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Lady Susan

Written by: Jane Austen
Narrated by: Laurelle Westaway, David Thorn, Susan McCarthy
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Publisher's Summary

After Jane Austen's earliest known writings, she began a more serious work, Lady Susan, in 1793 or 1794. It is a short, epistolary novel that portrays a woman bent on the exercise of her own powerful mind and personality to the point of social self-destruction.

Lady Susan, a clever and ruthless widow, determines that her daughter is going to marry a man whom both detest. Lady Susan sets her own sights on her sister-in-law's brother, all the while keeping an old affair simmering on the back burner. But people refuse to play the roles assigned them, and in the end her daughter gets the sister-in-law's brother, the old affair runs out of steam, and all that is left for Lady Susan is the man intended for her daughter, the one neither can abide.

Jane Austen ended this work abruptly with the comment: "This correspondence...could not, to the great detriment of the Post Office revenue, be continued any longer."

(P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

What the critics say

"Character is revealed, plot unfolds, suspense builds - all through the device of letters exchanged amongst Lady Susan, her family, friends, and enemies." (AudioFile)

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Are you a fan of the literary legend Jane Austen? Or are you looking to discover powerful romance audiobooks? Here’s our list of the best audiobooks written by Jane Austen on Audible.

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What listeners say about Lady Susan

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Enjoyable!

the story was lovely as Austen always is and the performances were very good. However, it would have been so much better if they all had English accents since it took place in Georgian England. it seemed very odd that they did not

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Story is good, but don’t love the audiobook

The narrators don’t have British accents even though it’s set in Britain, which takes away from the audiobook for me.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Snarky novel written by v. young Jane Austen

OH MY GOSH- according to Wiki this fabulous novella was written when Jane Austen was 19 years old! This epistolary novel looking at the actions of a very selfish, narcissistic recently widowed, but very charming and beautiful mother. Lady Susan was left in an impecunious situation with an unmarried teenage daughter.

And goodness, Jane Austen gives them all a relatively happy ending, Lady Susan married (and no doubt still continued her affair with Mainwaring), Frederica married, and the only people adversely affected were Mrs. Mainwaring (the abandoned wife) and Miss Mainwaring (who lost her suitor to Lady Susan).

Interesting narration.

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Oh, such joy!An unknown(to me,)Jane Austen work!

For a first work, such a great delight. As always, her characters could be our neighbours, struggling within a society whose sexism and classism shackles both heroines and heroes. Twists and turns of plot are impossible to conceive, brilliantly concluded.

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