Jane Austen became one of England's most famous authors by writing about the social conventions and constraints of the 19th century, and especially affairs of the heart. And yet she never married, which is the starting point for this fictionalised romantic drama. After 20-year-old Jane (Anne Hathaway) meets young Irishman Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), their initial dislike evolves into a mutual attraction. However, this rather familiar scenario is taken in a more serious direction by various plot twists and the emergence of a rival suitor. American actress Hathaway is convincing as the rural clergyman's daughter with literary ambitions, without ever seeming unduly mannered, while McAvoy is similarly impressive as the wild Irish lawyer who ruffles genteel country feathers. And Maggie Smith, Julie Walters and Ian Richardson (in his final screen role) get ample opportunity to strut their acting stuff as various pompous old relatives and neighbours.

Though young Jane Austen's financially strapped parents expect her to marry the nephew of wealthy Lady Gresham, Jane herself knows that such a union will destroy her creativity and sense of self-worth. Instead, she becomes involved with Tom Lefroy, a charming but penniless apprentice lawyer who gives her the knowledge of the heart she needs for her future career as a novelist.