Alice is an eighteen-year-old student and aspiring novelist with green spiky hair, a child of the modern age who recoils at the idea of reading Jane Austen. In a sequence of letters reminiscent of Jane Austen's to her own neice, 'aunt' Fay examines the rewards of such study. Not only is her correspondence a revealing tribute to a great writer - it is also an original and rewarding exploration of the craft of fiction itself.

About the Author

Fay Weldon is well-known at home and abroad as a novelist, playwright, critic and screenwriter, several of whose novels have been adapted for film and television, including THE LIFE AND LOVES OF A SHE DEVIL.

Reviews

YA In this ``epistolary novel,'' Weldon, like Jane Austen, writes letters to a niece (in Weldon's case, imaginary) about literature and writing. In addition, ``Aunt'' Fay writes about the life and works of Jane Austen and about her own thoughts concerning Austen and the times in which she lived. Through her letters, readers find Alice struggling with her own novel; unhappy at school, where she must read Austen; quarreling with parents; having a love affair; and living a modern life with her green spiky hair. Those who especially enjoy Austen and/or those interested in writing and in literature will find this book well-written, intruiging and witty. A special book for a limited audience. Susan Levine, PGCMLS, Md.