Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 Like most Jane Austen fans, I focused my Austen attention on her six fully completed books. I really thought I had my Austen down, but then I thought I better look at some of her earlier writing and OMG HAVE YOU READ LADY SUSAN? 
 This is a book that Austen sort of kind of finished - I mean, it looks kind of done but it reads like she planned to do some major edits and also maybe make it more than eighty pages long. She never attempted to have it published, and therefore it is often overlooked. 
 But OMG those eighty pages! It's like cake infused with acid and then more cake. It's THE BEST in the sense of being subversive, wicked fun, albeit not the most polished. I realize that Austen is doing just fine as a literary figure without my reviews - but if, like me, you missed Lady Susan, allow me to urge you to check it out. 
 It's easy to tell that this is an early draft, and not something Austen would have sent to a publisher (she never tried to have it published). The ending feels like Austen got bored and decided to wrap everything up so she could go to tea. The supporting characters are terribly bland. Lady Susan and her friend are All Bad and everyone else is All Good and the good people are all alike. I've always thought of Austen as having a strong streak of cynicism but the ending in Lady Susan is very cynical indeed. The book isn't as well-crafted or layered or rich as some of Austen's other works - but it sure is fun to see Lady Susan, and Jane Austen, wreak havoc. 
 - Carrie S.