Miss Austen - Gill Hornby

 

This week I’ve been reading Miss Austen by Gill Hornby, which is a historical fiction novel in the epistolary form, focusing primarily on Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra. The novel begins in 1840, when Cassandra is an old, ailing woman who lost her sister Jane back in 1817.

Cassandra has come back to the vicarage in the village of Kintbury. She is aware that there is some important correspondence of Jane’s there, and wants to take possession of these revealing letters before they fall into the wrong hands. As Cassandra reads the letters, we are transported back in time to when Jane was alive and get to re-live some poignant moments between the sisters.

Cassandra’s life has been tainted by sorrow, as she lost her fiancé Tom Fowle at sea when she was a young woman. She had made a promise to Tom that she would marry him or no man, and has therefore spent her remaining years alone. The letters she finds at Kintbury document the trials and heartbreak of years gone by, and this book is such a beautiful portrayal of the hardships of women and families in the 19th Century.

This was a slow burner to start but I really got into it - I’ve had a busy week so my reading was bitty anyway, which didn’t help. Hornby’s writing is descriptive, moving and filled with joy, and there are some really witty moments. The style at times does parallel that of Austen herself, in its social commentary and dry humour.

If you’re an Austen fan, I’d recommend this charming little book which is a great way to learn more about the life and family of one of the most famous authors of all time.