Shortly before she died, Jane Austen started working on a new novel. Never finished, it was bequeathed to her favorite niece and remained unknown until 1871, when her nephew referred to it in his Memoir of Jane Austen. While her nephew did not consider it worthy of publishing, novelist and critic E.M. Forester firmly disagreed stating that the work would undoubtedly "throw light on the last phase of the great novelist" if published. There have been a few attempts to complete this work, but none have captured the true magic of an Austen novel until now. Julia Barrett has emerged with this literary treasure, holding true to the characters and themes designed by Ms. Austen.