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your jane austen journey starts here.

part book club, part heroine's journaling,
a reading experience with Xandra Robinson-Burns

Dear Reader,

I have been characterised as ‘a Reader’ since displaying an interest in the activity from an early age. All the while, the title felt generous, because I will never read all the books I want to. Perhaps you can relate. Do you remember when Roald Dahl’s Matilda steadily made her way through every book in the library? I don’t possess that super power.

Still, as a young Reader, I felt an obligation to read Jane Austen. She’s just one of those authors one must read. When I finally did so, I was surprised by how much I could relate to her heroines from a couple hundred years ago. Something we shared was a pressure to read. From Emma making lists to Catherine getting around to ‘all such works as heroines must read’. In the novels, Austen’s women are finding their ways through the world and their lives, just like I was, I am, and I will.

There’s no ‘right’ way to read Austen, but I’ll confess - the first time I read Pride and Prejudice I was a teenager, and I’m certain I did it wrong. I was a speed-reading, multitasking busybody. I would have quit there if I didn’t have a mentor to guide me through properly.

Thankfully, I met a Jane Austen mentor who guided me through each novel. These letters are dedicated to Isa, whose passion and attention to Austen inspired my own. I have learned so much from Austen with her guidance, and it is my duty to pass on my own learnings to more Readers.

You're invited to receive weekly digital letters inspired by the literary correspondences in Jane Austen’s novels. Ready to read along with me?

This Jane Austen experience includes:

  • Weekly digital letters from me, each one corresponding to a few chapters of the novel
  • Contemporary context through commentary and Taylor Swift song pairings
  • 'Write Back Soon’ prompts to engage with the novel through your own reflections
  • Audiobook readings for each letter
  • Ebook compilation of all letters

Whether you've already read the books, or want to enter in to the world of Austen for the first time, these letters are for fanatics and new fans alike!

In the bustle of the millennium, we have so much to learn from sitting down with a good book - not just about Regency England, but about our own everyday lives.

Will you be my pen pal?

Xandra
Mornings

Here's how it works!

Once you sign up, I'll add your name to my pen pal mailing list.

Then, each week you'll receive a digital letter to read alongside a selection of chapters of reading.

In 9 weeks, we'll have finished the novel!

can I join now?


drinkme

Yes! Letters from Jane Austen
is now available.

love-grey-lfja-amy

AMY LORD

“Letters from Jane Austen is a fun way of deepening your understanding of Austen’s novels.

Xandra’s thoughts helped me to place some of the characters and their relationships, and each letter gave me something new to consider as I worked my way through the novel.”

ERIN OCHOCKI

"Each letter is carefully crafted with words that are wise and yet so relatable. It’s quite like having tea with Jane Austen herself."
lfja-erin (1)

SARA SATTERTHWAITE

“Glorious!

Xandra cleverly highlights certain aspects of the story and characters most relevant to a heroine in training. Getting the letters each week encouraged me to carve a little more time out of each day to indulge in reading . Is there anything as sumptuous as the first reading of a Jane Austen novel?! Cast your mind back; it’s truly wonderful. ”

your pen pal, xandra robinson-burns


xandra

Xandra Robinson-Burns, writer and protagonist of Heroine Training, is such a Catherine Morland. She followed her love of literature to Exeter College, Oxford, where she read English Literature, focusing on Jane Austen.

Her work has been featured in The Guardian and the San Francisco Chronicle. She lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

faqkey

i have questions


What's included? What happens when I sign up?

When you join, you will be sent your digital welcome letter within 24 hours. You will also be sent the complete ebook of letters, in case you wish to read ahead! Your first letters will arrive the following day, covering Chapter One of your chosen novel. Then, every week, you will receive a new digital letter, corresponding with a few chapters.

Letters From Jane Austen brings the handmade touch of a handwritten letter, but in digital form. 

If you do not receive your welcome email with 24 hours on a weekday, please contact xandra@heroinetraining.com.

Should I get my own copy of the novel?

Yes. I recommend purchasing one from your favourite local bookshop, and keeping it on your shelf forever! Take notes in the margins, and reread several times! Since Jane Austen's novels are in the public domain, the digital texts are also available for free on Project Gutenberg

What is the time commitment for Letters from Jane Austen

That depends on your reading speed, and I encourage reading Jane Austen slowly! Each week's reading varies, as stopping points are based more on the events of the story than on page count. Each novel takes 9 weeks to complete. Each letter includes a 'Write Back Soon' prompt that can take as long as you wish. 

When does it start?

Now! You should receive your welcome email within 24 hours on a weekday. Your first digital Letter From Jane Austen arrives one day after you sign up.

Do I need any supplies?

I recommend dedicating a notebook to this project for your jouranlizing.

Is this different from the old version of Letters from Jane Austen?

Yes! The keen Reader may remember that I first penned Letters from Jane Austen back in 2016.

Like Elinor Dashwood, ‘deliberated over my paper’ to compose 8 letters for each of Austen’s six completed novels.

Since then, I've traveled across continents in a tour of Heroine Training tea parties discussing with heroines in person.

After another round of editing, I present new and improved versions of these letters to you again. What's new? Pretty much everything! Each letter has been rewritten, and now includes writing prompts and song pairings, as well as a complete ebook and audiobook for each novel. They are better than ever!

Which version of the novel do you recommend?

At Oxford, the official recommendation was the Penguin editions. When I chose to specialise in Jane Austen at Oxford, I invested in a beautiful and durable Penguin clothbound classics edition! That's the one Snug and I still enjoy today.

But whichever one your heart desires will do! I believe that it's important to have a copy that makes you smile. Go ahead and judge the cover; the book is very good regardless, I assure you ;) There may be minor edits or differences in endnotes, but each version should be pretty much the same. 

I'm new to Austen! Which novel should I read first?

I recommend beginning with 'Northanger Abbey'. It's my favourite, first in publishing order, and it inspired the title 'Heroine Training'!

Buy Now:

Letters From Jane Austen
LOVE-GREY-SUSAN

SUSAN BURNS

XANDRA'S MOM

“I'm a first time Jane Austen reader and I am now hooked!

Northanger Abbey was easier to understand than I thought, thanks to Xandra’s weekly letters, which helped me get acquainted with the characters and their relationships. On to Sense and Sensibility!”