Sophia Rose reviews Don Jacobson's The Last Gift. Inspired by Jane Austen’s birth—and death—day, The Last Gift considers what happens if July 18, 1817 was only the beginning for Jane Austen. After the Lady meets her characters in the Universe she created, what would make her existence not only tolerable but also transcendental? The Last Gift rises from the idea that death is that veil through which all must pass. Beyond the gossamer curtain, the Heaven into which Austen