FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen


A thrilling literary mystery costarring Jane Austen from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookman’s Tale

Charlie Lovett first delighted readers with his New York Times bestselling debut, The Bookman’s Tale. Now, Lovett weaves another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature’s most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen.

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield.

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A thrilling literary mystery costarring Jane Austen from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bookman’s Tale

Charlie Lovett first delighted readers with his New York Times bestselling debut, The Bookman’s Tale. Now, Lovett weaves another brilliantly imagined mystery, this time featuring one of English literature’s most popular and beloved authors: Jane Austen.

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true

authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

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  • Viking Books
  • Hardcover
  • October 2014
  • 320 Pages
  • 9780525427247

Buy the Book

$27.95

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About Charlie Lovett

Charlie Lovett is a writer, a teacher, and a playwright. He and his wife split their time between Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Kingham, Oxfordshire, in England.

Praise

[An] ingenious novel….Ardent fans of Jane Austen and lovers of gripping stories will enjoy following Sophie’s pursuit of the truth.”

—Publishers Weekly

“[An] appealing combination of mystery, romance, and bibliophilism….An absolute must for Austen fans, a pleasure for others.”

—Booklist

A delightful read that Janeites will love….[Lovett] adds bookish intrigue to the life of another luminary of English literature.”

—Library Journal

“Lovett’s love of books and libraries once again energizes his storytelling.

—Kirkus Reviews