A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting, by Sophie Irwin

I think this book will be perfect for fans of Jane Austen - it’s a cosy and comforting story about a young woman in the late 1800s who is on a mission find a wealthy husband. It is her last chance to save her family home, pay off their debts, and make sure her younger sisters will have a place to live. After finding out her fiance is engaged to another woman, she has a limited amount of time to find a man who is rich enough for their needs, and she can’t afford to be too picky. Her and her prettiest sister travel to London to stay with a kind relative who agrees to help them find matches.

I thought the story was very predictable, if you have read Jane Austen’s books then I think you will recognise some similar events and themes that happen in her stories. Not much happens in the first half, but I’m glad that I kept reading because it does get more exciting by the end. I struggled at times with this because I just didn’t find myself liking any of the characters. It is possible that as I listened to the audiobook perhaps I was put off by the voices!

Ultimately it is a story about family, love, money, the class system, prejudice, and the patriarchal society.

How accessible is it?

The language is quite like a classic, and I always find this a bit more difficult to read than a contemporary style. It’s not the author’s fault as I think they have tried to use language that is more fitting to an 1800s setting, but it can make it more difficult for me to follow along. The story is told in the third person, past tense.

Book aesthetic - all photos are from Unsplash