What to read after Jane Austen?

Jane Austen’s world-famous novels give readers a small glimpse into the author’s real life, which was filled with as many ups and downs as those of Emma Woodhouse or Elizabeth Bennet. She too had to navigate her way through a stratified society, filled with rules and repressions that she strove to break. But Austen was even more fascinating than her fiery female protagonists. In Jane Austen: Obstinate Heart, Valerie Grosvenor Myer explores the writer’s life with detail that will make Austen’s books even more enjoyable for fans.

Grosvenor Myer, who has previously written biographies of Margaret Drabble and Charlotte Brontë, delves into letters, family memories, and Austen’s novels to illuminate a perceptive picture of the woman herself and the social climate in which she lived. Surprises abound, and the reader is left with a sense of relief that Austen remained true to her “obstinate heart.” This is an invaluable companion for anyone who has been absorbed in one of her spirited novels.