JANE AUSTEN AND SHELLEY IN THE GARDEN (FENTUM PRESS)

This “coming of old age” novel is a (light) meditation on age, literature, friendship, hope, and the joy of new opportunities. Jane Austen is such a presence in Fran's life that she seems to share her cottage and garden, becoming an imaginary friend. Fran’s conversations with Jane Austen guide and chide her - but Fran is ready for change. Fran and two of her friends, united in their love of books, set about studying the idealist poet Shelley at two pivotal moments: in Wales and Venice. His yearning for utopian communities and visionary power lead them to interrogate their past relationships and larger issues facing women in society as they open themselves to different ways of living outside partnership and family.