Second Impressions

Overview

Written in the idiom of Jane Austen’s time, this sequel to Pride and Prejudice tells the story of the Darcy family, their friends, and their relations in the 10 years since the day Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. Drawing its history from the novels, maps, and other volumes comprising the Chawton House Library at the Center for the Study of Early English Women’s Writing, the novel explores questions of the characters’ potential lives beyond the close of the original masterpiece. With the Great French War over and peace come at last, what does England look like in the late Regency? And is there a place for Austen’s heroes and heroines in an England greatly changed by industrialization, with a new elite of fortunes made in trade and reformist politics?

Reviews

“What if Jane Austen could continue the story of Pride and Prejudice on our own bookshelves and iPads? That's the question Ava Farmer has asked, and answered by steeping herself in the mind, living places, readings, and sensibility of Austen for 26 years, then writing a sequel called Second Impressions. Each sentence is a model of humanity and humor.â€Â  —Gloria Steinem

“In this richly encyclopedic sequel to Jane Austen’s novels, Farmer draws on the author’s own lively idiom to show what kind of novelist she might have become.â€Â  —Jocelyn Harris, professor emeritus, University of Otago

Author Biography

Ava Farmer is the penname of Sandy Lerner, founder of the Chawton House Library and Centre for the Study of Early English Writing in Chawton, Hampshire, England. For her work on the collection, preservation, and establishment of the Library and Study Centre, she has received five honorary PhD degrees. She is the cofounder of Cisco Systems, the founder of Urban Decay, and has received numerous awards for her philanthropic and literary contributions, including the inaugural JANE Award from the Jane Austen Society of North America, the IEEE Award for Lifetime Technical Achievement, and awards from the Feminist Press and United Animal Nations.