Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Midday Edition

Booklover's New Novel Is A Jane Austen Mystery

"First Impressions," is a new novel by Charlie Lovett.
"First Impressions," is a new novel by Charlie Lovett.

Booklover's New Novel Is A Jane Austen Mystery
Book Lover's New Novel A Jane Austen Mystery GUEST:Charlie Lovett is author of the new novel, "First Impressions". He's in San Diego for an appearance at the Mysterious Galaxy book store.

Literary mysteries intrigue booklovers and even emerge as themes in popular culture.

Where did Mary Shelley really get her idea for "Frankenstein"? How would Charles Dickens' unfinished "Mystery of Edwin Drood" have ended? And the theories about who really wrote Shakespeare's plays have gone on for centuries.

Advertisement

But creating a literary mystery based on the work of a famous author is a delicate business. Suppose the great Jane Austen politely plagiarized the plot of her masterwork "Pride and Prejudice"? And suppose the proof existed in one rare, old book? It's a premise that's carried off in a new novel called "First Impressions."