NOV BOOK CLUB: Lady Susan

by Jane Austin

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2022

4:00 PM TEA AT THE UNION CHAPEL

. . . and the movie LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP to follow at the movie theatre  at approximately 5:30 thanks to Mere! Don’t forget to bring a blanket for the movie showing because we don’t have heat in the movie theater. We’ll manage! And bring along any friends who are Austen fans or who might just want to see the movie.

The inspiration for the 2016 film Love & Friendship starring Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale, Lady Susan is a magnificently crafted (and frequently provocative) novel of Regency customs and manners, which has become a readers’ favorite among the author’s shorter works. Austen enthusiasts and students of English literature will delight in its wit and elegant expression.

Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks a new and advantageous marriage for herself, and at the same time attempts to push her daughter into marriage with a man she detests. Through a series of crafty maneuvers, she fills her calendar with invitations for extended visits with unsuspecting relatives and acquaintances in pursuit of her grand plan.

As the plot unfolds, characters are revealed and the suspense builds — all through letters exchanged among Lady Susan, her family, friends, and enemies. Described by her rivals as the “most accomplished coquette in England,” amply endowed with “captivating deceit,” Susan proves to be a remarkable figure, devoid of any redeeming qualities, whose intrigues and devious machinations ultimately lead to disastrous results.

Email Abby McCall on [email protected] with any questions or to be added to the Book Club email list.

Please invite friends who might also be interested. The more readers the better and so many people are unable to join on any given night that I don’t think we can have too many people. There are lots of book lovers on the island and it’s really nice to bring the group together. Please feel free to forward this to anyone else you can think of. All are welcome.

We generally select the book for the following month at the preceding meeting.

As in the past, feel free to bring your own beverage and, if you feel like it, a hors d’oeuvres to share with the group. I don’t want anyone to feel that they have to show up bearing food but for those who enjoy cooking we’d love it if you bring something to nibble on!

I look forward to the Library Book Club and hope you do as well.

Best wishes,

Abby McCall
[email protected]

For those of you who prefer e-books please avail yourselves of the Library’s app.

SimplyE app/Livebrary
It allows one (one may need a NYS address) to become a member of the New York Library system and borrow digital and audiobooks for free.

Contact Librarian Ann Banks with Library questions [email protected].