Guest Review: LADIES IN WAITING Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters by Adriana Trigiani, Elinor Lipman, Karen Dukess, Eloisa James, Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding, Diana Quincy, Nikki Payne, Sarah MacLean

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters by Adriana Trigiani, Elinor Lipman, Karen Dukess, Eloisa James, Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding, Diana Quincy, Nikki Payne, and Sarah MacLean

Celebrate Jane Austen’s classic novels with this short-story anthology featuring forgotten characters as they experience their own happy endings.

In honor of her 250th birthday, eight authors have come together with wildly imaginative reboots of the lives of several of Jane Austen’s minor characters. Written with plenty of love and wit, these clever stories star everyone from Pride and Prejudice’s snobbish Caroline Bingley to the modern descendant of Sense and Sensibility’s Eliza Williams and much more. Blurring genres and taking us across the oceans, Ladies in Waiting is a heartfelt celebration of Jane Austen and her timeless masterpieces.

OPENING LINES

“The literary canon of Jane Austen is a glorious English garden, perennial and evergreen. Pick up any of her novels, and you will find yourself in bliss, following her down the same stone footpaths hemmed in boxwood where she walked in the Hampshire village of Chawton.”

Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen's Unsung Characters. Published November 4, 2025

A QUICKIE REVIEW by Sophia Rose

Like a delectable box of chocolates, an anthology dedicated to Jane Austen’s 250th birthday is a decadent temptation unable to be missed. The authors came together to write a collection of short stories featuring secondary characters from three Austen novels, following a brief introduction by Adriana Trigiani.

Let me spill the tea on these…

Miss Bates Bobs Her Hair | Elinor Lipman

The daughters' approval, a makeover, and a clueless Mr. Woodhouse...or is he? Does the infernal man realize what she has gone through to catch his notice? Amusing follow-up to Emma.

The Benefits of Jane Street | Adriana Trigiani

The middle sister remained single, manages aging parents, and the beloved family Brownstone. Her dream of her playwriting getting recognition comes true. Will her other dreams come true, too?

What Georgiana Wants | Karen Dukess

Married with children, Georgiana Darcy reflects back on the time she almost gave herself to a rakish charmer. Her thoughts are dark as her day progresses, but the outcome of an encounter with a dreary guest sparks something unexpected inside her.

Sense, Sensibility, and Snapdragons | Eloisa James

A sequel, in memoir style, of Margaret Dashwood, who is determined to become a novelist and only marry for love.  Without meaning to, she compares all the eligible young men to her best friend growing up, the young man she turned down two years before.  Have her romantic notions tricked her out of a chance at real love?

The Elizas| Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Down through the generations, women have wanted choice, not just love- from Colonel Brandon’s first love to her daughter, and down through the generations to a modern-day Eliza.

Lydia’s Story | Diana Quincy

Widow with a bad rep finds comfort in gardening. Though she is determined never to marry, her sister Lizzy and a certain cheery vicar have other plans for the reformed Lydia Wickham.

Lace and Larceny | Nikki Payne

What becomes of Caroline after Darcy chooses Elisabeth? Moving the setting to the post-Civil War period, beginning in the high-class colored society of New Orleans and venturing to the boisterous Wild West world, Caroline finds she can either cling to the past or bravely blaze a new trail alongside a bounty hunter and a young girl on the run.

The Triumph of Hetty Bates | Sarah MacLean

What if ‘dull’, silly Miss Bates had a past that would shock those who currently tolerated her silly twitters and gushing pride in her dear niece Jane Fairfax? Twenty-one years ago, Hetty Bates was the belle of the ball and had a secret romance. Is that all really gone for good?

Various writing styles, settings, and approaches make these shorter character studies and romances a collection that is a fitting tribute to Austen and will delight readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Elinor Lipman’s fifteenth novel, Every Tom, Dick & Harry, was published in 2025 by Harper. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. She was the 2011– 2012 Elizabeth Drew professor of creative writing at Smith College, and a finalist for the 2023 Thurber Award for American Humor.

Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books of fiction and nonfiction. She is an award-winning filmmaker and television writer/ producer who has loved Jane Austen from the start.

Karen Dukess is the author of The Last Book Party and Welcome to Murder Week. She lives outside New York City and on Cape Cod, where she hosts the Castle Hill Author Talks for the Truro Center for the Arts.

Eloisa James is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical romance novels. Her books have been translated into twenty-six languages, with worldwide sales of seven million. As Mary Bly, she is a Shakespeare professor at Fordham University. She lives in New York City and Florence, Italy.

Audrey Bellezza is a two-time Emmy Award–nominated TV producer who has spent over twenty years writing, developing, and executive producing nonfiction television shows for a number of networks and streaming platforms. Audrey lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Emily Harding is one-half of the writing duo behind the "For the Love of Austen" series, including Emma of 83rd Street, Elizabeth of East Hampton, and Anne of Avenue A. She is a graduate of Emerson College with degrees in both creative writing and film. After working over fifteen years in television development and production, she found her way back to writing. Emily lives in Dallas with her husband, two children, and an incredibly spoiled Texas heeler.

Diana Quincy is an award-winning former television journalist who decided to make up stories where a happy ending is always guaranteed. Her books have been included on “Best of” lists in Library Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and The Washington Post. As a US Foreign Service brat, Diana grew up all over the world, but she is now happily settled in Virginia. When she’s not bent over her laptop, Diana reads, watches thrillers, and plots her next travel adventure.

Nikki Payne is the author of Pride and Protest and Sex, Lies, and Sensibility. By day, Nikki is a curious tech anthropologist asking the right questions to deliver better digital services. By night, she dreams of ways to subvert canon literature. She’s a member of Smut U, a premium feminist writing collective, and is a cat lady with no cats. Nikki is a New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today bestselling author.

Sarah MacLean wrote her first novel on a dare and never looked back. Translated into more than twenty-five languages, the books that make up “The MacLeaniverse” are beloved by readers worldwide. A former columnist for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bustle, she is a founding board member of Authors Against Book Bans and the cohost of the weekly romance podcast Fated Mates. Sarah lives in New York City.

Guest reviewer, Sophia Rose

ABOUT SOPHIA ROSE, Guest reviewer

Sophia is a quiet, curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants, and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and a loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, baseball, cats, Scooby Doo, and chocolate. As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. In 2012, she submitted her first book review and is currently an associate reviewer.

Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener, which allows her to experience many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction, particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Sorry, no horror...or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby. Connect with Sophia via FACEBOOK GOODREADS TWITTER