Episode 92: Kitty & Mary by Julia Gray and Imogen Russell Williams 🤍📖
What happens to the Bennet sisters who are left behind? 🤍📖 Kitty & Mary by Julia Gray and Imogen Russell Williams is OUT 10th Sept 2026. https://www.andersenpress.co.uk/books/kitty-and-mary/ In this episode, I sit down with Julia and Imogen to discuss Mary & Kitty, their brilliant new reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, set six months after the events of Austen's novel and finally putting these two often-overlooked Bennet sisters centre stage. We talk about the women who are “left behind” once everyone around them starts getting married, and the surprisingly modern pressures that come with feeling as though you’re not following the traditional path. What happens when you can build a perfectly happy life for yourself, but still feel that you’re missing the milestones everyone else seems to be celebrating? We also get into Kitty’s wonderfully relatable self-improvement lists, the pressure women put on themselves to become more attractive, accomplished and desirable, and how acting gives Kitty a way to explore who she might become. And, of course, we talk about the very different relationship between Mary and Kitty and the special bond between sisters and female friends. Along the way, Julia and Imogen share how their long friendship led to their first collaboration, what it’s like to write a novel together, and why they chose the epistolary form. We talk about Austen’s own experiments with letters in Lady Susan and the original version of Sense and Sensibility, as well as the literary world surrounding Mary and Kitty, from The Mysteries of Udolpho and Evelina to the Romantic poets. And then there’s the wider world beyond Austen’s drawing rooms: travel, India, life aboard ships, French attacks on passenger vessels, and even one particularly memorable death involving a pork chop. 😂 It was such a pleasure chatting to Julia and Imogen, and I really hope you enjoy this one. Sophie’s article on Jane Austen and the Navy: https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/library-archive/jane-austen-royal-navy Follow @juliagraywrites Follow @imogenrw Follow @whattheausten for everything about me....😂 Supporting the podcast: London Nootropics - Adaptogenic mushroom coffee Use code IzzyMeakin to get 20% off at checkout. https://londonnootropics.com/IZZYMEAKIN The blend I’m drinking in this episode is from MushLove. It combines the benefits of coffee and adaptogens in a perfectly balanced dose, designed to help you feel like the most elevated version of yourself. ____________________ Wilsons Pet Food Wonderful fresh dog food, that your dog will love and is full of protein and nutrients. Use code WHATTHEAUSTEN for 20% off. AD Disclaimer: What the Austen? is a true passion project that I produce alongside my full-time job. Brand partnerships and sponsorships help cover the costs of keeping the podcast running, from recording software and equipment to editing and hosting. If you choose to use one of my affiliate codes, thank you! Every purchase helps support the podcast and allows me to keep creating free Jane Austen content.