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Lady Susan

Jane Austen

Start date: November 1, 2016

Finish date: November 30, 2016

Discussion: Short Story/Novella Collection

Why we're reading this: Short Story Read-November 2016
[close] Short Story Read-November 2016

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Short Story/Novella Collection

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* Short Story Classics
By Bob , Short Story Classics · 1 post · 705 views

last updated Sep 01, 2015 05:35AM

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What Members Thought

Jan 01, 2023 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-shelf, book-i-own

I grabbed this satisfying little treat just in time to finish out the old year and ring in the new. I love Jane Austen, and Lady Susan is the only piece (besides her unfinished novel, Sanditon) which I hadn’t read yet. I should say, I’ve read all of her major works and now want to read whatever else remains out there. This was entertaining. Stylistically, I prefer a straightforward novel when it comes to Austen. This one was written in the epistolary format. In its favor, the letters offer quick ...more

130 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2018 Candace rated it liked it

Shelves: look-for-movie-series, 03-march-read, 11-nov-read, austen, 18th-c, readers-review

On first read in 2016 I gave it 4 stars. However, on second read in 2018 I realize how much I miss Austen’s wit which is lost without her voice as narrator. I don’t think this is a story that fits well within the structure of the epistolary genre. I do like the deceitful, selfish main character!

7 likes · Like · see review

Jan 04, 2016 Teri-K rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, 1800s, feisty-females, histfic-light

Well, I don't think there's any danger that this will become my favorite Austen book. It's clever, yes, using letters to to reveal everyone's thoughts and motivations. But Lady Susan is a shallow, unfeeling, unscrupulous woman who mistreats her daughter and seduces men, married or not, at whim. I can't find myself liking such a character, and I don't really like spending much time reading about her, either. I kept wishing someone would tell her off, but of course that's not what this book is.

Fr ...more

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