Janice Hadlow’s Letter to Librarians

In RULES OF THE HEART, Janice Hadlow writes a beautifully evocative historical novel about the perils of all-consuming love, inspired by a real-life eighteenth-century love affair. In her letter to librarians, she shares how the library was her gateway to a lifetime of reading, and how the stories she discovered at the library eventually shaped her own writing.

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Dear Librarians,

Once a week, after school, my mother would take me to our local library. Our house didn’t have many books, so the library was the only place to discover something new and different. It was a red-brick Victorian building, with heavy doors and elaborately-tiled floors—a warren of rooms that smelled of dust and furniture polish.

I was six years old and so proud to be given a cardboard ticket with my name on it. I felt as though I’d been admitted to a place of boundlessly exciting possibilities, free to roam the endless shelves, picking up whatever caught my interest, and bearing it off to feast upon at my leisure.

By the time I was fifteen, I was a committed fan of historical fiction. I read Anya Seton’s KATHERINE, Rosemary Hawley Jarman’s WE SPEAK NO TREASON, and many Daphne Du Maurier novels, including FRENCHMAN’S CREEK, THE GLASS BLOWERS, and HOUSE ON THE STRAND. All of these I first discovered at the library—many through the recommendations and knowledgeable kindness of librarians.

I especially loved books that dealt with the inner emotional lives of women. I was fascinated by the contrast between their experiences and my own, but I was at the same time constantly struck by how many of our deepest feelings remained astonishingly familiar. Like so many before me, I was always drawn to the 18th century by the novels of Jane Austen. I came to understand that while hers was a society governed by very different rules, her heroines were searching for the same emotional fulfillment we still hope to enjoy today—the love and respect of a partner they adore, the companion who will make them the best version of themselves.

My first novel, THE OTHER BENNET SISTER, imagined what this journey would mean for an Austen character with none of the attributes of a typical Austen heroine. I took poor, awkward Mary Bennet—the ugly duckling outsider of the PRIDE AND PREJUDICE sisterhood—and allowed her, after many trials and tribulations, to find at last the loving partnership Austen denied her. Readers responded very positively to the happy ending I felt Mary deserved and commented how much they’d relished the opportunity to spend more time in Austen’s fictional world. The novel is currently in production as a drama for BBC TV in the UK. It will be aired in the US by Britbox.

My new book, RULES OF THE HEART, is another 18th century love story—but of a very different kind. Inspired by true events, it takes place among London’s glittering aristocratic elite, where very different rules apply from those that govern conduct in Austen’s country village settings.

It’s the story of an older woman’s long affair with a much younger man. After years of unhappy marriage, she believes she has finally found love and wants nothing more than to surrender to her desire; but she’s agonizingly aware of the duty she owes her husband and her family—and the terrible consequences if her liaison is ever discovered.

Much historical fiction has at its heart the journey of a young girl navigating the pitfalls of choosing the right partner, learning her first lessons in love along the way. RULES OF THE HEART tells a less familiar story: Harriet Bessborough, the heroine, is no innocent twenty-something but a mature, experienced woman of the world who, despite being endlessly disappointed by men and marriage, still longs to find the one true love who will transform and complete her—whatever the risks.

I hope anyone who loves historical fiction will enjoy the chance to immerse themselves in this world and will take Harriet to their heart as fervently as I have done, warming to her generous nature, her yearning for affection, and recognizing in her dilemma a conflict between desire and duty, between what our feelings urge upon us and what we owe to others—a conflict as powerful now as it was then.

Interest in the Regency period has rarely been higher, following the success of Bridgerton and the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary this year of Jane Austen’s birth. Readers will hopefully be eager to discover fresh titles in this territory to add to those they already know, and it would be a great honour if you therefore decide that ROTH deserves a place on your shelves. My local library was for me the gateway to a lifetime of reading pleasure. I’d be delighted and so proud if my book played any part at all in opening up that experience for others.

Thank you for your time and support,
Janice Hadlow

Download a PDF of Janice Hadlow’s letter here!