Fanny Price, in Mansfield Park, tells her persistent suitor that "we have all a better guide in ourselves...than any other person can be." Sometimes, however, we crave external guidance: and when this happens, we could do worse than seek it in Jane Austen's own subtle novels.

Written to publish ahead of Austen's 250th birthday, this approachable and intimate work shows why and how - for over half a century - Austen has inspired and challenged its author through different phases of her life. Part personal memoir, part expert interaction with all the letters, manuscripts and published novels, Janet Todd's book reveals what living with Jane Austen has meant to her and what it might also mean to others.

Todd celebrates the undimmable power of Austen's work to help us understand our own bodies and our environment, and teach us about patience, humor, beauty and the meaning of home.