THE UNRULY HEART OF MISS DARCY

A queer follow-up to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, this Regency-era novel follows Georgiana Darcy as her romantic entanglements defy both expectations and decorum.

Georgiana’s absence from the last two Pemberley balls hasn’t gone unnoticed, sparking whispers: Is she with child, disfigured, or dead? The reality is that Georgiana prefers books and playing piano to crowded ballrooms and has no desire to marry. Even more dangerously, her attraction to women places her entirely outside the bounds of polite society. Darcy, her brother and guardian, is now happily married to Elizabeth. Though the couple encourage Georgiana to socialize, she remains reticent, unable to be her true self. Deeply constrained by coming of age during a time when marriage is the only sanctioned ambition, she’s forced to repel suitors who are motivated by her fortune and family ties. When blond, bright-eyed Kitty Bennet, Elizabeth’s sister, arrives at Pemberley, Georgiana is undone at first sight. Over breakfast conversations and ballroom dances, their love blooms. This breezy novel reunites readers with familiar characters and settings, from Meryton to Rosings Park, while also exploring underrecognized queer history through a transformative escape to Llangollen in Wales. In her elegant debut novel, Edwards deftly captures Austen’s grace and cadence with an affable touch as Kitty and Georgiana defy societal norms to protect their relationship in this historically resonant, Sapphic continuation of a beloved classic.

Heartfelt and headstrong.