has never received much attention in comparison to her other six major novels. It is a short piece, only 70 pages in my edition of The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen: Minor Works containing forty-one letters and a conclusion. Scholars estimate that it was written between 1793-4 when the young author was in her late teens and represents her first attempts to write in the epistolary format popular with many authors of her time. In 1805, she transcribed a fair copy of the manuscript but did not pursue publication in her lifetime. The manuscript would remain unpublished until 54 years after her death with its inclusion in the appendix of her nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh’s biography of his aunt, A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1871.

The story centers around its titular character, Lady Susan Vernon, a very recent widow in her mid thirties. Described by her sister-in-law Catherine Vernon as “delicately fair” possessing “an uncommon union of symmetry, brilliance,” these positive attributes may be the only compliments that she receives in the whole novel. There is more than a breath of scandal preceding Lady Susan’s arrival at her in-laws estate of Churchill. The gossip mill claims that while staying as a guest at Langford, she was evicted by its Mistress Mrs. Manwaring for engaging at the same time, the affections of two men who were “not at liberty to bestow them,” namely her husband, and the fiancé of her young sister-in-law. Nonplused, she moves on to her next residence the country estate of her deceased husband’s younger brother Charles Vernon and his wife Catherine. When word reaches Mrs. Vernon’s younger brother Reginald De Courcy that Lady Susan will be her houseguest, he is eager to meet the most “accomplished coquette in England” promptly arriving knowing full well her scandalous past. Her unprincipled artifice and its fallout can all be explained, and very cleverly. Possessing a command of the language that can “make black appear white,” she prides herself upon the pleasure of making a person predetermined to dislike her convert to her advocate. It is not long before Reginald falls into her net of deceit and under her romantic control, much to the displeasure of his family. Revolving around this “Mistress of deceit” is her terrified sixteen-year old daughter Frederica who she is attempting to marry off to a wealthy buffoon Sir James Martin, the elderly De Courcy parents who hear all the news of the infamous Lady Susan through their daughter Mrs. Vernon, and Lady Susan’s confidant, the equally unscrupulous Alicia Johnson married to a gouty man who in Lady Susan’s view is “too old to be agreeable, too young to die.” They are two peas in a pod, and through Lady Susan’s disclosure to her friend, we see her schemes, machinations, and truly captivating wicked nature.

Outrageously fun and artfully melodramatic, Lady Susan is the sleeper novel of Jane Austen’s oeuvre whose greatest fault lies in its comparison to its young sisters. Since few novels can surpass or equal Miss Austen’s masterpieces, Lady Susan should be accepted for what it is – a charming, highly amusing piece by an author in the making who not only presents us with interesting and provocative characters, but reveals her early understanding of social machinations and exquisite language. Its biggest challenge appears to be in the limitations of the epistolary format where the narrative is revealed through one person’s perspective and then the other’s reaction and reply, not allowing for the energy of direct dialogue or much description of the scene or surroundings. Given its shortcomings it is still a glistening jewel; smart, funny, and intriguing wicked.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose(less)

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Sep 22, 2009 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Austen fans will delight in this quick, witty and delectable read. Lady Susan is one of Austen’s earliest works and a true indicator of brilliant masterpieces to follow. I chose this read as part of my Everything Austen Challenge- and I’m so glad I did! It consists of 41 letters exchanged between family members- revolving around this infamous Lady Susan. A stunningly elegant beauty, embracing the most treacherous of characters, Lady Susan is capable of maneuvering and swaying others (specificall...more

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Sep 08, 2009 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Austen fans

Shelves: jane-austen, read-in-2009

I've gotten pretty used to the epistolary format, having read Ella Minnow Pea and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society this year. Lady Susan is one of Jane Austen's earlier works and is written as a series of letters between various characters. It's relatively short, but chock-full of wickedness in the form of the title character.

Lady Susan Vernon is recently widowed and wishes to spend time with her late husband's brother and his family. Immediately this makes her brother-in-law's...more

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Jul 26, 2009 Jennifer Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

What a delightful discovery! With a hefty knitting agenda this weekend, I downloaded this audio book (not this exact version, but one from iTunes), and buckled in for a fun distraction. I am a huge fan of Jane Austen's, but had never heard of this title before. Now it's a favorite! (And I must find a paper copy edition for my library!)

Lady Susan (widow) is a schemer to the fullest extent of the word- scheming for her own match and a match for her daughter. But, unlike other Austen works, where...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Adi (Reading in the Windowseat) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-read-list, class-adult, genre-regency, genre-romance, own-on-paper

I remember starting this in high school, when I'd gone through all of Jane Austen's novels one after the other, but I came up to Letter 4 and just couldn't get into it.

Now I wonder at my stupidity in quitting. I gave Lady Susan another go and got so much into it I had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep because I had classes early the next day. I've kind of succumbed to a cold and curling up with hot tea, a blanket and Jane Austen was like chocolate and homecoming for the soul, all ro...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Sorcha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ebook

Apart from an epilogue/conclusion this is written entirely in the form of letters. Lady Susan is recently widowed and in the possession of a 16 year old daughter she considers stupid and hateful. Susan is already the subject of much scandal and gossip (having nearly split up one marriage, and managed to break up another engagement through flirting), before she descends on the house of her brother in law for a stay as she believes she has no where else to go until the scandal settles.

Meanwhile sh...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-books, 2011, fiction, classics, funny, reviewed

This was just so much fun. Lady Susan is (and I don't think Jane would mind me using this word were she alive today) a biotch. A complete and total biotch, in fact, who schemes and plots and just generally tries to muck everything up for everyone else. This book is like a classier soap opera, where we get to see the villain making their evil plans.

Although I don't think the epistolary format shows Jane (and, yes, she's my homey and I use her first name) in her best light, I did love that we get...more

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About Jane Austen

Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.

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“Lady Jane Gray, who tho' inferior to her lovely Cousin the Queen of Scots, was yet an amiable young woman & famous for reading Greek while other people were hunting....Whether she really understood that language or whether such a study proceeded only from an excess of vanity for which I beleive she was always rather remarkable, is uncertain.” — 3 people liked it

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