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The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen
"Where would I begin to explain it all...?"
Twenty-six years have passed since the death of Jane Austen. Armed with a lock of Austen's hair as perhaps her best clue, Anne Sharp, former governess to the Austen family and Jane's close friend, has decided at least to tell her story—a story of family intrigues, shocking secrets, forbidden loves, and maybe even murder...
Upon its publication in the UK, Lindsay Ashford's fictional interpretation of the few facts surrounding Jane Austen's mysterious death sparked an international debate and uproar. None of the medical theories offers a satisfactory explanation of Jane Austen's early demise at the age of forty-one. Could it be that what everyone has assumed was a day by natural causes was actually more sinister? Lindsay Ashford's vivid novel delves deep into Austen's world and puts forth a shocking suggestion—was someone out to silence her?
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
May 6, 2015
I read nearly half of this book before I finally gave up and skipped to the predictable ending that had me sucking my teeth. Yes I knew the author would write that, but in view of Austen's known history it was just in the realms of unlikely fantasy.
The writing was very amateurish with many anachronisms which made it, at times, cringe-worthy to read. It didn't help that the whole story was revealed through the governess, in a faux Regency voice (that's what I mean by amateurish). Over the years the governess, Miss Sharpe, who had an unrequited, obsessive lesbian crush on Jane, was supposed to have learned all the dirty secrets of the Austens and given up her job because she could not work for employers so immoral. Every secret is spilled in the book, illicit sex, illegitimate birth, betrayals and mass poisonings, nothing is left for the reader to work out by implication.
If the book had been called The Mysterious Death of Miss Clarke I wouldn't have had so many problems with the fictionalised and nasty, very nasty, characterisations of the Austen family. But linking this novel to Jane Austen means that what is known about her and her family conflict with what the author has written.
I understand why the story was linked to Jane Austen - the author had done a lot of research, and a modern-day test had revealed abnormally high amounts of arsenic in the single hair tested. But was there any need to invent slanderous stories against Jane's family in order to prove her hypothesis? Could she not have either written the book as history or changed the name to a truly fictional one, either would have been acceptable to me.
For a Jane Austen fan who likes accuracy in details I would not recommend this book at all. If this had been written 40 years after the death of a modern author, the surviving family would have had a good case for libel. But for a fan of Regency era murder mysteries who don't mind real names used for fictional characters, you might enjoy it, it's not my sort of thing, so I can't judge from that point of view.
The writing was very amateurish with many anachronisms which made it, at times, cringe-worthy to read. It didn't help that the whole story was revealed through the governess, in a faux Regency voice (that's what I mean by amateurish). Over the years the governess, Miss Sharpe, who had an unrequited, obsessive lesbian crush on Jane, was supposed to have learned all the dirty secrets of the Austens and given up her job because she could not work for employers so immoral. Every secret is spilled in the book, illicit sex, illegitimate birth, betrayals and mass poisonings, nothing is left for the reader to work out by implication.
If the book had been called The Mysterious Death of Miss Clarke I wouldn't have had so many problems with the fictionalised and nasty, very nasty, characterisations of the Austen family. But linking this novel to Jane Austen means that what is known about her and her family conflict with what the author has written.
I understand why the story was linked to Jane Austen - the author had done a lot of research, and a modern-day test had revealed abnormally high amounts of arsenic in the single hair tested. But was there any need to invent slanderous stories against Jane's family in order to prove her hypothesis? Could she not have either written the book as history or changed the name to a truly fictional one, either would have been acceptable to me.
For a Jane Austen fan who likes accuracy in details I would not recommend this book at all. If this had been written 40 years after the death of a modern author, the surviving family would have had a good case for libel. But for a fan of Regency era murder mysteries who don't mind real names used for fictional characters, you might enjoy it, it's not my sort of thing, so I can't judge from that point of view.
October 16, 2012
Jane Austen’s personal life is a bit of an enigma. We know a bit about her day-to-day life from her remaining personal correspondence; of which a few snippets allude to her beaux and friends. Readers are often puzzled how a spinster wrote so perceptively about romance and the human heart. One would think that first-hand experience would be a requirement. I have always thought that she had her fair share of romance. We are just not privy to the details. We do, however, know a little about of one of her dear female friendships.
Anne Sharp was governess to Jane’s niece Fanny Knight from 1804 to 1806 at Godmersham Park where Anne and Jane were introduced in 1805. Even though the social chasm between Anne as a servant and Jane as the sister of the wealthy land owner should have prevented them from closer acquaintance, they became life-long friends. Jane felt so highly of Miss Sharp that she was the only person beyond family, and Countess Morley, a professional commitment, to receive one of twelve presentation copies of her novel Emma when it was published in 1815. When that copy resurfaced into the public eye at the London Bonhams Auction House sale in 2008, I was intrigued. Since we are often a reflection of who our friends are, I was compelled to discover who Anne Sharp was – and why Jane Austen, who had a small circle of personal acquaintance beyond her large family – chose Anne as her close friend? If I discovered this, I might learn more about my favorite author.
My research expedition through my own reference books, the library, and online turned up some interesting facts about Anne’s life and her friendship with Jane, but not nearly enough to satisfy my inquisitive mind. Anne Sharp had indeed become an obsession within my Jane Austen obsession. Since I had almost exhausted all known primary sources, the next best step to quell my curiosity was fiction. I visualized a novel of the events in my mind. I felt that there was a compelling story to be told but sadly lacked the skills of execution.
Enter novelist Lindsay Ashford. Little did I know that at the same time that I was researching Anne and Jane, she was moving to Hampshire to live on the Chawton House estate, one of two grand manor houses where Jane’s older brother Edward Austen and his family had lived, and, a stone’s throw from Chawton Cottage, the home that Edward provided for his widowed mother and sisters Cassandra and Jane. Lindsay had arrived at Chawton ready to write her next contemporary crime novel. Fate would intercede, changing her course from gritty urban crime thriller to an historical novel heavily steeped in one of the greatest literary mysteries of all – Jane Austen’s untimely death! The result is The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen. It is unsettling and powerful. You will not view Jane Austen and her family in the same light after completing it. I continually reminded myself while I was reading it that it was fiction. Or is it?
Up front, the author boldly presents the reader with this shocking question. Did Jane Austen die of natural causes or was she murdered? The possibility sent shivers down the back of my neck. Like many Janeites, I have read of the many theories (and much speculation) on the fatal illnesses that may have caused Jane Austen’s death at age forty-one in 1817. Addison’s disease has been the fore runner since Dr. Vincent Cope’s 1964 diagnosis based on her own observations documented in her letters. The other possibilities have been described as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bovine tuberculosis, and recently Brill-Zinsser disease, a recurrent form of typhus. From these descriptions, modern medicine can only evaluate and speculatively conclude. Forensic science could deduce many irrefutable facts. That requires human remains. Exhuming Jane Austen’s body from her Winchester Cathedral resting place to conduct these tests is a repelling notion to many, including this writer who unlike Mark Twain, is not ready to “to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone” to solve a mystery close to two hundred years old. There is, however, one element that could solve the mystery. Her hair. We know her sister Cassandra sent sections of it to family members and to Miss Sharp as mementos after her death. Some examples still exist. The Jane Austen House Museum at Chawton owns one. If tested it might reveal the truth.
We know that Jane Austen was a perceptive observer of people and events in her novels and in her own life. In 1817 when she had a brief remission in her fatal illness and wrote a letter on March 23rd to her favorite niece Fanny Knight. In it she supplies us with some very important evidence of her physical condition and the appearance of her face:
“I certainly have not been very well for many weeks, and about a week ago I was very poorly, I have had a good deal of fever at times and indifferent nights, but am considerably better now and recovering my looks a little, which have been bad enough, black and white and every wrong colour. I must not depend upon ever being blooming again. Sickness is a dangerous indulgence at my time of life.”
These six words piqued Lindsay Ashford’s training in criminology from Queens’ College, Cambridge. Severe discoloring of the face are signs of arsenic poisoning. Coupled with the amazing discovery that arsenic testing had been conducted in the 1940’s on the sample of Jane Austen’s hair, she was compelled her to write her novel – fiction yes, but based deeply upon fact.
The novel opens in 1843, twenty-six years after Jane Austen’s death. Anne Sharp has learned of the new Marsh test that can be conducted on human hair to discover if arsenic poisoning might have killed its owner. Torn between departing with the memento and learning the truth, she sends it off to be analyzed. The results will inspire her to write down a memoir of her friend and all of the events that lay out her theories and why. A catharsis act to release all the years of pent up frustration and anger of her dear friends death, which she truly believes was not natural, but by design. And, by someone, who had both strong motive and means in Jane’s family circle.
She begins in 1805 when Anne and Jane were introduced at Godmersham Park in Kent and continues through 1843 with the result of the test that concludes her suspicions. What unfolds is a fascinating journey into the Austen family dynamics. What is revealed will raise more than a few eyebrows. At times, I was shocked, repulsed and offended, but, I read on, and on, so mesmerized by the story that Miss Sharp reveals of her employer Edward Knight, his brothers James and Henry, their wives and their children that I read into the wee hours of the night. Like Catherine Morland obsessed with Gothic fiction I could not stop. However, unlike Northanger Abbey, The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen is not a high burlesque parody. It is a serious mystery novel based on historical fact.
Ashford’s writing is honest, grating and intriguing. Bare to the bone with human folly of biblical proportions, I am purposely vague in my plot description for fear of revealing anything that would spoil the discovery and surprise for the reader. Ashford has captured the Jane Austen, and her intimate family circle, within my mind’s eye with sensitivity, perception and reproving guile. What unfolds is a gripping, page turning, toxic sugar plum unlike any other Austenesque novel I have ever read. Be brave. Be beguiled. Be uncertain. I dare you.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
Anne Sharp was governess to Jane’s niece Fanny Knight from 1804 to 1806 at Godmersham Park where Anne and Jane were introduced in 1805. Even though the social chasm between Anne as a servant and Jane as the sister of the wealthy land owner should have prevented them from closer acquaintance, they became life-long friends. Jane felt so highly of Miss Sharp that she was the only person beyond family, and Countess Morley, a professional commitment, to receive one of twelve presentation copies of her novel Emma when it was published in 1815. When that copy resurfaced into the public eye at the London Bonhams Auction House sale in 2008, I was intrigued. Since we are often a reflection of who our friends are, I was compelled to discover who Anne Sharp was – and why Jane Austen, who had a small circle of personal acquaintance beyond her large family – chose Anne as her close friend? If I discovered this, I might learn more about my favorite author.
My research expedition through my own reference books, the library, and online turned up some interesting facts about Anne’s life and her friendship with Jane, but not nearly enough to satisfy my inquisitive mind. Anne Sharp had indeed become an obsession within my Jane Austen obsession. Since I had almost exhausted all known primary sources, the next best step to quell my curiosity was fiction. I visualized a novel of the events in my mind. I felt that there was a compelling story to be told but sadly lacked the skills of execution.
Enter novelist Lindsay Ashford. Little did I know that at the same time that I was researching Anne and Jane, she was moving to Hampshire to live on the Chawton House estate, one of two grand manor houses where Jane’s older brother Edward Austen and his family had lived, and, a stone’s throw from Chawton Cottage, the home that Edward provided for his widowed mother and sisters Cassandra and Jane. Lindsay had arrived at Chawton ready to write her next contemporary crime novel. Fate would intercede, changing her course from gritty urban crime thriller to an historical novel heavily steeped in one of the greatest literary mysteries of all – Jane Austen’s untimely death! The result is The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen. It is unsettling and powerful. You will not view Jane Austen and her family in the same light after completing it. I continually reminded myself while I was reading it that it was fiction. Or is it?
Up front, the author boldly presents the reader with this shocking question. Did Jane Austen die of natural causes or was she murdered? The possibility sent shivers down the back of my neck. Like many Janeites, I have read of the many theories (and much speculation) on the fatal illnesses that may have caused Jane Austen’s death at age forty-one in 1817. Addison’s disease has been the fore runner since Dr. Vincent Cope’s 1964 diagnosis based on her own observations documented in her letters. The other possibilities have been described as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bovine tuberculosis, and recently Brill-Zinsser disease, a recurrent form of typhus. From these descriptions, modern medicine can only evaluate and speculatively conclude. Forensic science could deduce many irrefutable facts. That requires human remains. Exhuming Jane Austen’s body from her Winchester Cathedral resting place to conduct these tests is a repelling notion to many, including this writer who unlike Mark Twain, is not ready to “to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone” to solve a mystery close to two hundred years old. There is, however, one element that could solve the mystery. Her hair. We know her sister Cassandra sent sections of it to family members and to Miss Sharp as mementos after her death. Some examples still exist. The Jane Austen House Museum at Chawton owns one. If tested it might reveal the truth.
We know that Jane Austen was a perceptive observer of people and events in her novels and in her own life. In 1817 when she had a brief remission in her fatal illness and wrote a letter on March 23rd to her favorite niece Fanny Knight. In it she supplies us with some very important evidence of her physical condition and the appearance of her face:
“I certainly have not been very well for many weeks, and about a week ago I was very poorly, I have had a good deal of fever at times and indifferent nights, but am considerably better now and recovering my looks a little, which have been bad enough, black and white and every wrong colour. I must not depend upon ever being blooming again. Sickness is a dangerous indulgence at my time of life.”
These six words piqued Lindsay Ashford’s training in criminology from Queens’ College, Cambridge. Severe discoloring of the face are signs of arsenic poisoning. Coupled with the amazing discovery that arsenic testing had been conducted in the 1940’s on the sample of Jane Austen’s hair, she was compelled her to write her novel – fiction yes, but based deeply upon fact.
The novel opens in 1843, twenty-six years after Jane Austen’s death. Anne Sharp has learned of the new Marsh test that can be conducted on human hair to discover if arsenic poisoning might have killed its owner. Torn between departing with the memento and learning the truth, she sends it off to be analyzed. The results will inspire her to write down a memoir of her friend and all of the events that lay out her theories and why. A catharsis act to release all the years of pent up frustration and anger of her dear friends death, which she truly believes was not natural, but by design. And, by someone, who had both strong motive and means in Jane’s family circle.
She begins in 1805 when Anne and Jane were introduced at Godmersham Park in Kent and continues through 1843 with the result of the test that concludes her suspicions. What unfolds is a fascinating journey into the Austen family dynamics. What is revealed will raise more than a few eyebrows. At times, I was shocked, repulsed and offended, but, I read on, and on, so mesmerized by the story that Miss Sharp reveals of her employer Edward Knight, his brothers James and Henry, their wives and their children that I read into the wee hours of the night. Like Catherine Morland obsessed with Gothic fiction I could not stop. However, unlike Northanger Abbey, The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen is not a high burlesque parody. It is a serious mystery novel based on historical fact.
Ashford’s writing is honest, grating and intriguing. Bare to the bone with human folly of biblical proportions, I am purposely vague in my plot description for fear of revealing anything that would spoil the discovery and surprise for the reader. Ashford has captured the Jane Austen, and her intimate family circle, within my mind’s eye with sensitivity, perception and reproving guile. What unfolds is a gripping, page turning, toxic sugar plum unlike any other Austenesque novel I have ever read. Be brave. Be beguiled. Be uncertain. I dare you.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
October 21, 2013
I was hoping this would be a tragic book with humor, affection, wit, drama, and pathos--and it is all that--but it adds a nasty imagining of Jane Austen's family that left me unable to keep reading the book, even though it told its story fairly well. There are anachronisms that were awkward, but the author had done her research well.
The problems were mainly in the author's fictionalizing. Finally I had to say, "enough already!" and read the ending. The culprit was completely unsurprising but also extremely unlikely in terms of historical accuracy.
In my opinion, the author could have taken this same plot and themes and have written a fairly decent mystery without slandering the dead and defenseless Austen family.
The problems were mainly in the author's fictionalizing. Finally I had to say, "enough already!" and read the ending. The culprit was completely unsurprising but also extremely unlikely in terms of historical accuracy.
In my opinion, the author could have taken this same plot and themes and have written a fairly decent mystery without slandering the dead and defenseless Austen family.
August 17, 2018
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03w...Description: Twenty-six years have passed since the death of Jane Austen. Armed with a lock of Austen's hair as perhaps her best clue, Anne Sharp, former governess to the Austen family and Jane's close friend, has decided at least to tell her story-a story of family intrigues, shocking secrets, forbidden loves, and maybe even murder.
Upon its publication in the UK, Lindsay Ashford's fictional interpretation of the few facts surrounding Jane Austen's mysterious death sparked an international debate and uproar. None of the medical theories offers a satisfactory explanation of Jane Austen's early demise at the age of 41. Could it be that what everyone has assumed was a death by natural causes was actually more sinister? Lindsay Ashford's vivid novel delves deep into Austen's world and puts forth a shocking suggestion-was someone out to silence her?
January 5, 2012
I enjoyed reading and thinking about Jane Austen, her novels, and recalling visiting sites where she had been in Bath and Winchester. But I'd have given this book one star I I weren't such an Austen fan. The writing is amateurish and the author can't leave anything implicit up to the reader to decipher. Instead her narrator is a nosy busy body and her every thought and inference is outlined. Disappointing.
July 11, 2023
Um "supunhamos" em redor da morte misteriosa da Jane Austen.
Tem alguma pesquisa sobre a família e pessoas das relações dos Austen e depois tem uma parte ficcional. Gostei.
Tem alguma pesquisa sobre a família e pessoas das relações dos Austen e depois tem uma parte ficcional. Gostei.
Read
November 3, 2017Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric
Lindsay Ashford imagines a more sinister explanation for Jane Austen’s sudden demise at the age of 41 in The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen. Told from the point of view of Anne Sharp, former governess to Jane’s niece, Fanny, and a close friend of Jane’s, Ashford deftly weaves together biographical facts and fanciful fiction to tell a story of forbidden love, adultery, greed, and possibly murder.
Anne meets Jane when she visits her brother Edward Austen’s estate, and they quickly become friends. They both are devoted to Fanny and enjoy books, and it’s not long before they are writing a play together…and confiding in one another about the scandalous behavior of certain members of the Austen family. Anne is as sharp as her name suggests, and she sees things others have missed. Her devotion to Jane, her desire to protect Fanny, and her misguided attempts to confront the wrongdoers put her on a path toward ruin.
Years after Jane’s death, Anne remembers the last letter she received from her seriously ill friend, who described her own face as “black and white and every wrong color.” Suspicious that someone may have wanted to harm Jane, Anne begins to piece together the secrets and the dark side of the Austen family, and when a test shows excessive levels of arsenic in a lock of Jane’s hair, she must decide whether her suspicions should be brought to light and whether to exact revenge.
The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen is quite the page-turner! I haven’t done an in-depth reading of Jane’s life yet, so I had no idea what to expect, but even if I had, I never would’ve expect such scandal. Even while the murder plot seems a bit out there, Ashford makes Anne’s reasoning sound completely plausible, and the book took so many twists and turns in and out of various characters’ lives that I had no idea how it might play out. Ashford does a wonderful job making Jane come to life; she was every bit as intelligent and witty and delightful as I imagine she was in real life. She also creates a believable friendship between Jane and Anne, and I could understand Anne’s lifelong devotion to her and her deep despondency after Jane’s death.
With a book like this, it is important for me to be able to discern the fact from the fiction, so my only complaint is that instead of including a few paragraphs in the Author’s Note at the end detailing what aspects of the story are imaginary, Ashford directs readers to Deirdre La Faye’s A Chronology of Jane Austen and Her Family and Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen, a Life to figure it out for themselves. While it did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel and made me dust off my copy of Tomalin’s book, I must admit I was a little disappointed to not be able to satisfy my curiosity while the events of the book were still fresh in my mind.
The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen is a rich, complex novel about a woman unwilling to let go of the only person she ever really loved who was taken from her too soon. Anne recognized the loss not only to herself and Jane’s family but also to the world, as Jane could have completed many more literary masterpieces had she lived longer. As when anyone is struck down in his or her prime, Anne longs for a reason, some explanation that makes more sense than an unnamed illness, and Ashford takes this longing and spins it into a creative and shocking tale that is impossible to put down. The cause of Austen’s death has long been speculated, and adding murder to the mix certainly makes for an exciting novel. I just wonder what Jane would think about this one!
Lindsay Ashford imagines a more sinister explanation for Jane Austen’s sudden demise at the age of 41 in The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen. Told from the point of view of Anne Sharp, former governess to Jane’s niece, Fanny, and a close friend of Jane’s, Ashford deftly weaves together biographical facts and fanciful fiction to tell a story of forbidden love, adultery, greed, and possibly murder.
Anne meets Jane when she visits her brother Edward Austen’s estate, and they quickly become friends. They both are devoted to Fanny and enjoy books, and it’s not long before they are writing a play together…and confiding in one another about the scandalous behavior of certain members of the Austen family. Anne is as sharp as her name suggests, and she sees things others have missed. Her devotion to Jane, her desire to protect Fanny, and her misguided attempts to confront the wrongdoers put her on a path toward ruin.
Years after Jane’s death, Anne remembers the last letter she received from her seriously ill friend, who described her own face as “black and white and every wrong color.” Suspicious that someone may have wanted to harm Jane, Anne begins to piece together the secrets and the dark side of the Austen family, and when a test shows excessive levels of arsenic in a lock of Jane’s hair, she must decide whether her suspicions should be brought to light and whether to exact revenge.
The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen is quite the page-turner! I haven’t done an in-depth reading of Jane’s life yet, so I had no idea what to expect, but even if I had, I never would’ve expect such scandal. Even while the murder plot seems a bit out there, Ashford makes Anne’s reasoning sound completely plausible, and the book took so many twists and turns in and out of various characters’ lives that I had no idea how it might play out. Ashford does a wonderful job making Jane come to life; she was every bit as intelligent and witty and delightful as I imagine she was in real life. She also creates a believable friendship between Jane and Anne, and I could understand Anne’s lifelong devotion to her and her deep despondency after Jane’s death.
With a book like this, it is important for me to be able to discern the fact from the fiction, so my only complaint is that instead of including a few paragraphs in the Author’s Note at the end detailing what aspects of the story are imaginary, Ashford directs readers to Deirdre La Faye’s A Chronology of Jane Austen and Her Family and Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen, a Life to figure it out for themselves. While it did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel and made me dust off my copy of Tomalin’s book, I must admit I was a little disappointed to not be able to satisfy my curiosity while the events of the book were still fresh in my mind.
The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen is a rich, complex novel about a woman unwilling to let go of the only person she ever really loved who was taken from her too soon. Anne recognized the loss not only to herself and Jane’s family but also to the world, as Jane could have completed many more literary masterpieces had she lived longer. As when anyone is struck down in his or her prime, Anne longs for a reason, some explanation that makes more sense than an unnamed illness, and Ashford takes this longing and spins it into a creative and shocking tale that is impossible to put down. The cause of Austen’s death has long been speculated, and adding murder to the mix certainly makes for an exciting novel. I just wonder what Jane would think about this one!
August 1, 2014
I have mixed feelings about this book. First, I should admit that I don't tend to like fanfiction about Jane Austen. I tend to be selfish in that regard in that as a great admirer of her works, I like to interpret her personality from her actual writings, and that interpretation tends to be pretty set in stone, so I am resistant to movies and book spin offs where other writers interpret her or her works in their own way. This explains a lot of how I went into the book, and for those who don't mind fanfiction, it may be a totally different experience.
I will say that the author does appear to have researched the family tree and connections very well and makes an interesting, though in my opinion, entirely unrealistic suggestion of what could have happened to Austen. Is it possible she was poisoned given the quantities of arsenic found to be in the lock of her hair in the 1950's? Sure. Is it likely? Not really. Looking at motive, no one around her seems to have one, and the one put forth by the author is quite a stretch. But then, I don't think the author was trying to convince the reader, so much as spin a good yarn.
As a light and entertaining beach read, the book is a success. It is a quick read, and doesn't require any analysis while reading, so it is fun to read in that respect. The author does a great job of setting the scene - having lived on the Great House estate for several years she describes it beautifully - which makes it enjoyable.
My biggest issue with the book however is the modern feeling to it. Words used seem ill matched to the times and it is overly dramatic in descriptions lending it a soapy feel which feels out of sync with the time period. Also, the choice to make the narrator gay and have her in love with Austen was something that all those in my book club who read it mentioned made it feel somehow off kilter. After all, women were a lot closer back then in that they were confined to a female only sphere and it wasn't necessary to make the character gay to explain why she would have a lock of Austen's hair or might share a room with her when visiting. I don't deny that there were gay women and men back then, or mean to imply that they shouldn't be represented in fiction, it's just that in this story the depiction seemed inaccurate and unnecessary to the plot.
Overall I would say the appeal of the book depends greatly on whether one likes Austen fanfiction or not. If you do, you will likely enjoy it. If you're a bit more finnicky like me, you likely won't.
I will say that the author does appear to have researched the family tree and connections very well and makes an interesting, though in my opinion, entirely unrealistic suggestion of what could have happened to Austen. Is it possible she was poisoned given the quantities of arsenic found to be in the lock of her hair in the 1950's? Sure. Is it likely? Not really. Looking at motive, no one around her seems to have one, and the one put forth by the author is quite a stretch. But then, I don't think the author was trying to convince the reader, so much as spin a good yarn.
As a light and entertaining beach read, the book is a success. It is a quick read, and doesn't require any analysis while reading, so it is fun to read in that respect. The author does a great job of setting the scene - having lived on the Great House estate for several years she describes it beautifully - which makes it enjoyable.
My biggest issue with the book however is the modern feeling to it. Words used seem ill matched to the times and it is overly dramatic in descriptions lending it a soapy feel which feels out of sync with the time period. Also, the choice to make the narrator gay and have her in love with Austen was something that all those in my book club who read it mentioned made it feel somehow off kilter. After all, women were a lot closer back then in that they were confined to a female only sphere and it wasn't necessary to make the character gay to explain why she would have a lock of Austen's hair or might share a room with her when visiting. I don't deny that there were gay women and men back then, or mean to imply that they shouldn't be represented in fiction, it's just that in this story the depiction seemed inaccurate and unnecessary to the plot.
Overall I would say the appeal of the book depends greatly on whether one likes Austen fanfiction or not. If you do, you will likely enjoy it. If you're a bit more finnicky like me, you likely won't.
September 1, 2014
My friend bought me this book, along with Longbourn (click for review), for my birthday- and I decided to read both during Austen August. She highly recommended this book and I went into it pretty much blind. I have to say, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. The idea is that in the 1950s, a lock of Jane Austen’s hair which was sold at Auction was tested to try and prove her cause of death. They found a large amount of arsenic- more than a body would have in it naturally- leading to the theory that Jane Austen could have been poisoned. This was confirmed to the author by the head of the Austen society, after Ashford had studied Jane Austen’s last letters and found an odd sentence, where Austen wrote that her face had changed different colours and was all black and white- apparently symptoms of arsenic poisoning.
While I wasn’t expecting any sort of accurate historical account, and knew it was fiction built on a real life speculation- I was at least expecting it to be more about the “Mysterious Death of Miss Austen”, given the title. Instead, we are introduced to the idea in the first chapter, and we spend the next 280 odd pages watching the Governness Anne Sharp, recount her time living with the Austens and how she basically fell in love with Jane Austen (I kid you not, because female friendships and no boyfriends absolutely must mean lesbianism, apparently.), and we only really get to the whole “investigating the weird death” aspect in the last three chapters. I actually text my friend claiming that I felt the title didn’t suit the book at all. This really did let me down in that aspect.
I mean don’t get me wrong, the backstory is important. You see tension between the families in light of multiple possible scandals which could easily lead up to be motives towards someone poisoning Jane Austen, but I felt the author took far too much time building this up.
Austen August Page Count for this book: 320
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While I wasn’t expecting any sort of accurate historical account, and knew it was fiction built on a real life speculation- I was at least expecting it to be more about the “Mysterious Death of Miss Austen”, given the title. Instead, we are introduced to the idea in the first chapter, and we spend the next 280 odd pages watching the Governness Anne Sharp, recount her time living with the Austens and how she basically fell in love with Jane Austen (I kid you not, because female friendships and no boyfriends absolutely must mean lesbianism, apparently.), and we only really get to the whole “investigating the weird death” aspect in the last three chapters. I actually text my friend claiming that I felt the title didn’t suit the book at all. This really did let me down in that aspect.
I mean don’t get me wrong, the backstory is important. You see tension between the families in light of multiple possible scandals which could easily lead up to be motives towards someone poisoning Jane Austen, but I felt the author took far too much time building this up.
Austen August Page Count for this book: 320
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
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July 26, 2017
I can't believe I waited over a year to finish this after putting it down for a "break." I was frustrated with parts of the book and wasn't sure where in the world the author would go from there.
I have to say, despite my reservations when I initially started it, I really ended up enjoying it. Would recommend it to Austen-fan-fic readers who are open to liberal fictionalization and don't mind straying a bit. Although it portrays some family members in different lights than we are used to, I felt that in the end it truly made for a thought provoking read with a different perspective. We know so few things for certain about her and her family. It will make you think about what really might have happened to Jane Austen to bring on her declining health and early death!
I have to say, despite my reservations when I initially started it, I really ended up enjoying it. Would recommend it to Austen-fan-fic readers who are open to liberal fictionalization and don't mind straying a bit. Although it portrays some family members in different lights than we are used to, I felt that in the end it truly made for a thought provoking read with a different perspective. We know so few things for certain about her and her family. It will make you think about what really might have happened to Jane Austen to bring on her declining health and early death!
September 19, 2017
Whoa, Nellie.
This was quite a crazy book. A more successful blend of murder mystery and Jane Austen, in my view, than the P.D. James effort, which got so much more notice. I enjoyed all the speculation and gossip about the extended Austen family every bit as much as I expected to, though Jane remained a bit of a cipher. As I suppose she always must.
While there were anachronisms, as other readers have observed, they were not so great as to distract from the reading pleasure in a significant way. I did have trouble believing in the logistics of the crime, once the killer was revealed. And that's a problem in a murder mystery.
This was quite a crazy book. A more successful blend of murder mystery and Jane Austen, in my view, than the P.D. James effort, which got so much more notice. I enjoyed all the speculation and gossip about the extended Austen family every bit as much as I expected to, though Jane remained a bit of a cipher. As I suppose she always must.
While there were anachronisms, as other readers have observed, they were not so great as to distract from the reading pleasure in a significant way. I did have trouble believing in the logistics of the crime, once the killer was revealed. And that's a problem in a murder mystery.
February 17, 2014
I did not like the fact that how the writer mix fact with fiction. Now i'm totally confused about the character of real people in JA's life. Even thought it is universally acknowledge that her life is a bit of a mystery, most fan knows the flow, the important event & etc. Pin pointing to a certain real person as a villain in a fiction, i just don't get it. I thought the book is more of an argument, not a totally fiction. Pure disappointment.
December 9, 2011
I am a little perplexed about this book.
Pros:
love the premise
LOVE her writing
love its authentication on snippets of fact
Cons:
disappointing ending
**SPOILER** SO did not like the sexual orientation of the main character ... I just felt it was unnecessary to the storyline.
find that the incestuous relationships a bit much
Thus ... unsure where to place this book
Pros:
love the premise
LOVE her writing
love its authentication on snippets of fact
Cons:
disappointing ending
**SPOILER** SO did not like the sexual orientation of the main character ... I just felt it was unnecessary to the storyline.
find that the incestuous relationships a bit much
Thus ... unsure where to place this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2026
Phew, i feel tired from all the angst... :p
August 2, 2017
WOW. Great way of weaving in the facts of Jane Austen's life with the book of Mansfield Park and how the characters of that book could have been her brothers and sister in laws. Conspiracy theory or not, it was so well researched and connected. Any Jane fan should love this book.
October 25, 2015
The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen by Lindsay Ashford. Faction and death in the Austen Family Thanks to Honno Welsh Women’s Press for sending me a paperback copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I do like Jane Austen’s novels. Some more than others (Pride and Prejudice is my favourite at the moment, although there are some that I can’t even remember if and when I read them, so this could change), but I am not an expert on the subject or her number one fan. Still, when I was offered a copy of this book, I was intrigued. I had written a post about Jane Austen for my series of guest classical authors and it proved one of the most popular in my blog, and I remembered from checking her biography that she’d died quite young after a somewhat unclear illness. So a book exploring her death, and backed up with research into the archives at Chawton House, in other libraries, and also by careful perusal of some of her best known biographies was intriguing. (I’m also a doctor, but not in internal Medicine, and no Dr House either).
The book is narrated in the first person by Miss Anne Sharp, a governess who goes to work for one of Jane’s brothers, Edward, and his wife, Elizabeth, at Godmersham. Her personal circumstances are difficult, and not that different from those of Jane herself, a single woman, educated but of no independent means. In Miss Sharp’s case, she does not have a family to rely on and she considers herself lucky obtaining a position with a wealthy family, even if her standing is unclear (she is neither a servant to share the world of downstairs, nor a member of the family who can participate in all their social gatherings). She meets Jane when she visits and they are kindred spirits, well-read and less interested in fashion and finding a husband than in cultivating their minds and observing the world and the society around them. They soon become friends, and correspond and see each other often over the years, despite changes in circumstances, until Jane’s death.
The novel mixes well-researched data with some flights of fancy (the intricacies and complexities of the Austen’s family relationships are rendered much more interesting by suggestions of illicit affairs involving several family members, which then become one of the backbones of the hypothesis that Jane was poisoned with arsenic, providing a possible motivation). I’ve read reviews stating that if this novel had been published within 50 years of Jane’s death it could have been considered slander. This is probably true (I won’t go into detail, as I don’t want to give the plot away) but hardly the point. Yes, there are suppositions that would be virtually impossible to prove, but they help move the story along and serve to highlight the nature of the society of the time.
I liked the portrayal of Jane, indirect as it is and from the point of view of a fairly unreliable narrator. She is presented as a bright, humorous and fiercely intelligent woman, devout of her family but fully aware of their shortcomings. She is a keen observer of human nature and a good amateur psychologist, producing wonderful portrays of the people and the types they come across. There isn’t much detail about the process of getting her novels into publication, other than what the narrator conjectures, as she is no longer in the Austen’s circle at that point.
In the novel, Anne Sharp has feelings for Jane that go beyond friendship, but she never reveals them to Jane, and three is no suggestion that Jane reciprocates her feelings. One of the keys to the novel is the narrator. Although I thought the observational part of the novel was well achieved (I’m not an expert on the literature of the period, though, but I felt there was enough detail without getting to the point of overburdening the story), I was not so sure about how rounded Miss Sharp’s character was. She can be self-restrained one minute (in her relationship with Jane) and then throw all caution to the wind and risk her position with no solid basis for her accusations. And some of the theories she works with and then rejects felt a bit forced (yes, I had worked out who the guilty party was going to be well before she gets there). I didn’t dislike her, but wasn’t fully convinced either.
I enjoyed the book. The story moves along at good pace and it made me want to read more about Jane Austen’s life, and, especially, revisit some of her novels. As a murder mystery of the period, it is perhaps closer to a cosy mystery than to a police procedural (for evident reasons), with the beauty that the background and the period are well researched and fascinating in their own right. I would recommend it to readers in general, particularly to people who enjoy or are curious about Austen’s work, although I suspect that to real scholars of the subject it might appear too little and too fanciful. But if you want a good read, go for it.
I do like Jane Austen’s novels. Some more than others (Pride and Prejudice is my favourite at the moment, although there are some that I can’t even remember if and when I read them, so this could change), but I am not an expert on the subject or her number one fan. Still, when I was offered a copy of this book, I was intrigued. I had written a post about Jane Austen for my series of guest classical authors and it proved one of the most popular in my blog, and I remembered from checking her biography that she’d died quite young after a somewhat unclear illness. So a book exploring her death, and backed up with research into the archives at Chawton House, in other libraries, and also by careful perusal of some of her best known biographies was intriguing. (I’m also a doctor, but not in internal Medicine, and no Dr House either).
The book is narrated in the first person by Miss Anne Sharp, a governess who goes to work for one of Jane’s brothers, Edward, and his wife, Elizabeth, at Godmersham. Her personal circumstances are difficult, and not that different from those of Jane herself, a single woman, educated but of no independent means. In Miss Sharp’s case, she does not have a family to rely on and she considers herself lucky obtaining a position with a wealthy family, even if her standing is unclear (she is neither a servant to share the world of downstairs, nor a member of the family who can participate in all their social gatherings). She meets Jane when she visits and they are kindred spirits, well-read and less interested in fashion and finding a husband than in cultivating their minds and observing the world and the society around them. They soon become friends, and correspond and see each other often over the years, despite changes in circumstances, until Jane’s death.
The novel mixes well-researched data with some flights of fancy (the intricacies and complexities of the Austen’s family relationships are rendered much more interesting by suggestions of illicit affairs involving several family members, which then become one of the backbones of the hypothesis that Jane was poisoned with arsenic, providing a possible motivation). I’ve read reviews stating that if this novel had been published within 50 years of Jane’s death it could have been considered slander. This is probably true (I won’t go into detail, as I don’t want to give the plot away) but hardly the point. Yes, there are suppositions that would be virtually impossible to prove, but they help move the story along and serve to highlight the nature of the society of the time.
I liked the portrayal of Jane, indirect as it is and from the point of view of a fairly unreliable narrator. She is presented as a bright, humorous and fiercely intelligent woman, devout of her family but fully aware of their shortcomings. She is a keen observer of human nature and a good amateur psychologist, producing wonderful portrays of the people and the types they come across. There isn’t much detail about the process of getting her novels into publication, other than what the narrator conjectures, as she is no longer in the Austen’s circle at that point.
In the novel, Anne Sharp has feelings for Jane that go beyond friendship, but she never reveals them to Jane, and three is no suggestion that Jane reciprocates her feelings. One of the keys to the novel is the narrator. Although I thought the observational part of the novel was well achieved (I’m not an expert on the literature of the period, though, but I felt there was enough detail without getting to the point of overburdening the story), I was not so sure about how rounded Miss Sharp’s character was. She can be self-restrained one minute (in her relationship with Jane) and then throw all caution to the wind and risk her position with no solid basis for her accusations. And some of the theories she works with and then rejects felt a bit forced (yes, I had worked out who the guilty party was going to be well before she gets there). I didn’t dislike her, but wasn’t fully convinced either.
I enjoyed the book. The story moves along at good pace and it made me want to read more about Jane Austen’s life, and, especially, revisit some of her novels. As a murder mystery of the period, it is perhaps closer to a cosy mystery than to a police procedural (for evident reasons), with the beauty that the background and the period are well researched and fascinating in their own right. I would recommend it to readers in general, particularly to people who enjoy or are curious about Austen’s work, although I suspect that to real scholars of the subject it might appear too little and too fanciful. But if you want a good read, go for it.
October 14, 2023
1.5⭐️
I really couldn't get into this book but I persevered and finished it. It got a lot better towards the end.
I really couldn't get into this book but I persevered and finished it. It got a lot better towards the end.
August 14, 2013
Illicit liaisons, illegitimate children, sinister murders, scandalous secrets – things you would never associate with the Austen family, right? Can you imagine the quiet, country family from Hampshire embroiled with secrets of adultery and murder? Could you give any credence to the theory that Jane Austen's death was not from natural causes?
Our protagonist, Anne Sharp, can! Twenty-six years after Jane Austen's death, Anne (former governess to Fanny Knight) sends a lock of Jane's hair to be scientifically examined. When the results show an abnormally high amount of arsenic in Jane Austen's person at the time of her death, Anne must decide whether or not she wants to investigate the matter further. Should she share the private memoir she recorded of Jane Austen and their friendship? Should she expose the deep and dark secrets of the Austen family? Should she expose her own secrets?
Utterly fascinating! While at times, the theories presented in this novel were shocking and maybe a little far-fetched, I overall found this biographical fiction of Jane Austen's life and death to be utterly fascinating! Selecting Anne Sharp to be the narrator and protagonist was a brilliant choice! I've always found Jane Austen's friendship with her niece's governess intriguing – Was it frowned upon by her family? Did it influence Jane Austen's opinions and portrayals of governesses in her novels? It was a delight to see Jane Austen in the role of close friend, witness her actions and exchanges through Anne's eyes, and comprehend Anne's suspicions and opinions about the rest of the Austen family. In addition, I thought quite interesting (and daring) that the author portrayed Anne as concealing an unrequited passion for Jane Austen.
I adore stories like this that combine actual events and history with imagination and fiction. I enjoyed recognizing the references from Jane Austen's letters and novels, following the Austens in their travels to Godmersham, Bath, Worthing, and Chawton, and becoming immersed in the “unknown” secrets of the Austen family! So much of the story felt credible and logical that I cannot help but wonder if Lindsay Ashford's perceptive conjectures and plausible speculations are actually valid truths. SPOILER ALERT: I did feel some slight disappointment at the end when there was no definite confirmation of guilt or punishment of crimes, but I guess I do understand why Anne decided not to pursue justice and public vengeance.
The main reason I am giving this book 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because I felt it badly needed a “Fact or Fiction” appendix at the end of the book. There is an “Author's Note” and it does recommend two well-known and informative biographies to readers who want to “dissect” the novel, but I really wish the author added a couple more paragraphs to the “Author's Note” and elaborated more on what factual events triggered her imagination and extrapolation. Especially since many readers may not be inclined or able to immediately pick up the biographies referenced.
Sensational and stirring – The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen has definitely piqued my curiosity and aroused my suspicions...Now, more so than ever, I'm dying to know the mysterious cause ofJane Austen's death?!? And what about her relations...what really caused their deaths... I recommend this novel for inquisitive minds that want to delve into a presumably fictitious and thought-provoking tale of murder most sinister!
Our protagonist, Anne Sharp, can! Twenty-six years after Jane Austen's death, Anne (former governess to Fanny Knight) sends a lock of Jane's hair to be scientifically examined. When the results show an abnormally high amount of arsenic in Jane Austen's person at the time of her death, Anne must decide whether or not she wants to investigate the matter further. Should she share the private memoir she recorded of Jane Austen and their friendship? Should she expose the deep and dark secrets of the Austen family? Should she expose her own secrets?
Utterly fascinating! While at times, the theories presented in this novel were shocking and maybe a little far-fetched, I overall found this biographical fiction of Jane Austen's life and death to be utterly fascinating! Selecting Anne Sharp to be the narrator and protagonist was a brilliant choice! I've always found Jane Austen's friendship with her niece's governess intriguing – Was it frowned upon by her family? Did it influence Jane Austen's opinions and portrayals of governesses in her novels? It was a delight to see Jane Austen in the role of close friend, witness her actions and exchanges through Anne's eyes, and comprehend Anne's suspicions and opinions about the rest of the Austen family. In addition, I thought quite interesting (and daring) that the author portrayed Anne as concealing an unrequited passion for Jane Austen.
I adore stories like this that combine actual events and history with imagination and fiction. I enjoyed recognizing the references from Jane Austen's letters and novels, following the Austens in their travels to Godmersham, Bath, Worthing, and Chawton, and becoming immersed in the “unknown” secrets of the Austen family! So much of the story felt credible and logical that I cannot help but wonder if Lindsay Ashford's perceptive conjectures and plausible speculations are actually valid truths. SPOILER ALERT: I did feel some slight disappointment at the end when there was no definite confirmation of guilt or punishment of crimes, but I guess I do understand why Anne decided not to pursue justice and public vengeance.
The main reason I am giving this book 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because I felt it badly needed a “Fact or Fiction” appendix at the end of the book. There is an “Author's Note” and it does recommend two well-known and informative biographies to readers who want to “dissect” the novel, but I really wish the author added a couple more paragraphs to the “Author's Note” and elaborated more on what factual events triggered her imagination and extrapolation. Especially since many readers may not be inclined or able to immediately pick up the biographies referenced.
Sensational and stirring – The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen has definitely piqued my curiosity and aroused my suspicions...Now, more so than ever, I'm dying to know the mysterious cause ofJane Austen's death?!? And what about her relations...what really caused their deaths... I recommend this novel for inquisitive minds that want to delve into a presumably fictitious and thought-provoking tale of murder most sinister!
September 9, 2013
As a huge fan of Jane Austen, I’ll read anything that even mentions her. So when I read the synopsis for this book, it didn’t just catch my attention, it demanded it. I was familiar with the controversy surrounding her untimely death – a majority of the speculation leaning towards natural causes, but with some questioning whether or not something more sinister was the cause. But because her life was so intriguing and her literary works so brilliantly written, the end of her life had never been more of a passing afterthought for me until I picked up this book. Researched with great detail, Ms. Ashford took what little known facts are available of Miss Austen’s life and family and wove them in to a fictional story so capturing that it is impossible to put it down.
Told from the point of view of Anne, the governess to Jane’s niece Fanny, the mystery begins from page one with a letter and lock of Jane’s hair being sent to a lab for testing. Stated in the letter is Anne’s belief that Jane did not die of natural causes, but had indeed been the victim of a murderous crime at the hand of someone close to her – quite possibly a member of her own family. It is from this point that the author beautifully blends the facts of Jane’s last years with a story full of love, lust, jealousy, betrayal and murder.
At the heart of the story, is Jane’s family. Each character that the author introduces is uniquely enjoyable. Even with their flaws, you easily fall in love with the Austen family. The relationships that Jane has with each one of them makes you question the thought that any of them could possibly have caused her harm. But when the story unfolds with secret love affairs and lies that could destroy lives, your love for them is set aside and it becomes a guessing game as to who has the biggest motive.
The sometimes strangely intimate relationship between Anne and Jane is the only part of the story that I really didn’t care for. I know from reading about Jane that there was a relationship between the two of them and that they were good friends. I also know that the author had to spin their situation a little bit to make Anne’s push for the truth far more believable. But to make it seem romantic in nature bothered me a bit. Not because I see anything wrong with it, but there is nothing that historically suggests her sexuality to be of the female persuasion. This is more of a personal preference than an actual complaint of the novel itself.
Overall, this book is one that I would recommend to anyone who is a lover of mystery or Jane Austen. It provides the reader with a delightful page turner and a little insight into the life of someone that most would consider a literary icon.
Told from the point of view of Anne, the governess to Jane’s niece Fanny, the mystery begins from page one with a letter and lock of Jane’s hair being sent to a lab for testing. Stated in the letter is Anne’s belief that Jane did not die of natural causes, but had indeed been the victim of a murderous crime at the hand of someone close to her – quite possibly a member of her own family. It is from this point that the author beautifully blends the facts of Jane’s last years with a story full of love, lust, jealousy, betrayal and murder.
At the heart of the story, is Jane’s family. Each character that the author introduces is uniquely enjoyable. Even with their flaws, you easily fall in love with the Austen family. The relationships that Jane has with each one of them makes you question the thought that any of them could possibly have caused her harm. But when the story unfolds with secret love affairs and lies that could destroy lives, your love for them is set aside and it becomes a guessing game as to who has the biggest motive.
The sometimes strangely intimate relationship between Anne and Jane is the only part of the story that I really didn’t care for. I know from reading about Jane that there was a relationship between the two of them and that they were good friends. I also know that the author had to spin their situation a little bit to make Anne’s push for the truth far more believable. But to make it seem romantic in nature bothered me a bit. Not because I see anything wrong with it, but there is nothing that historically suggests her sexuality to be of the female persuasion. This is more of a personal preference than an actual complaint of the novel itself.
Overall, this book is one that I would recommend to anyone who is a lover of mystery or Jane Austen. It provides the reader with a delightful page turner and a little insight into the life of someone that most would consider a literary icon.
August 10, 2013
Hidden passions. Greed. Deceit. Murder? Enter the possible dark side of Jane Austen’s life in Lindsay Ashford’s page-turner, THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MISS JANE AUSTEN.
Miss Anne Sharpe, governess to Fanny, daughter of Jane Austen’s brother, Edward, narrates a chilling story of appearances and how deceptive they can be. Henry Austen visits his brother Edward’s family much too often, and mostly when Edward is away. Edward’s wife, Elizabeth, spends a great deal of time with Henry. Is there something here in addition to brotherly affection?
Miss Sharpe discovers more and more of these curious incidents, and all involving Henry. Henry visits his brother, James, and James’s wife, Maria, too. Henry and Maria? And then people die under similar suspicious circumstances. First, Elizabeth, then James, and finally, sadly, Jane herself. Is Maria involved? Perhaps this is all circumstantial evidence. Maybe, or maybe not.
Weaving imagination into the know facts of Jane Austen’s life and tragically early death, Ms. Ashford spins an enthralling, dark tale of lust, deception and possible multiple murder seething beneath the surface of a seemingly proper, tranquil Regency family. Meticulously researched, the book delves deep into Jane’s life, finding connections no one else has. The result is such a masterful story of the ease with which perception can be manipulated, that by the end of the book, you wonder if the author’s shocking tale can possibly be correct.
For a startling version of Jane Austen’s world that you’ve never encountered before, try THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MISS JANE AUSTEN.
ARC provided by Sourcebooks
Miss Anne Sharpe, governess to Fanny, daughter of Jane Austen’s brother, Edward, narrates a chilling story of appearances and how deceptive they can be. Henry Austen visits his brother Edward’s family much too often, and mostly when Edward is away. Edward’s wife, Elizabeth, spends a great deal of time with Henry. Is there something here in addition to brotherly affection?
Miss Sharpe discovers more and more of these curious incidents, and all involving Henry. Henry visits his brother, James, and James’s wife, Maria, too. Henry and Maria? And then people die under similar suspicious circumstances. First, Elizabeth, then James, and finally, sadly, Jane herself. Is Maria involved? Perhaps this is all circumstantial evidence. Maybe, or maybe not.
Weaving imagination into the know facts of Jane Austen’s life and tragically early death, Ms. Ashford spins an enthralling, dark tale of lust, deception and possible multiple murder seething beneath the surface of a seemingly proper, tranquil Regency family. Meticulously researched, the book delves deep into Jane’s life, finding connections no one else has. The result is such a masterful story of the ease with which perception can be manipulated, that by the end of the book, you wonder if the author’s shocking tale can possibly be correct.
For a startling version of Jane Austen’s world that you’ve never encountered before, try THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MISS JANE AUSTEN.
ARC provided by Sourcebooks
December 20, 2013
SLJ review:
ASHFORD, Lindsay. The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen. 432p. Sourcebooks Landmark. 2013. pap. $14.99. ISBN 9781402282126. LC 2013010791.
Adult/High School–The title promises a mystery–the murder of Jane Austen, no less–and Ashford does eventually follow through, but the bulk of this wonderful historical novel is given over to a touchingly rendered portrait of Anne Sharp, the onetime governess of Jane’s favorite niece. Anne and Jane develop a friendship, which Anne, at least, hopes can be something more. Together they probe some of the Austen family secrets, centered on the possible adulterous affair between Jane’s brother Henry and his sister-in-law Elizabeth–who happens to be Anne’ employer. When the novel finally turns to the mysterious death of Jane–and, in truth, a lock of Austen’s hair was found to be unusually high in arsenic–the mystery itself is never greatly in doubt, but it gives an excuse for a well-defined turn in Anne’s psychology that adds much depth to her character. As for that mystery, it all turns on which Austen had the most to gain from Jane’s death–and readers can’t help but be charmed by Ashford’s irreverent sullying of the reputations of just about every member of the clan, only Jane excluded. Ashford’s characterizations would do Austen proud–crisp and biting, but never less than fully three-dimensional. Meanwhile her gritty, workingwoman’s perspective on Regency England leaves no doubt that this book is set in the real world, and not in one of Jane’s novels.–Mark Flowers, John F. Kennedy Library, Vallejo, CA
http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/2013/...
ASHFORD, Lindsay. The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen. 432p. Sourcebooks Landmark. 2013. pap. $14.99. ISBN 9781402282126. LC 2013010791.
Adult/High School–The title promises a mystery–the murder of Jane Austen, no less–and Ashford does eventually follow through, but the bulk of this wonderful historical novel is given over to a touchingly rendered portrait of Anne Sharp, the onetime governess of Jane’s favorite niece. Anne and Jane develop a friendship, which Anne, at least, hopes can be something more. Together they probe some of the Austen family secrets, centered on the possible adulterous affair between Jane’s brother Henry and his sister-in-law Elizabeth–who happens to be Anne’ employer. When the novel finally turns to the mysterious death of Jane–and, in truth, a lock of Austen’s hair was found to be unusually high in arsenic–the mystery itself is never greatly in doubt, but it gives an excuse for a well-defined turn in Anne’s psychology that adds much depth to her character. As for that mystery, it all turns on which Austen had the most to gain from Jane’s death–and readers can’t help but be charmed by Ashford’s irreverent sullying of the reputations of just about every member of the clan, only Jane excluded. Ashford’s characterizations would do Austen proud–crisp and biting, but never less than fully three-dimensional. Meanwhile her gritty, workingwoman’s perspective on Regency England leaves no doubt that this book is set in the real world, and not in one of Jane’s novels.–Mark Flowers, John F. Kennedy Library, Vallejo, CA
http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/2013/...
September 17, 2013
Apparently this book caused a stir when it was released in the UK because the basis of the plot is that that Jane Austen did not die of natural causes but was instead murdered via arsenic poisoning (not a spoiler, the back cover tells you this). This is actually not a completely baseless theory, as a lock of Austen's hair was tested in 1949, and it contained highly abnormal levels of arsenic. This book is billed as a fictional but based in facts murder mystery to uncover the killer. In basic terms, that goal is achieved; however, I found the whole thing very unsatisfying. At least the first part of this book concerns a brief summer/fall period that you believe will be central to the plot, and perhaps it is, but it doesn't feel like because the rest of the book is told so rapidly the tense urgency found in the first half is lost. The biggest problem, though, is lack of motive. Not the essential, one word motive, but the convoluted twists and turns the motive takes in the killer's hands. It felt very forced and highly improbable. Also, it feels unresolved because there is no justice or even really a confession.
November 26, 2011
I picked this book up based solely on the fact that I didn’t know anything about the way Jane Austen dies and I’m such a sucker for a good historical fiction. Let me give you the real reason you should pick up it up: you get to walk through Jane Austen’s life with her through the perspective of her best friend. Admittedly, at times it reads more like a regency romance, but it’s never gratuitous and always stops at affection, even if it is unrequited.
The story moves along at a very reasonable clip, by far faster than anything Austen wrote, more resembling Pride and Prejudice and Zombies than Pride and Prejudice. Ashford does a phenomenal job of bringing the Austen family to life. I found myself falling in love with Mrs. Austen and her folksy wisdom about how nose size is related to intelligence, her missing front teeth, and her reverberating snore. I had expected to find more Mrs. Bennet in her, but was pleasantly surprised to find her to be much more agreeable, lacking all the abrasive qualities.
The story moves along at a very reasonable clip, by far faster than anything Austen wrote, more resembling Pride and Prejudice and Zombies than Pride and Prejudice. Ashford does a phenomenal job of bringing the Austen family to life. I found myself falling in love with Mrs. Austen and her folksy wisdom about how nose size is related to intelligence, her missing front teeth, and her reverberating snore. I had expected to find more Mrs. Bennet in her, but was pleasantly surprised to find her to be much more agreeable, lacking all the abrasive qualities.
February 28, 2014
This was a selected read for my book club, and that's the great thing about book clubs: you discover books you might never have chosen on your own. I've never been a great fan of Jane Austen, having been required to read "Pride and Prejudice" in college, but I love the movie adaptations of her books, so I am somewhat familiar with her characters. This book however tells, in fictionalized form, about Jane's life through the eyes of her friend Anne Sharp, a governess who works for Jane's brother Edward. I like the way the author uses real situations in the Austen's lives as a backdrop for her story. We get a very good picture of what life was like for single women (i.e. women who didn't have or didn't want husbands) in Jane's time. This keeps our interest, up to a point, as the only criticism I have is that the mystery of Jane's death comes far to late in the story, but when it does you can't put the book down.
December 16, 2014
I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. I loved the behind the scenes story of Jane and the Austen family. This is fiction based on real people so I'm sure the author took a great deal of creative freedom in her descriptions of the family dynamic. But it was quite scandalous. And I had no idea that Jane Austen died at such a young age under suspicious circumstances. These aspects of the story are what kept me reading.
I did not like that the author felt the need to make the narrator, Anne, a lesbian with feelings for Jane. It was wholly unnecessary and I found it to be a blatant attempt at trying to keep up with current trends in the media and society. It didn't fit with the story in any way and was so obviously added for shock value that it took away from the book as a whole.
I did not like that the author felt the need to make the narrator, Anne, a lesbian with feelings for Jane. It was wholly unnecessary and I found it to be a blatant attempt at trying to keep up with current trends in the media and society. It didn't fit with the story in any way and was so obviously added for shock value that it took away from the book as a whole.
March 12, 2014
While not a fan of mysteries(except for Boston's own Spenser for Hire), I enjoyed this one. Having heard the recent BBC 4 Radio adaptation, I knew who did it. That didn't lessen my enjoyment. My two favorite Austen reviews, Laurel-Austenprose and Meredith-Austeneque Reviews, both liked the book too. I loved meeting Jane Austen's nieces Anna Austen(later Lefroy) and Fanny Knight(later Caroline Bingley).
May 11, 2015
I have read a good many Austenite novels, however, this one stands out and an original. Based upon a bit of new evidence (in fact), the writer has developed a scenario that couldbe happened in Austen's life and death. This novel also shreds new, perhaps true, light on her family memebers' characters. Could be new insight to her family, and herself.
May 16, 2014
2.5 stars. Way less mystery than I thought there would be, with a painfully obvious culprit. While the second half moved faster than the draggy first, I was ultimately disappointed. The book has decent writing on its side and a colorful cast of characters, but ultimately it fell flat for me.
December 20, 2013
couldn't get into this book
February 28, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama:
Lindsay Ashford's fictional interpretation of the few facts surrounding Austen's death
Lindsay Ashford's fictional interpretation of the few facts surrounding Austen's death
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