THE LOST MEMOIRS OF JANE AUSTEN by Syrie James boasts a classic set-up: a hidden trunk discovered in the attics of Chawton House Library is found to contain a ring and a batch of manuscript booklets that read like memoirs and journals. The first chapter sets the scene well: Jane confesses why she writes these memoirs, then relates the occasion of her well-known swoon after Mama Austen announces their removal from Steventon upon Papa Austen’s retirement. When you read these few pages in the bookstore, or online, you want this novel. Continue reading →