Favorite reads by Jane Austen fans……I’ll be honest—being a Jane Austen fan is kind of like being in a secret club. If you know, you know. You catch a line in Pride and Prejudice, and suddenly you’re nodding like, “Yes, Lizzy Bennet is all of us trying to be witty but not too witty at Thanksgiving dinner.”
But here’s the thing no one tells you (or maybe they do and I just ignored it for years): when you’re a Jane Austen fan, you eventually run out of… well… Jane Austen. Six novels. A handful of juvenilia and letters. That’s it. And once you’ve reread P&P for the seventh time (don’t judge), you start asking yourself: Now what?
That’s why I wanted to throw together this list of favorite reads by Jane Austen fans (besides Austen herself). Because yes, we’ll always worship at the altar of Darcy’s wet shirt moment (thank you, BBC adaptation), but sometimes you want to branch out without losing that witty banter, swoony romance, and sly little social commentary that Austen just nailed.
And trust me, I’ve been down this rabbit hole. Picture me at the library with a stack of books taller than my torso, muttering things like, “Would Emma Woodhouse approve of this heroine?” Librarians were concerned.
📖 1. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
If you’ve never read North and South, oh boy. Imagine Pride and Prejudice but grittier, with industrial smoke and labor strikes. Margaret Hale = fierce. John Thornton = broody mill owner with major Darcy energy.
I discovered this book during a snowstorm in college. Power went out, Wi-Fi died, and it was just me, a flashlight, and this chunk of Victorian drama. At one point my roommate walked in, saw me wrapped in three blankets, whispering “Kiss already!” to the pages, and immediately walked back out.
Pro tip: the BBC adaptation with Richard Armitage? Chef’s kiss.
📖 2. Villette by Charlotte Brontë
Everybody talks about Jane Eyre (and yeah, it’s great), but Villette is the underrated queen. It’s moody, atmospheric, and Lucy Snowe is way more complicated than she first seems.
I picked this up thinking it’d be another “governess falls for her boss” situation, but nope—this one is messy, strange, and sometimes lowkey gothic. Austen fans who crave that mix of romance and biting social critique? This is your jam.
Plus, there’s a scene where Lucy basically roasts an entire classroom and I felt like standing up to applaud.
📖 3. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Poor Anne. Always the “forgotten Brontë sister.” But honestly? This book is wild. It’s about a woman who straight-up leaves her toxic husband (in the 1840s!) and tries to rebuild her life.
I remember finishing it and thinking, “Dang, this feels modern.” Austen gave us subtle rebellion through wit—Anne throws down the gauntlet. If Austen’s heroines are clever fighters in silk gloves, Helen Graham is bare-knuckle brawling patriarchy in the town square.
Would recommend with tea. Strong tea.
📖 4. Middlemarch by George Eliot
Okay, okay—I know this book is massive. Like, doorstop massive. But hear me out: it’s worth it.
Dorothea Brooke has major Elizabeth Bennet energy—idealistic, smart, often misunderstood. The way Eliot balances personal drama with huge social questions is kinda genius.
Confession: the first time I tried to read Middlemarch, I gave up around page 40. Too many names. Too many politics. I was like, “Nope, give me Mr. Darcy back.” But when I picked it up later (post-grad life crisis), suddenly it clicked. Maybe you need a little bit of heartbreak and rent bills before Middlemarch makes sense.
📖 5. Persuasion… but make it Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith
Okay, technically this isn’t Austen-esque in setting—it’s a Victorian crime drama—but Austen fans love Fingersmith because it’s twisty, character-driven, and full of longing stares that could set curtains on fire.
I don’t wanna spoil it (the plot twist is bananas), but if you like the slow build of Persuasion—that ache of two people circling each other—you’ll eat this up.
Also: there are con artists. Need I say more?
📖 6. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Ah, Georgette Heyer. She’s basically the gateway drug for Austen fans in withdrawal. The Grand Sophy is chaotic, funny, and full of Regency ridiculousness. Sophy herself is like if Emma Woodhouse had better instincts and a knack for meddling in everyone’s business (but actually fixing things).
Reading this book feels like crashing the best dinner party—lots of witty banter, people side-eyeing each other across the table, and one person inevitably causing drama over the dessert course.
📖 7. Evelina by Fanny Burney
Fun fact: Jane Austen actually admired Burney’s work. Evelina is a comedy of manners with all the awkward social encounters and romantic entanglements you could ask for.
I laughed out loud (in public, which is always awkward) when Evelina keeps finding herself in embarrassing situations. Imagine if Bridget Jones fell into the 18th century—that’s the vibe.
And honestly? Sometimes it’s nice to know people were tripping over social rules way before we were stressing about texting back too soon.
📖 8. Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
If you’re an Austen fan who secretly wished her books had more scandal and mystery—this one’s for you. Lady Audley is hiding something, and when the truth comes out… well, let’s just say it’s not the “oops I spilled the tea” kind of scandal.
This book made me gasp out loud more than once. Like, actual audible gasps. On a bus. People stared. Zero regrets.
📖 9. Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
Yep, another Anne rec—because she deserves more love. Agnes Grey is about a governess navigating rich families who are honestly the worst. It’s smaller in scale than her sister’s work, but it has that Austen-ish sharpness about class, money, and marriage.
And the romance? Understated, sweet, kind of sneaks up on you. Like when you realize your “study buddy” has been your crush all semester (oops).
📖 10. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Fast forward to Gilded Age New York—Wharton gives us a society just as rigid as Austen’s Regency England. The clothes are fancier, the parties bigger, but the rules? Same suffocating nonsense.
Newland Archer’s whole dilemma about marrying the “right” woman versus the woman he actually loves… yeah, Austen fans will feel that frustration in their bones.
Also: Edith Wharton has a way of describing interiors that made me want to redecorate my apartment immediately.
A Little Side Tangent about favorite reads by Jane Austen fans
Do you ever think about how Jane Austen herself probably had no clue we’d still be obsessed with her two centuries later? Like, she’s probably up there somewhere, sipping tea, watching us swoon over Colin Firth in a pond, and just shaking her head.
And maybe laughing.
Where Do You Go After Austen?
So yeah, those are some of my favorite reads for Jane Austen fans (besides Austen herself). They’re not all the same flavor—some are spicier, some darker, some a little weirder—but they all scratch that itch of witty writing, romantic tension, and characters you want to scream at (in a loving way).
And if you ever get overwhelmed trying to pick your “next Austen-adjacent read,” just remember: even if you choose wrong, it’s still better than scrolling TikTok for an hour and realizing you learned nothing except how to make whipped coffee.
(Not that I’ve done that… multiple times.)
Outbound Links:
- Paulo Coelho interview — The Guardian
- Sylvia Plath bio & works — Poetry Foundation
- Original “Crying in H Mart” essay — The New Yorker
- James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter — James Clear
- Matt Haig’s blog — Matt Haig
