Godmersham Park is a delightful historical fiction based on the actual diary entries of Fanny Austen (Jane Austen’s niece), as well as correspondence from friends and family. I will likely never read it again, but I do not regret having read it (nor would I steer anyone away from picking it up). Jane and Anne might have come from similar backgrounds, but a governess was not on the same social level.

The lack of concrete information about Anne Sharp does however leave authors of historical fiction rather a lot of room for creativity and I was interested to see how Hornby chose to play it.If you are interested in expanding your view of Jane Austen's family and friends, or of Regency social history, this book is for you. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I enjoyed the character of Anne, governess to Fanny Austen, and the antics of the Austen clan, but I feel that in trying to stay true to Fanny's letters, this novel got caught in a mire between non-fiction and fiction. From the number one bestselling author of Miss Austen , a powerful and moving novel featuring Jane Austen's closest friend and confidante .

And this is where fiction appears, because although we know the facts, and although the characters are respected, there is fiction in how these relationships are developed. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.Any ardent admirers of Jane Austen will be enthralled by this peripheral look of Jane Austen, the unconventional friendship that bloomed between two independent yet dependent women, and the inner workings of the Austen family. I love that some of the events in the book are based on actual events recorded by Fanny in her diary. It is a curious, realistic and linear description compared to the author's previous austenite novel, which has an intelligent, calm and detailed pen with the character. A sympathetic character given her circumstances and ill-health, I liked Anne well enough, but I didn’t really grow fond of her. If you love Jane Austen you're sure to enjoy Gill Hornby's stylish glimpse into the life of young governess Anne Sharp .

Gill Hornby ha sabido plasmar su historia utilizando las mismas técnicas y lenguaje narrativo que se estilaban en la época, con un toque moderno ya que pone el foco en las vidas de las mujeres y las escasas alternativas que tenían a su alcance y los factores que determinaban esas alternativas. However, almost nothing is known of Anne’s background before she arrived at Godmersham Park and Gill Hornby explains in her author’s note that she had to use her imagination to create a backstory for Anne. It was particularly interesting to read about Anne’s experience of working as a governess and how she struggled to find her place within the household, not being fully accepted either as one of the family or one of the servants. She has been my girl for more years than I’m able to count, and I can’t think of a day where she will not be, in fact, my girl.But her new role in this large household where she is neither a servant nor a member of the family is an awkward one, and Anne is keenly aware that one wrong move may result in her instant dismissal. lurks offstage in the Arcadia of "Emma" as the thing that Jane Fairfax must do, keeps postponing, and is eventually rescued from in the nick of time by the handy death of Mrs. From the number one bestselling author of Miss Austen, a powerful and moving novel featuring Jane Austen's closest friend and confidante . It was interesting to realize how both these ladies share a lot in common and were walking similar paths – clever, well-educated women not content with following the dictated convention yet frustrated with the limitations of their sex and fearful for the lack of security in their situation.