Austen power!

She’s breathing fresh life into Jane Austen — and would love to be Helen of Troy

THE PICK OF THE BEST AUDIO ON DEMAND

With a strength of character that belied her fragile looks, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun pushed the boundaries of royal portraiture and, after the French Revolution, challenged the loss of female influence via every frill and fold in her work

Our books editor Zoe West gives us her favourite picks for the month

HARRY HADDEN-PATON AND LAURA CARMICHAEL PLAY BERTIE AND LADY EDITH PELHAM

Sarah Parish has just completed a five-hour road trip from Cornwall following a “nice little three-day break” with her actor husband James Murray and some close pals – a refreshing pause in a life run