Today we are thrilled to welcome Nikki May to the show. Her new book This Motherless Land is a reimagining of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Anne was especially intrigued by this because Mansfield Park is the novel of Jane Austen's that seems most overlooked when it comes to retellings.

Today, Anne has questions, and Nikki May has answers. Among some of the gems you will hear are Nikki's personal connection to Jane Austen generally and Mansfield Park in particular, the personal experiences that informed This Motherless Land, and the complexity of belonging and not belonging as explored in these pages.

Anne and Nikki also discover their shared appreciation for family novels, especially complicated, messy families, and Nikki shares some of her favorites today.

Find the full list of titles mentioned at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/451.

Our annual traditional holiday gift-giving episode is just around the corner. If you'd like to give a bookish gift to a reader in your life and you'd like our team's help, please email [email protected] with the subject line "Gift Help". In your email, please include details about who are you shopping for, a little bit about their reading life, and any ideas you have or the direction you'd prefer to go. We'll read some of your requests and answer lots of reader inquiries on our upcoming episode. 

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