Susan

A Jane Austen Prequel (Warleigh Hall Press Jane Austen)

By: Alice McVeigh

Narrated by: Heather Tracy

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Susan is a Jane Austen prequel (or Pride and Prejudice variation) brilliantly capturing Austen's own Lady Susan as a young girl. As the BookLife review put it for Publishers Weekly: "McVeigh's prose and plotting are pitch-perfect. Emma mingles with Pride and Prejudice in a delightful confrontation between the two books' worlds... This Austen-inspired novel echoes the master herself."

Familiar characters abound - Frank Churchill, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy himself - but Susan - mischievous and manipulative - is the star. This is Austen that even Austen might have loved, with a touch of Georgette Heyer in the romantic sections. Fans of Bridgerton will also relish this classic regency romance, the first in a six-book series.

Sixteen-year-old Susan Smithson - pretty but poor, clever but capricious - has just been expelled from a school for young ladies in London.At the mansion of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, she attracts a raffish young nobleman. But, at the first hint of scandal, her guardian dispatches her to her uncle Collins' rectory in Kent, where her sensible cousin Alicia lives and "where nothing ever happens." Here Susan mischievously inspires the local squire to put on a play, with consequences no one could possibly have foreseen. What with the unexpected arrival of Frank Churchill, Alicia's falling in love and a tumultuous elopement, rural Kent will surely never seem safe again....

©2021 Alice McVeigh (P)2021 Alice McVeigh

Jane Austen would have enjoyed this....

...in my opinion. Subtle hilarious drama, excellent writing and narrator. Comic parallels from Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma as well as Shakespeare.

Instant classic

Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel by Alice McVeigh is the first novel in a series of six books planned by this award-winning author.

After listening to this exquisite audio production, I can tell you that I was instantly immersed into a captivating story filled with colorful characters, driven by a fast-moving plot that springs to life in the listeners’ imagination with vivid descriptions.

The writing style is superb, I’m always blown away by the way some extremely talented authors can mimic a specific work by someone else, and by doing this, they transport the reader to a completely different time and place.

The protagonist of this novel is Susan Smithson, a 16 years old girl who creates a lot of problems for everyone around her. After she is expelled from a reputable school for young ladies in London, she moves to a quiet rural town and there she will turn the place and its unfortunate inhabitants upside down.

Being beautiful, smart, but also capricious, mischievous, egocentric and narcissistic, our young Susan will take readers and listeners alike into an adventure filled with thrills, danger, mysteries, and romance

Classically trained British actress Heather Tracy who has worked in theatre, TV, and film brings all the characters and the events in Susan to life with skill, emotion, and talent.

Heather does a fantastic job with the narration by assigning each important character its own voice or accent. She enriches and elevates the listening experience by seamlessly switching between them when a dialogue is in progress and by doing this, she helps the listeners to immerse themselves into this beautiful historical fiction.

Susan is a great start for what could become a best-selling and award-winning series in the years to come. To me, this first novel felt like an instant classic that combines the superb writing of a really talented author with the flawless narration delivered by a top-notch professional.

This audiobook receives five stars from me and I recommend it to everyone who loves classic literature with a touch of mystery and a twist of romance. Also, I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.