Godmersham Park: The Sunday Times top ten bestseller by the acclaimed author of Miss Austen

Product Information

But Anne is keenly aware that her new role is an awkward one: she is neither one of the servants nor one of the family, and to balance a position between the ‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ members of the household is a diplomatic chess game.

Distractions come in the form of the dashing Henry Austen and friendship comes from his sister, the arch Miss Jane Austen. I enjoyed Hornby’s previous novel Miss Austen, which imagines Cassandra Austen’s life after Jane’s passing.

Already miffed at her drastic change of circumstances, Anne is desolate when she realises that being a governess is akin to being invisible, 'She was neither a guest deserving of especial courtesy, nor a servant to be treated as a friend'. Anne Sharp is not a conventional woman, and she has decided to earn her bread, after the death of her mother, and the supposed abandonment, even economic, of her father.

To shed light on Anne's governess days, we also have the diaries of Fanny Austen Knight, who was Jane's niece and Anne's student for two years at Godmersham Park. A través de ella, veremos las condiciones reales en las que se movía una mujer con profesión en una época en la que una dama, si trabajaba, se convertía en una especie de animal mitológico, pues no era parte de los criados ni de los señores. Perhaps the author was trying to remain in the bounds of what is factual and supported, but there were some mysteries that were never fully resolved and some allusions to relationships and development that were a little dissatisfying in how they came to abrupt and placid conclusions. The only viable option is for Anne to become a governess so she accepts a position at Godmersham Park, working for the Austens.Meanwhile Jane's brother, Henry, begins to take an unusually strong interest in the lovely young governess.

Contemplating the lot of women, especially in marriages of multiple pregnancies, Anne “marvelled that the curious species of the eager young bride was still not yet extinct. Elizabeth Austen is a particularly well-penned character, exemplifying the expected behavior of a lady of the house. Anne's friend will likely live a long life in her cold marriage since there will be no children after her first. So she stood still and patient upon the black and white chequered floor, like a small pawn on a chessboard. The story is more character than plot driven, which while not inherently bad, does cause the book to be quite slow-paced.

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.