Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel

Warm and humorous,with enough familiar names to make it feel like a cosy get together with friends.
I'll admit I do not know the character of Lady Susan,but she's charmed me a little bit.
I do know Mr Collins,and he did not charm me in the slightest.
Definitely a must read for Austen fans,but a gentle read with comedy and rules and manners for anyone who hasn't read Austen also

If you are a fan of Jane Austen then you are familiar with the villainous Lady Susan. Have you ever wondered how she came to be the woman Austen created? McVeigh’s novel takes us back to the time when Susan was just sixteen years old and having lost both of her parents, is in the care of the Collins family, her Aunt and Uncle. She has no place in society, no money, and her prospects for a suitable marriage are slim. However, she is beautiful and charming, smart and capable, and that has to account for something, right? Susan convinces a local squire to host a play, bringing together a cast of characters that wouldn't normally run in the same social circles. This leads to forbidden relationships and unforeseen consequences, both good and bad.

According to the author's notes, this story takes place one year prior to Emma and five years after Pride and Prejudice. Sprinkled throughout are Austen characters such as Frank Churchill, Mrs Alicia Johnson, Col. Fitzwilliam, and even a few brief mentions of Mr. Darcy. Austen’s novels are such beloved classics that one must take great care when penning a retelling of her characters. I think McVeigh has succeeded in doing so! The writing is very much evocative of Austen’s style of prose and the characters and story are delightful. Susan herself is precocious and humorous. She is able to easily manipulate people and situations to her desired outcome, yet does so in a likable, endearing way. She reminded me of Emma in this regard.

The cast of characters are well-developed. I particularly liked Mr. Oliver (reminded me of The Duke from the Bridgerton series), sweet Alicia who is Susan’s cousin and best friend, and Mr. Johnson, who reminded me of the dad version of someone trying to be the “cool mom.”

It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the classical prose (it’s been a while since I’ve read Austen), but once I did I absolutely loved this book. Very much a character driven story, yet I still found the plot to be intriguing and with a very satisfying ending.

In this prequel to Lady Susan by Jane Austen, Susan Smithson at the age of 16 has been expelled from Mrs Ansruther's school and sent to her aunt and uncle Collins (younger brother of Reverend Collins of Hunsford), to live as the poor relation. With only her beauty and wit to aid her how will she survive Society and to her view, make a good marriage.
But Susan while being manipulative and dramatic can be kind to those that she loves.
An entertaining and well-written prequel, with some likeable and interesting characters.

Alice McVeigh, Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel, Warleigh Hall Press, 2021

Susan Smithson, with luxuriant black curls and acknowledged as the prettiest girl in the school, is expelled because she flirted with the music master and did not cry out when he kissed her hand. She must return to her aunt and uncle’s house in London, but under far more intrusive guard than in the past. Her reputation for beauty, flirtation, achieving her own desires, despite her poverty and low expectations of a grand marriage set the scene for this forerunner of Jane Austen’s Lady Susan. McVeigh establishes her own guidelines for the way in which her Susan will proceed, from her rejection of the fairness with which Lady Susan is endowed, to the liveliness and ingenuity rather than malice which abounds in the latter’s correspondence and behaviour in Austen’s character, and, unlike Lady Susan, her success in winning her own way by the end of the novel.

McVeigh appeals to Janeites’ acceptance of her use of other Austen characters, such as Frank Churchill, and the pleasantness of Alicia Johnston that bears little resemblance to Alicia, recipient of Lady Susan’s correspondence. I am more than happy to appreciate Jane Austen’s works, and have a somewhat sympathetic approach to the dreadful Lady Susan while thoroughly savouring McVeigh’s Susan, Alicia, and their companions in Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel.

Although the story begins slowly, the pace, intrigue and vitality with which Susan approaches every possible pitfall, her delightfully devious use of others’ weaknesses and attempts to maintain the hierarchical workings of the society Susan wishes to defeat become fully engaging. McVeigh, unlike Austen who had to mute her criticisms of the role of class and money somewhat, is clear about the discrimination Susan and Alicia (the ‘Parsonage girls’) suffer. Here, we can see glimmerings of the way in which Lady Susan is possibly forced to operate, or at least has become accustomed to fighting battles that arise only because she is a woman, and poor.

Susan is sixteen, the age of Lady Susan’s daughter, Frederica when that novel begins. Unlike Susan, Frederica has almost crumbled under her mother’s dislike and neglect. However, in her refusal to marry at her mother’s behest, perhaps she is showing a glimmer of fortitude worthy of Susan at sixteen. By valiantly tackling a prequel to Austen, McVeigh encourages a closer investigation of Lady Susan, a wonderful aside to reading this novel. With the introduction of Frank Churchill as a supplicant for Susan’s hand, long before his successful love affair with Jane Fairfax, his character under Austen’s hand is also embellished. So, too, is the character of Charlotte who, in Pride and Prejudice, was forced through circumstance to marry the obsequious Mr Collins. Aunt Charlotte, as she is to Susan and Alicia, must care for the two of them when Susan is sent away from London, to mend her ways. Charlotte is usually in the background, but life revolves around her husband’s obsequiousness to Lady de Brough, her domestic tasks, and wondering if indeed Susan might make the leap from impoverished, but beautiful supplicant to the rich and important to marry well, as did her friend, Eliza Bennett. McVeigh does not bring the Darcys into the novel, except by reputation and conjecture, suggesting that the friendship has deteriorated under the class differences that are so apparent.

Susan’s courting of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, after her success with Mrs Cooper in London is a joy to behold. Both are manipulative, seeking dominance. Susan’s behaviour is honeyed, and Lady De Borough’s sharp, but both pursue comfort. In Lady de Borough’s case it is in the immediate, while Susan plays a longer game. This juxtaposition of the moneyed upper-class woman using the poorer, woman of a lowlier position and vice versa establishes for Susan the only way she can advance. Cajoling men to her point of view is easier, as she can use her appearance and flirtatious skills, but she knows that both sexes must be won.

Warleigh Hall (a nod to the publisher?), its structure and inhabitants, also demonstrates the hierarchical nature of society. The recently widowed Mr Johnson provides both a foil for Susan and a source of anguish for his more restrained children, as well as the site of social occasions that bring Susan and Alicia into contact with people above them in the hierarchy. The play which is the focus of much of the activity provides an insight into the way in which such activities broke down barriers – much to the dismay of those who would keep them intact. The play reflects the role of the play in yet another of Austen’s novels, Mansfield Park.

Alice McVeigh (note her comment in the text about the name Alice in contrast with the ‘pure pretension’ of Alicia, her possible heroine) appears to have had a great deal of enjoyment with her characters, the society she depicts and storylines and their provenance with Jane Austen’s work. The book can be read with this in mind, and drive you to rereading Jane Austen’s novels, or can be enjoyed as a standalone story of two friends, Alicia and Susan, whose role as ‘the Parsonage girls’ is overturned with delightful intervention by Susan.

Hard call this one. I thoroughly dislike Lady Susan and was not sure that reading about her possible youth would change my mind. It didn't. Manipulative and selfish in a way far outweighing Emma she moves through this prequel in a beautiful haze of capriciousness. Expelled from school, sent to the country to live with Uncle and Aunt Collins she manoeuvres the local gentry to put on a play of a risqué book despite warnings not to. There certainly are consequences.. She plays everyone, from being demure and caring to Lady Catherine de Bourgh then more assertive to her friend Alicia in a thoroughly unpleasant way. She is poor and, for the times, has to make something of herself in order to make even a reasonable marriage I suppose but the way she does that does not endear. The author clearly knows her Austen and her writing, with the style of the modern text fitting very well with that of the early 19th century. There are sections where I felt that she was too close to the originals with certain phrases. Lady Catherine's daughter felt unbelievable and, as for poor Colonel FitzWilliam, awww. An enjoyable read even if I still do not like Susan. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Great story telling, a richness of characters, picturesque settngs, this book has everything to provide a perfect moment of entertainment. It is not necessary to be a specialist of Jane austen's books to read and enjoy the plot.
I truly enjoyed the different twists in the story, and I could remember perfectly well anything about the myriad of characters. This is for sure a sign of an excellent novel, with perfect pacing and structure.
All opinions are mine, I received the book from NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book very much. I am a fan of Jane Austen, although I will admit, I have not read Lady Jane. I was glad to find it wasn’t a requirement to enjoy this book. I had a bit of trepidation when I pick up a book that has familiar characters but a new (to me) writer. McVeigh’s writing has its own voice but is similar enough to Austen’s that it is not jarring and I could then enjoy the story.
I’m always happy to visit Austen’s England! Young women finding their way and voice in the world and all the calamity that ensues! This will not disappoint and I’m sure it is quite timely with all of the Bridgerton fans currently looking for their next fix!
I give this review voluntarily for an advanced copy! #netgalley

I greatly enjoyed this HF "mashup". Well, extemporisation from Jane Austin anyway. It achieved exactly what one would hope, in that it caught the spirit of JA and her characters as well as throwing in enticing details. I"m going to have to re read Emma now. (Slightly disappointed the odious and pompous Mr Collins still thrives, in this tale at least.) Well done.

This was such a warm and charming read! Filled with humor, family and familiar characters. It really felt like a cozy get together with old friends. There were new characters that I came to really like and old characters that I still don't like. This is a definite read for fans of Jane Austen, a lovely gentle read with comedy and rules and manners of the day. I definitely recommend it.

Susan is an orphan with no fortune but beauty and cunning to spare. After she befriends her uncle's benefactor, Lady Catherine (yes, that Lady Catherine), she is sent to live with Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas at Hunsford. There she is reunited with her sweet and unassuming cousin, who is also an orphan. Together, despite their uncle's sermonizing and their low social standing, they find friendship and possibly even love among the local set.

As a loyal Austenphile, I was excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. The author's tone is strongly reminiscent of Austen's writing, and her acerbic wit is if anything more pointed. I loved seeing familiar characters in new settings, and the author was successful in creating new facets of the characters without treading on the original novels.

Susan differs in one noticeable aspect from Austen's works, especially her best-known ones. Its attitude toward female virtue is decidedly more modern. Susan (who is, later in her life, an Austen character) is far less morally upright than, for example, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and her behavior is treated with more indulgence than I think Austen herself would have shown. But, two hundred years after the original works were written, Susan's awareness of the fundamental unfairness of her world, and her willingness to act in her own and her friends' best interests even at the risk of incurring societal censure, reads as appropriate.

Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel, is a delightful romp into the regency era, perfect for fans of Netflix's Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice. After being dismissed from boarding school and banished to the countryside, our plucky heroine Susan gets herself into a series of scrapes involving familiar faces from Austen, such as Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham. As a whole, I greatly enjoyed reading Susan, and am excited to read more in this upcoming romance series in the future,

An entertaining journey through Austen's world following a sixteen year old Susan, before she became the Lady Susan we love to hate.
Beautiful and clever, young Susan navigates her way through society using manipulation and charm to improve her circumstances.
We are treated to a variety of cameos from Austen characters, and Alison McVeigh delivers a believable extension to well known settings and characters. Her strong familiarity with Austen's writing is clearly evident.

A knowledge of Austen's characters will definitely enhance a reader's enjoyment of this story, but I feel like any fan of historical fiction and romance will find this a fun and diverting story.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Susan is a prequel of Lady Susan, a lesser known work of Jane Austen which I've always had a soft spot for, but it is also set five years after Pride and Prejudice and one year before Emma, and it features characters from these books as well, like Catherine de Bourgh, Frank Churchill and Mr Collins.

While I was excited to read this book, I was still pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The writing style was really good: I think the author did a good job trying to emulate Austen's witty style. The situations were also reminiscent of Austen's works, like the play the characters decide to set up. The setting in general, and how the original characters were connected to each other, was really well done.

I must say that Susan and especially Alicia are much less evil than they were in the original work, but it was understandable given their young age, and Susan's gift of manipulation and acting came across very well. I especially loved how she handled the terrible Catherine de Bourgh. And Alicia's romance with Henry was really sweet and I rooted for them the whole time.

Definitely worth a read if you are a fan of Jane Austen!

Lovers of Jane Austen's novels, or Janeites as the most devout call themselves, are a fierce bunch and I commend author Alice McVeigh for fearlessly throwing herself to their mercy by writing a prequel about one of Austen's characters. I myself love Jane Austen's books, but I have never read Lady Susan, an epistolary novel of Austen's, and thus would be considered by Janeites as one not to be taken too seriously in my advice. In "Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel", the author examines the early years of said Lady Susan's life. Having never read this book, I was still totally able to enjoy the character for what she was, a rather precocious sixteen year old girl of humble circumstances but blessed with beauty, dependent on the bounty of her uncle Mr. Collins (yes, that Mr. Collins!)

The story followed familiar patterns to those who have immersed themselves in Austen's world: young women trying to secure their futures by getting the attention of eligible young men, and the twists and turns that love may throw in their paths. The writer was able to capture the nuances and flavor of Austen's novels, and I found the story delightful to read. Susan proved herself at a young age to be able to handle the challenges society threw at her, and I would love to see where her adventures lead her next. It was fun to have various characters from Austen's work make an appearance or get a mention.

Anyone who appreciates a Jane Austen novel should find much to admire in Alice McVeigh's work. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.

What a novel and clever idea to write about one of Jane Austen’s characters and providing details of her history and life prior to her introduction by Jane Austen. The book is peopled by many of Austen’s characters, some of which are very familiar like Darcy, Frank Churchill and the Collins family and some which have been buried deep in my ‘reading’ history that I can no longer recollect.

Whatever the vagaries of my memory the writing style alone would have summoned thoughts of Jane Austen and how distant those thoughts are – I remember being excited by Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Mansfield Park (which I studied at degree level). Alas I cannot persuade my granddaughter to read any of them. A forgotten age, summoned between the pages of a book.

See how this book has influenced me – my writing style has completely changed as it settles back into familiar prose.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Sheer brilliance! Absolutely 5 stars and hands down the best book I've read this year! I kept having to stop and remind myself that I wasn't reading actual Austen. I actually read each page twice, just enjoying the celebration of language and wit! Alice McVeigh is a genius and if you are even remotely an Austen fan this is the book for you.

Many, many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own and never influenced by anyone. Ever.

Below, please find the pasted copy of my review, to be published on the Little Literary Moments blog on September 5.

Title: Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel

Author: Alice McVeigh

Rating: 3 ¾ stars

Favorite Quote: “Sometimes I think he would fancy himself every bit as well-off, were he all alone by some wild and dreary loch, with his pipe, his books and his dog!” Susan. Kindle ed., Warleigh Hall Press, 2021.

Review: I received a free e-ARC of this book from the publisher, Warleigh Hall Press, through the NetGalley platform, in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off my saying I really, really enjoyed this book. For the first 75% or so, I was so drawn into the world of Jane Austen that I wanted to pick up the closest edition of Pride and Prejudice and just get lost in it again like I have so many times before. McVeigh masterfully captures Austen’s tone and Austen’s humor, and her novel, written in the twenty-first century, could easily be a product of Austen’s own time - at least for the first part of it.

Susan follows the protagonist, Susan, as she is banished from her boarding school and sent out of London in the hopes of avoiding scandal. Readers are re-introduced to some Pride and Prejudice characters, including the kind Charlotte and the overbearing (also, probably lots of other less-than-positive adjectives) Mr. Collins as they take in the wayward Susan.

Much of this book was the Regency era as Austen wrote of it...at least for the first part of it.

I have two primary complaints about the book, even though I overall thought the reading experience was pleasant. Both complaints involve spoilers, so be warned - SPOILERS AHEAD. My first complaint, that mostly centers around pacing, is that the plotline about the play seemed to drag on just a bit too long. About halfway through their preparations, I found my mind wandering at times, ready to get on to the next plot point. The purpose of this focus is revealed later (and in my second complaint), but even though it did lead to what might have been the climax, it still seemed like a bit too much build up.

My second complaint (SPOILER WARNING AGAIN) involved the death of one of the characters. I was so invested in the Austen-esque storyline that something so unexpected as a death was jarring - to the point that I was temporarily thrown out of the story. Given the context, I saw why the death was necessary to forward Susan’s storyline, but it was still a bit much. And it was really the only time in the novel that I felt like I wasn’t reading an Austen novel.

About that Quote: Despite its absence of an Oxford comma, my favorite form of punctuation, this quote is a favorite specifically because of how well it captures the Austen tone. A little bit humorous, a little bit critical. My favorite Austen moments are the ones where she is so artful in her critiques and judgments of others. And McVeigh captures that masterfully throughout the novel. This one just spoke to me a little bit more because I too wish I could spend my days alone with my cats, so I can understand the motivations of someone who wishes they could spend their days alone with their dogs.

Are you an Austen fan? Have you read Susan? Share your thoughts below!

The blog's main site (linked below) will be updated on 9/5 to feature this review. There will then be a post on Instagram that day, letting followers know the new blog post is up.

The included Instagram link (below) is from when I featured this book as one of my #littleliterarylunchbreak books.

A mix of Regency Romance, touches of Persuasion, lots of Pride and Prejudice and you get a scintillating mix for the
Jane Austen fantasy.

A mixed bag of characters with the familiar Lady Catherine always hovering in the background, her daughter Lady Anne
being more assertive than ever before, Frank Churchill dying before his time and Alicia Collins and Susan the start of
the show.

The characters were nicely placed and I liked that Susan was not all that sweet and submissive and ladylike. On the
contrary she was scheming (not just for herself but for others as well), but with good intentions throughout, although
her manner of achieving her aims was not very conservative. Mr and Mrs Collins were very nicely portrayed, long suffering
and under obligation always.

The entire story with its romantic themes interwoven throughout was a good one.

Loved it! Just the escape I needed during these uncertain times.

The novel follows Susan as she is dismissed from school thanks to her inappropriate behaviour. As a fan of Regency novels, I adored her! She was witty and hilarious in her opinions of others and her behaviour (while she breaks every rule she can) was totally endearing.

The Austen-esque romances and misunderstandings are all here in full force, as well as some well-rounded characters.
It wasn’t until I finished the novel that I realised she grows up to become the Lady Susan of Austen’s novel. In hindsight, the signs are all there but I feel this shows how good the novel is as an independent piece!

Great to see that this is the first in a series from this author - I can’t wait for more!

Filled with humor, family and familiar characters. It really felt like a cozy get together with old friends. There were new characters that I came to really like and old characters that I still don't like. This is a definite read for fans of Jane Austen, So pleased I got the full version this time and not just a sampler

Susan, A Jane Austen Prequel by Alice McVeigh ended up being a pleasant surprise.

Initially, I almost gave up on this story. I was a little confused and I was not being pulled into the story. Things changed for me about 20% of the way through the book. I finally started grasping the different relationships and understanding the story better.

I loved all the different characters from Austen’s novels, especially the secondary ones, having this world where they all interacted with each other. There were different nods to events that happened in Austen’s novels which also made it fun.

I am not sure I see the exact progression though of McVeigh’s Susan to Austen’s Susan. I found McVeigh’s Susan was manipulative but not as aggressively or nastily as Austen’s. I feel she could have been a little shrewder and more callous. Even though she was young, I found McVeigh’s Susan a little too likeable for who I feel Susan is supposed to be. I would be interested to see if there is another book that bridges that gap a bit.

I also found McVeigh’s writing to be a very nice nod to Austen’s novels. As an Austen fan that made the book very enjoyable.

Overall, I think whether you have read Austen or not you will enjoy this book. Austen connoisseurs will enjoy all the nods of Austen. I think those that are not familiar with Austen will enjoy it for the entertaining story that it is.

I received an eARC from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I love Jane Austen and when I saw that this book takes place in that same universe I was so excited. But sadly this story falls short.
I can’t connect with Susan at all. The dialogue is boring and the story not captivating.
Sadly, I didn’t like this book.