Miss Austen is my lasting favorite of the authors listed here.  From pert Lizzy in Pride & Prejudice to grave, gentle Anne in Persuasion, her heroines are true to their time and their class, but most of all to their gender.  After almost 200 years, there is still something of the universal in these young women and their searches for happy matches that will last.  My favorite is probably Persuasion, because it's Anne who makes the mistake that delays her happiness, and Anne who must ultimately brave the censure of her friends to put it right.  More than in any other of Austen's books, the heroine has control over her own destiny, if she will but take it.  Paperbacks are available, but I recommend the Everyman hardcovers (see photo) because they're attractive and durable.  These are books you will want to own.

There's a reason why I named my cockatiel Jane Air. Heh. My senior year English teacher suggested this when I was at a loss for an extra-credit book. She said I'd like it. I wish I could kiss Mrs. Fortner's hands right now in gratitude--this was the first 19th-century novel I ever read, and look where it led. I love Jane's endless, honest self-examination, and her faithfulness to her convictions. When Rochester tries to persuade her to come away with him, she says of her principles, "There I plant my foot." It's a great moment in Victorian literature, in writing by women--in all fiction. I'm fond of Charlotte Bronte's other works (Villette especially), but I'm grateful for this one's brighter outlook and happier ending. This is truly one of the great love stories--Jane is right up there with Juliet and Elizabeth Bennett.