Book recommendations for Jane Austen characters, from Mr. Knightley to Elizabeth Bennett.

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Books we’d recommend to Jane Austen’s best characters 

Amazing Grace Adams

**A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK!****THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**'Littlewood writes with ferocity and compassion. Read it and weep (then cheer)' THE TIMES'I just adored this . . . An unforgettable read' LIANE MORIARTY'Compelling, funny and poignant. I devoured it' PAULA HAWKINS'A rip-roaring, empowering story. Glorious' DAILY EXPRESS'An absolute gut punch of a book' RED________Is this the best worst day of her life?Once, Grace Adams was poised for great things. Now, she barely attracts a second glance as she strides down the street carrying her daughter's sixteenth birthday cake.But behind the scenes, Grace's life is in freefall. Her husband is divorcing her. Her daughter has banned her from her birthday party. And Grace has just abandoned her car in bumper-to-bumper traffic.Because Grace Adams has finally had enough. She's sick of being overlooked and underappreciated, and she's particularly tired of being polite. She's about to set off on a journey to rediscover who she is, and confront the secret that has torn her family apart.What is that secret? You're about to find out . . . 
 
New York Times bestseller, September 2023 
Jenna's Book Club Pick, September 2023

A tragicomic character that middle-aged women can celebrate . . . It's a tale of giddy love, thwarted ambitions, devastating loss, the dangers of 21st-century adolescence, the horrors of the menopause and how badly language can let us down . . . Littlewood writes with ferocity and compassion about Grace's all-too-believable agonies and the impossibility of spinning all the plates that modern life expects us to manage. Read it and weep (then cheer)

An exhilarating roar of rage, loss and redemption

Hugely enjoyable. Compelling, funny and poignant. I devoured it

Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

All hail Fran Littlewood and the truly amazing Grace Adams

An absolute gut punch of a book that throbs with all the rage of a middle-aged woman who refuses to go quietly

I just adored this beautiful debut novel! Funny, moving and at times absolutely heart-breaking, it had me captivated until the very last page. An unforgettable read

Amazing Grace Adams takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of female rage, loss and resilience. A rip-roaring, empowering story of redemption, discovery and starting over. And the more emotional moments are peppered with so much humour, you find yourself laughing and crying at the same sentence. Amazing Grace Adams is a glorious tragicomedy. The characters are wonderfully drawn and you'll applaud Grace for her amazing fortitude, compassion and warmth. Littlewood flips the stereotypes of menopause and middle age into something women can aspire to

I loved it. Vivid, visceral and incredibly emotional. I laughed and sobbed

Rarely have I felt more seen than by this book

Readers will relish the letting loose of one woman's long-suppressed righteous rage . . . Spectacular

Explores motherhood with wit, warmth and wisdom. Extraordinary

An exacting and brilliantly structured novel about love, grief, hope lost and then found again. I rooted for Grace from the first sentence

Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

Women in their 40s everywhere will be wondering 'how did she get into our heads?' Funny and moving

The 10 Best Feel Good Books of 2023

Fran Littlewood has written a magnificent novel. Grace Adams is everywoman-filled with promise, trepidatious in love and eventually, a besotted mother. Amazing Grace Adams is a fully realized story of catastrophe and joy, grief and love, and the hidden chambers of the human heart that carry the best and worst of our experience. A stunning debut

Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

From the first hot minute when Grace Adams, stalled in traffic, stuck in her car, simply opens the door and walks away from it all-into her day, the single day that gathers all her days up to this tipping point at the middle, she had me. How Life in the middle of our lives breaks us open-and apart-and then open again. I finished her story on a plane above the country, so full, and in tears. "Ma'am?" my seat-mate asked, "are you ok?" "Oh, yes," I answered. And gave him this book'

Sarah Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Postmistress and The Guest Book

A redemptive story of womanhood, motherhood and marriage. You won't forget Grace Adams in a hurry

Brilliant . . . a story of a midlife heroine seeking redemption and so much more

I can't remember the last time I read a novel with such unbridled enthusiasm. Amazing Grace Adams is a raw, uproariously hilarious portrait of parenthood, love, and family; it's also a profound examination of the way language can both save us and fail us when we need it the most. I'd walk across London on the hottest day of the year with Fran Littlewood-hell, I'd walk anywhere with her. I'm begging you: read this book

Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding

I laughed, I cried ugly tears, I rooted for Grace Adams. It broke my heart then reassembled it - as only a fabulous novel can

Emily Koch, author of Keep Him Close

An incredible debut. Grace Adams is fighting back and her story is both powerful and heartbreaking. I recommend.

Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl

Hugely accomplished. You'll laugh, cry and nod in recognition. Properly amazing

This is a redemptive narrative, conveying the complex midlife crisis, with humour and hope

Family dynamics are well observed in a Falling Down-inspired tale of a mother's menopausal rage. Grace Adams is certainly a fighter

Grace and her family feel brilliantly, dramatically real and believable, and she becomes a heroine to take to heart

An uplifting tour de force with a heartfelt message that will make you laugh and cry. It's the perfect January read. In her amazing Grace, Fran Littlewood has created an unforgettable heroine

A surefire literary hit . . . destined to be a Hot for 2023 phenomenon

We promise you'll rage, cry and laugh

Fran Littlewood

Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ (Queasy With Jealousy) Scale, I award it 16/10.

What makes this sibling dramedy so delectable is Littlewood’s writing… All the nuances of sisterhood, daughterhood, wifehood, motherhood, divorcehood, and more are illuminated by this tale of spilled wine, slapped faces, and enduring family love.

Fran writes like a wilder, more breathless Claire Lombardo . . . A huge talent. Set over the course of a family reunion that goes very wrong, THE FAVOURITE is a layered, textured story about the reverberations of the past and secrets in a family, and a psychologically astute look at love and relationships. It’s wonderful and very funny. You’re in for such a treat. I LOVED it.

Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls

You’ll be captivated by the well-drawn characters

Fran Littlewood is an expert chronicler of family dynamics, and particularly the complex, competitive, and sparkling nature of sisterhood. Once I picked up THE FAVOURITE, I did not want to put it down until the last page was turned

So sharp, funny and pacey, and incredibly well-observed, especially when it comes to the small but treacherous undercurrents that run beneath the family. I loved it.

Rebecca Wait, author of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way

THE FAVOURITE is an absolute knockout - ferociously observed, fantastically funny and deeply relatable. I could not stop reading this dark-edged, pacy, moving novel and was consumed with thoughts about the characters whenever it wasn’t in my hands. Sensationally good

Rosie Walsh, bestselling author of The Man Who Didn't Call

There’s to be no Difficult Second Album Syndrome for Fran Littlewood. The Favourite starts with a (literally) cracking premise, and gets messier and more mysterious from there. It is darkly funny, keenly observed, and full of poignant, vivid images.

A powerful and emotional tale, rich in nuance, exploring loyalty, truth and the fragile nature of love

Littlewood's writing is sharp and dry, with a forensic feel for family dynamics and emotional blind spots

Fran Littlewood has that incredible ability to write minute family dynamics with such insane accuracy and wit that it feels like she’s been observing you and your family for years. It’s the incisive level of detail she holds that makes The Favourite such a brilliant read with a concept that is both relatable and hilariously messy. This is a novel that captures the big and little things about siblings and family life that create the beautiful and fractured thing we call family. You’ll want to pass this book onto your siblings and your parents, but be warned!!

Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us

The Favourite is fabulous - sharp and funny and brilliantly claustrophobic on family dynamics and the way everyone is the main character and unreliable narrator of their own lives.

The Favourite sizzles with familial tension that keeps the pages turning. A heartbreaking, candid, and witty take on family and their determination to f**k us up at every level possible. I loved it

Justin Myers (AKA The Guyliner), author of The Fake Up

A brilliantly funny, dark, insightful, wildly satisfying story of family secrets and sisterly dynamics.

The Favourite is just wonderful. I laughed; I cried; I enjoyed every moment. Fran Littlewood writes with such precision, humour and understanding, creating believeable characters and complex relationships. The drama, the humour, the emotion – everything is pitch-perfect. I adored it

Fran has done it again! A masterclass in storytelling, The Favourite is an utterly compelling, entertaining family drama about rivalries, things unsaid, love and the messy dynamics within sibling relationships. Acutely observed, relatable and humorous, this joy of a book had me hooked from the very first page

Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel

Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick. 
 
Or so they thought . . . Until on their annual family holiday, Patrick accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite daughter - causing other long-buried secrets to come to light. 
 
Set over a single week, but examining the highs and lows that define a family over the decades, The Favourite is a story about rivalries and long-held resentments, about loss and grief and blame – and, above all, about love.

Fran Littlewood

Praise for The Favourite

Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ ( ...

What makes this sibling dramedy so delectable is Littlewood’s writing… All the nuances of sisterhood, daughterhood, wifehood, motherhood, divorcehood, and more are illuminated by this tale of spilled w ...

Fran writes like a wilder, more breathless Claire Lombardo . . . A huge talent. Set over the course of a family reunion that goes very wrong, THE FAVOURITE is a layered, textured story about the reverberation ...

Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ ( ...

What makes this sibling dramedy so delectable is Littlewood’s writing… All the nuances of sisterhood, daughterhood, wifehood, motherhood, divorcehood, and more are illuminated by this tale of spilled w ...

Fran writes like a wilder, more breathless Claire Lombardo . . . A huge talent. Set over the course of a family reunion that goes very wrong, THE FAVOURITE is a layered, textured story about the reverberation ...

Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ ( ...

What makes this sibling dramedy so delectable is Littlewood’s writing… All the nuances of sisterhood, daughterhood, wifehood, motherhood, divorcehood, and more are illuminated by this tale of spilled w ...

Fran writes like a wilder, more breathless Claire Lombardo . . . A huge talent. Set over the course of a family reunion that goes very wrong, THE FAVOURITE is a layered, textured story about the reverberation ...

Books by Fran Littlewood

Articles featuring Fran Littlewood

Books we’d recommend to Jane Austen’s best characters

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