WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY FRANCESCA SEGALThe Vintage Classics Austen series is designed by the writer & illustrator Leanne Shapton & introduced by some of our finest contemporary writers & Austen fans Alexander Mc Call Smith Lynne Truss Amanda Vickery Francesca Segal PD James & Andrew Motion ' Jane Austen is the pinnacle to which all other authors aspire' J K Rowling Elinor is as prudent as her sister Marianne is impetuous Each must learn from the other after they are they are forced by their father's death to leave their home & enter into the contests of polite society The charms of unsuitable men & the schemes of rival ladies mean that their paths to success are thwart with disappointment but together they attempt to find a way to happiness