Lady Susan

By Jane Austen

Epistolary novel that tells the intrigues employed by Lady Susan, determined to find a husband for herself and for her daughter, without any moral scruples.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kitabu
• Release date: May 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9788867442553

Jane Austen

Jane Austen nació en 1775 en Steventon (Hampshire), séptima de los ocho hijos del rector de la parroquia. Educada principalmente por su padre, empezó a escribir de muy joven, para recreo de la familia, y a los veintitrés años envió a los editores el manuscrito de La abadía de Northanger, que fue rechazado. Trece años después, en 1811, conseguiría publicar Juicio y sentimiento, a la que pronto seguirían Orgullo y prejuicio (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) y Emma (1816), que obtuvieron un gran éxito. Después de su muerte, acaecida prematuramente en 1817, y que le impidió concluir su novela SanditonLa abadía de Northanger, Persuasión (1818). Satírica, antirromántica, profunda y tan primorosa como mordaz, la obra de Jane Austen nace toda ella de una inquieta observación de la vida doméstica y de una estética necesidad de orden moral. «La Sabidu-ría –escribió una vez- es mejor que el Ingenio, y a la larga tendrá sin duda la risa de su parte.»

Book preview

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Reviews for Lady Susan

[humouress · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lady Susan, widow of Frederic Vernon, invites herself to Churchill, where his brother's family live (having overstayed her welcome with friends at Langford), stating that she looks forward to meeting his wife and children for the first time. (Six years earlier, when Frederick Vernon was forced to sell Vernon Castle, she refused to let Charles Vernon buy the family estate, as he was then courting Miss de Courcy. For unspecified reasons, Lady Susan vehemently opposed the match, though she has yet to meet the lady as the novel opens.) Reginald de Courcy, Mrs Vernon's brother, has heard about Lady Susan's sojourn at Langford and decides to visit Churchill to meet this marvel, "the most accomplished coquette in England". As events unfold, Mrs Vernon observes Lady Susan's behaviour and attempts to mitigate it, within the boundaries of the established manners of the time.This is quite a short book, written in epistolary form. Far from being the usual Jane Austen heroine of a young lady 'in need of a husband', Lady Susan of the title is no longer young (approximately 35 years old), being a widow of seven months when we read her first letter, and with a sixteen year old daughter, Frederica. Lady Susan is actually the villainess of the piece, manipulating people for no other apparent reason than her own amusement.The letters we read form the correspondence between different parties (Mrs Vernon with her mother, Lady de Courcy; Lady Susan with her friend in London, Mrs Johnson and so on), so we see the story unfold from different points of view, with varying amounts of sensibility.Though we never meet any of the characters face to face, we get to see them from the inside (including Lady S). We can see, both from letters about her as well as letters from her, that Lady Susan only befriends people to use them, but it is interesting to watch how people's attitudes to her change as she bestows or withdraws her regard (even the sceptical Mrs Vernon); and to watch her calculating that effect.An interesting, captivating book (as I find all Jane Austens), though short. Even though this was an early effort, she really captures the essence of each character through what is written or omitted, and she can tell a whole story with just a sentence dropped in passing.On a personal note, although I've read all her major works, this is the first time I read this Austen. It's nice to come to it fresh, though I will be re-reading it in future, now I've found a copy. I read [Lady Susan] in two sittings. The first time, I found it hard to get into the flow of reading the epistolary form, and felt a bit detached from the characters (possibly because there was no 'action'). However, when I came back to read the second half the next day, I actually found that understanding the way the characters thought made it more intimate and engaging.

[sprainedbrain · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a witty, sarcastic, fun epistolary, starring some of the bitchiest, deliciously nasty lady villains I've read in a while. Lady Susan and Mrs. Johnson are some seriously devious, shallow chicks. Jane Austen wrote this when she was 18, and I wish she had turned it in to a whole novel.

[cshoughton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'd never read an epistolary novel prior to Lady Susan, although I understand it was once a popular format. The he-said she-said back and forth did suit the story well enough, but I missed real narrative prose and the format felt limiting. That said, the characters were compelling and the writing solid.

Lady Susan herself really interested me. She has remarkable depth. I couldn't stand her, but she's quite real enough (classic Enneagram type 2 villain). I took issue only with her overly candid letters to her friend. Someone like Lady Susan should be a true believer in all of her own deceits, making it really difficult to come clean, even to a close friend.

[leticia.toraci · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is what you call an epistolary novel. This was in itself something new for me and made me often wonder how would such a book be written in usual romance prose. It sounds quite interesting and realistic the way how it's written though. In this book you'll have a previous glimpse of Austen's brilliance on her way to write her well known later masterpiece, so I recommend this book to other Austen's fans.

[petroglyph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not Austen’s usual fare, this short, posthumously published novella features Lady Susan Vernon, a narcissist attempting to rule her social circle through deceit, manipulation and emotional blackmail. As her fortunes change and people grow wise to her character, her goals shift back and forth between making her puppets dance for her, marrying herself off favourably, preventing her daughter from marrying favourably, and spitefully marrying off her daughter unfavourably. All that matters to Lady Susan are her self-importance and swift and excessive punishment for any resistance. I understand why this was never published during Austen’s lifetime: it is clearly unfinished. The ending is undoubtedly rushed, breaking with the epistolary form of the rest of the novel, and the whole thing is more straightforward than her other works. Still, even minor Austen is fun to read. What I especially liked was the spot-on description of the narcissist at the centre: acutely observed and very accurate.

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this mainly as a preparation for the new adaptation of the novel. Jane Austen’s short epistolary novel is an example of her early writings - for whatever reason she didn’t try to get it published and it also seems a little unfinished.Surprisingly it features an absolutely unscrupolous woman as the main character. Manipulation, flirting and scheming - she tries everything to ensnare first a married man and then a much younger man but there’s no real feelings of love or affection here. There’s no one to root for here - well, yes, Lady Susan’s daughter, but we really doesn’t get to know her that well.The novel does show a great novelist in the making - and Jane Austen’s talent for ironi and humour.

[missizicks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For such a short novel, Austen packed a lot in. I enjoyed the epistolary style, the to-ing and fro-ing of gossip and scheming, the outrage at other people's behaviour. I found the lack of descriptions of houses, balls, soldiers and country mansions refreshing, and appreciated the definition of the characters through other people's perceptions of them rather than a straight narrative description. Perhaps because the titular character is in her mid 30s, the book seemed more mature than the other Austen books I've read. Lady Susan is a horror but she's also very winning. I think I would have enjoyed her company. She's like my other favourite Austen characters, Lizzie Bennett and Emma Woodhouse - feisty and impetuous, but with the added naughtiness of being a marriage wrecker and arch manipulator. I should disparage her, but she's too much fun!

[kaydence_1 · Rating: 4 out 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, Catherine finds out that Susan was involved in the destruction of the marriage of the family she was staying with in London. She also ended the prospective relationship between a young man and the family's daughter in order to ensure that Susan's own daughter would end up with that man. While Lady Susan is at her brother in law's home, she does her best to weasel her way into the family. She begins a new conquest of Catherine's brother and further forces her daughter towards marriage. Lady Susan is not ashamed of her behavior. She boasts of her accomplishments and welcomes as many challenges as she can get. As conflicts grown between Catherine, Susan, and Susan's daughter, Lady Susan's plots begin to unravel. The only question is if the flirtatious woman can end up on top or if she struggles to keep her dignity in the end.I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read and Austen's wit is uncanny. Lady Susan is both a hero and a villain. There are times that I root for her to succeed, yet I know that she should not behave in the way that she does. The unraveling of the plot through letters was executed flawlessly. Austen is always a pleasure to read, and her shorter pieces are perfect for those that are slightly frightened by lengthier novels.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 don't find it worth reading. This novel is very different in tone than Austen's other novels--her titular heroine is a villain--a catty and malicious adulteress trying to force her daughter Frederica into a marriage of convenience. But if I weren't an Austen fan, I doubt I'd have persisted in reading it far enough for the fascination of Lady Susan's machinations to take hold, although take hold they did. The ending nevertheless feels abrupt to me.I understand Phyllis Ann Karr did a third person narrative adaptation of the story. Particularly since she's an author I've liked, I'd love to read that. Sadly it's long out of print.

[hellen0-4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book was ok and I liked how all characters were represented in the letters, which allows readers to see what is going on from all perspectives.

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am not really a Jane Austen fan, but I thought this was an amusing novella about a manipulative schemer. When Lady Susan is caught out in one of her schemes, one of the characters commiserates with her by saying "facts are such horrid things". The unfortunate husband of one of the characters is described as being "too old to be agreeable, too young to die".The story is told in the form of letters and the various narrators of the audio book did a good job with the characters.

[booksovertv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm extremely happy to have read this little book of letters, great concept. As I was reading, Lady Susan reminded me of a movie I'd watched called Lillie played by Francesca Annis made in 1978. I would recommend this book to lovers of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Historical/Regency Fiction.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The tale of a manipulative, charmingly evil woman told through letters. Reading the varying accounts of her dealings is great fun.

[lkernagh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another ebook download from Project Gutenberg with my favorite cover depicted above. This was a great read and way better than Pride and Prejudice! I know, I seem to be bucking the Jane Austen trend here on LT, but I found the concise manner of a story written in a series of letters between some of the characters in the story to be a strong writing style for Austen, and one that I prefer. Okay, so the ending is not in epistolary format, it is in the form of a conclusion of the author, but she does admit to why the story ends in this manner and I will agree that carrying the epistolary format to the very end was a bit of a problem. There is some speculation that [Lady Susan] was written in 1794 but not published until 1871. This is a rather brilliant epistolary novel focused on the recently widowed Lady Susan, who schemes her way - through flirtations and leveraging connections made - as she hunts for a husband for herself and one for her 16-year-old daughter, all the while continuing to maintain a relationship with a married man. From a character examination perspective, this story provides great insight into the Vernon family - Lady Susan's relations through her dead husband - and their thoughts and feelings, as well as those of Lady Susan's intimate friend and 'accomplice in crime' as it were, Alicia Johnson, Lady Susan and her daughter Frederica. An excellent examination of a woman of the time period who will stoop to anything to get what she wants, within a narrow scope of reason and social moral virtues. This is the book where I can now appreciate why there are so many Jane Austen fans out there!

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This small epistolary novel is a bit different from Austen’s other work. The title character, Lady Susan, is a manipulative selfish woman who is hard to like. She has almost no regard for her daughter Frederica and is doing her best to marry her off to the first man who comes along. Lady Susan is used to always getting her way. She uses people to further herself and then when she is finished with them she moves on. The story revolves around her efforts to seduce and marry a young wealthy man. Through the observations and letters of those she comes in contact with we learn that everyone is concerned she might succeed. They warn the man in question, but he’s blinded by infatuation. We don’t have long enough to become attached to any of the characters, but it’s still interesting to see how it unfolds. I thought the ending was wonderfully just and was happy with the book overall. BOTTOM LINE: If you’re an Austen devotee it’s a must. Though the story isn’t as good, it’s fun to see Austen try a different style and exercise her writing skills. For anyone new to Austen I would say skip this one and start with one of her well-known novels. “Where there is a disposition to dislike, a motive will never be wanting.” 

[sararomancelove · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lady Susan is not your typical Jane Austen’s character, she is actually quite despicable, an anti-heroine, who lies and schemes.
I didn’t expect this, as usually Jane Austen’s protagonists are good and honest, but I have to say it made this short story interesting.
However the book has its happy ending… at least for some of the characters.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shock! Horror! I read another book by Jane Austen, and rather enjoyed it. I'll have to give up my reputation of being a sceptic, I think. It's not a genre I usually enjoy, but Austen's writing is easy to read and not hard to get absorbed in. Lady Susan is somewhat different than Northanger Abbey and Pride and Prejudice -- it's an epistolary novel, so it relies on Austen's ability to create voices for her characters, really.

At first I thought I wasn't going to get along with it very well. The first few letters, it was hard to tell who was writing to who, for me. I didn't think the characters and voices were all that distinct. But giving it a chance worked out. The most distinct character is, of course, Lady Susan herself -- not that she is the most likeable. In a way, she's an unreliable narrator, but even she can't really conceal what she's actually up to. The reader certainly isn't deceived by her for very long. The other characters in the novel mostly just react to her, so they aren't quite as distinct, but they're well-meaning and not unlikeable.

The abrupt end of the novel was disappointing, though. I had to wonder if Austen got tired of trying to write it through the more difficult method of letters and decided to just end it with a wave of the godly author's hand (TM). The conclusion is pretty unsatisfying because of it.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got a kick out of the snarky little novel Lady Susan by Jane Austen. It manages to turn traditional romantic themes upside down. I'm not a big fan of epistolary novels, but here the letters back and forth effectively convey the main players' different perspectives and perceptions, as widowed Lady Susan works her mercenary schemes to land her and her daughter rich husbands, while others seek to thwart her. Lady Susan is in her early 30s, and is attractive, perceptive, intelligent, and witty. She also is totally focused on #1, and can seemingly talk any fool of a man around to seeing things her way. She typically has her eye on much younger men, making her an intriguing opposite to standard older male/younger female relationships like that of Colonel Brandon and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility. Mrs. Vernon's young brother Reginald, for example, is adamantly set against Lady Susan after hearing tales of her villainy. "She (Lady Susan) does not confine herself to that sort of honest flirtation which satisfies most people, but aspires to the more delicious gratification of making a whole family miserable." However, once Lady Susan cleverly and modestly provides her side of things, he is smitten. Lady Susan is quite frank about her pulling of men's puppet strings in her letters to her friend Alicia, and concludes, “There is exquisite pleasure in subduing an insolent spirit, in making a person pre-determined to dislike, acknowledge one's superiority." Mrs. Vernon sees through Lady Susan immediately, but despairs of making any of the mesmerized menfolk understand there is a wolf among them.It was a pleasure, as always, to read Austen in her cynical, gloves-off mode. She obviously had affection and admiration for the devilish Lady Susan.

[anietzerck · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one was a little harder for me to follow. I think it was the format that threw me off. Overall though, I still liked it.

[cmbohn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you think Jane Austen was all about the good girls who got their man, this little book would set you straight. Lady Susan is not a good girl. She is a manipulative, lying hypocrite. She is still quite good at getting her man, or someone else's man, or just about anything else she wants.The story is told in letters back and forth, some by Lady Susan, some to her, and all of them about her. Lady Susan has made London a little hot for herself, so she has invited herself to stay in the country with her late husband's wife and family. This might have been awkward for some people. After all, she did try to persuade her brother-in-law not to marry. But she sails right in and makes herself at home. In no time, she is bewitching her hostess's brother and making plans for her daughter's marriage.I really enjoyed this one. It was very short, but it was a fun book that I couldn't put down until I got to the end. I was hoping Lady Susan would get what was coming to her, but I won't tell you what happens.

[jasonlf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Had not read this short, epistolary novella before. Every sentence was thoroughly enjoyable Jane Austen. But it doesn't compare to any of her best novels or even to any of her worst novels. Only one character is particularly interesting, the title character of Lady Susan, who is heartless and selfish in an eerily modern manner (complete with affairs with married men and flirtations with younger men). I could imagine her daughter being interesting, but we only glimpse her indirectly and from a distance. And everyone else feels mostly like a stock Regency character.

[jasmyn9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful tale told through letters between friends and family. Lady Susan is hunting for a new husband by tricking the eligible (and non-eligible) men into thinking she is the perfect woman. The ending is a bit abrupt as the letters no longer need to be written. However, the story kept me happily occupied for a night.

[sparkleandchico · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is obviously not comparable to Austen's better known works. I listened to it on a public domain website.

The story consists of a series of letters that are exchanged between various characters. The sophisticated, witty, elegant and recently widowed Lady Susan is on the hunt for a second husband. Dragging her unloved and neglected daughter in her wake she proceeds to visit the households of a number of relatives in order to pursue a match. Her flirtatious behaviour and carelessness with the feelings of all those in her path are the subject of much letter-gossip. To her face, the perpetrators of course remain impeccably courteous.

Austen's novels are brilliant because they accurately portray human behaviour in a way that most authors shy away from. She reveals the true hearts of her characters, in this book through letters. As always, she turns the awkward, uncomfortable but necessary pretences of society into humour. She is no doubt revealing her own amusement through her writing and comments extensively on romantic relationships and her views of them in the process...

Silly woman to expect constancy in so charming a man.

This was worth listening to but it would probably have been easier to read as it was hard at times to keep up with the characters due to the constant flow of letters. There is obviously no bad language, violence or sexual content--just a bit of polite flirting!

[cbl_tn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Having read all of Austen's major novels, most more than once, I thought it was time to get acquainted with some of her shorter works. Since I was going to be in the car for a couple of hours today, I seized the opportunity to listen to the unabridged Naxos Audiobooks recording of Lady Susan while I was on the road. It was the perfect introduction to this epistolary novella. The Naxos recording uses different actors and actresses for each letter writer, so it was easy to keep track of the author of the current letter when the letters were lengthy.Austen created charming and sympathetic young women in many of her novels, but she also had a gift for creating scheming women like Mary Crawford and Lucy Steele. Lady Susan is every bit as entertaining as any of Austen's schemers.I'll read the book at some point in the future, but I'm glad I experienced it first through the Naxos audio version. Highly recommended!

[jamesfallen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very well written. A series of letters between various characters making an enticing story.

[sloopjonb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was recommended to me as an easy entree into the work of Jane Austen; it was written when she was only 19, I gather. I found that hard to credit as I read it; an epistolary novel, the characters gradually emerge from their correspondence, and much of the sly humour springs from the difference in how the various characters interpret things, and their true opinions as opposed to the ones they give out, and how Lady Susan believes she is, and how others see her. It is catty, worldly, and rollicking good fun ... and then all of a sudden it ends, with an authorial Conclusion, as if the young Jane had got fed up of it, and finished it off in a hurry, and you realise that yes, she was only 19 after all.

It did its job, though: I am now much tempted to investigate her mature work, which I never was before. I should have given it four stars, but for the hasty wrap-up (I wanted to see something of Frederica's true character).

[katiekrug · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this short epistolary novella detailing the selfish and devious nature of the titular character. What an incisive sketch of a horrible woman! Besides providing an hour or so’s entertainment, it has inspired me to seek out the other minor works of Austen.

[books_ofa_feather · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jane Austen's ability to write about a character so indifferent to the feelings of those around her is quite remarkable. While making a character so cruel, she also made me utterly despise Lady Susan and she ended the book on a relatively happy note. Lady Susan was great read!

[nosajeel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Had not read this short, epistolary novella before. Every sentence was thoroughly enjoyable Jane Austen. But it doesn't compare to any of her best novels or even to any of her worst novels. Only one character is particularly interesting, the title character of Lady Susan, who is heartless and selfish in an eerily modern manner (complete with affairs with married men and flirtations with younger men). I could imagine her daughter being interesting, but we only glimpse her indirectly and from a distance. And everyone else feels mostly like a stock Regency character.

[sushicat-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a nice quick read. Written as a series of letters between Lady Susan, a recently widowed femme fatale, and her friend who shares her manipulative ways, and various in laws worried about the recently widowed woman's influence on her sister in law's brother. A nicely done portrait of a despicable woman.