On Second ReadThe Brontë Who Taught Me to Kick Ass<p>Samantha Ellis re-read the classics to figure out who inspired the choices she made. In <i>How to Be a Heroine,</i> the playwright finds the neglected literary ladies who showed her the way.</p> Lucy Scholes
ON TOPIreland’s Jezebel is Still DefiantIt has been decades since her work was banned and she started a tempest in Ireland, but Edna O’Brien is still defiant, and her recent collection shows she’s one of the best.Lucy Scholes
One Life to LiveBritain’s Most Ambitious Novelist?<p>Even her ardent fans wondered how the prodigally gifted English novelist could top the magical <i>Life After Life</i>. With the release of <i>A God in Ruins</i>, now they know.<br> </p> Lucy Scholes
REAL PEOPLEHow to Live Like a VictorianHistorian Ruth Goodman wants us to learn about history from the men and women who lived it, not just the kings and queens we fetishize.Lucy Scholes
Lethal‘H is for Hawk’ Is The New ‘Goldfinch’<p>Helen Macdonald talks about <i>H Is for Hawk</i>, her extraordinary memoir about the death of her father, the training of a goshawk, and the author T.H. White.</p> Lucy Scholes
Fractured Fairy TaleThe Newbie Author Who Beat JK RowlingTeen girls in the U.K. are crazy about the vlogger Zoella, so as soon as she published her debut novel, she demolished existing sales records. Then things got sticky.Lucy Scholes
Personally UniversalFrom Didion to DunhamJoan Didion’s trailblazing nonfiction set a forbiddingly high standard, but a slew of idiosyncratic writers are proving that her example may be inimitable but it is also inspiring.Lucy Scholes
Upending Expectation Sarah Waters Riffs on Tabloid Love The details of a ’20s domestic murder case help fuel the English novelist’s inspired exploration of the intersection of history, social mores, and love. Lucy Scholes
MASTERCLASSThe Rediscovered Genius of Muriel SparkAs eight of her novels are republished, we salute a doyenne of literary fiction whose work juxtaposes tragedy and comedy.Lucy Scholes
DisarmingNina Stibbe, A Modern-Day Mary PoppinsNina Stibbe talks about her life as a nanny in London, about how her book about it became a popular and critical hit, and why Alan Bennett shouldn’t be angry.Lucy Scholes
