Lady Vernon and Her Daughter: A Novel of Jane Austen's Lady Susan

Author(s): Jane Rubino
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Date : 2010

In terms of language and interaction, I found this novel true to Austen's sharp wit. The authors made an effort to convey the tone of Austen's writing, and I appreciated that. The main characters, too, were fleshed out and interesting, though there was a very large cast, and I found the connections confusing. The main quibble I had with the story was one misunderstanding on the part of gossip-mongers that persisted throughout the whole story, about which gentleman was courting which lady. That seemed to stretch past the belief point to me, and I didn't see why it was necessary for the rumor to last for nearly the entirety of the book, and for people to so staunchly believe it. Other than that and a few minor plot points (and a confusion as to how the main character went from Lady Susan in Austen's work to Lady Vernon in this one), I enjoyed this novel. I generally do not like Austen sequels or rewrites, but I think I enjoyed this one because I've never read Lady Susan and so did not automatically compare it with Austen's novel.

Also, I appreciated the efforts to show Lady Vernon and Frederica as sympathetic characters, the victims of gossip and exaggeration, as I think there were probably many ladies in the Regency era who were subject to unkind gossip that affected their reputations. Overall, I found this a fun and entertaining read, and recommend it to fans of Austen or the Regency era.

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