This new biography explores the forces that shaped the interior life of one of the most beloved novelists in the English language. Each chapter begins by evoking an object that conjures up a key moment or theme in Austen's life and work. The woman who emerges is far tougher, more socially and politically aware, and altogether more modern that the conventional picture. The book looks at the biographical influence on her work, as well as her boundless...

"The vivid and dramatic life of Lady Caroline Lamb, whose scandalous love affair with Lord Byron overshadowed her own creativity and desire to break free from society's constraints."--Amazon.com. Lady Caroline Lamb's scandalous love affair with Lord Byron overshadowed her own creativity-- and her desire to beak free from society's constraints. Fraser animates the life of this true "free spirit" who was far more than the strictures of her era allow...