The Lost Years of Jane Austen: A Novel

by Barbara Ker Wilson, Ulysses Press

A fictional account of the Regency author's life between 1801 and 1804, a period lost to history due to an intentional destruction of her personal records, speculates on the arrest of a family member and Jane's voyage to an Australian prison colony, during which she encounters the dashing Mr. Wentworth. Original.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Barbara Ker Wilson was born on 24 September 1929 in Sunderland, in the north of England. In 1964 she immigrated to Australia, living first in Adelaide, then Melbourne, then Sydney. She settled in Leura, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

As a child she used to accompany her father to a large publishing office in London, to deliver corrected proofs of his latest engineering textbook, and she knew then that she wanted to work in the world of writing and publishing.
Her first 'successful' work, written when she was eight, was a play based on the coronation of King George VI; it was performed at her primary school in England.

The Second World War influenced her greatly, particularly the experience of living through air raids in London. With the end of the war came her first experience of travelling abroad; afterwards, she traveled extensively in Europe and Asia.

Winner of the Dromkeen Medal (1999).

Reviews

[Erin Maxwell]

So I’m pretty sure I started this book in 2021 and just now finished it. Needless to say I didn’t find it wildly compelling. And this is not the most important thing but I must mention that the summary cites that there is a love interest as a significant plot component but if memory serves (over 4 years) he only appears like 3 times. What is up with that. False advertising.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Austen and Australia!!??!!!

Well, her Aunt Jane Leigh Perrot was almost sent here for shopliftng!!
In Bath. In 1799.

Barbara Ker Wilson's re-creation of this incident is nothing short of brilliant!!!
And Austen fans will be pleased to know that her expertise is born of a lifelong devotion to Jane Austen's works.

Up until early in Chapter 13 we have an historically accurate novelization of the Austen Family's life and their relatives-in-crisis, the Leigh Perrots. What is more it is well-written, with style and character. Jane Austen herself really comes alive, and her dialogue is measured, witty and intelligent.

Jane's year in Sydney, Australia, with her Aunt and Uncle,the Leigh Perrots, the machinations of which I will leave you to discover, is also scrupulously historically accurate but again, with life breathed into the characters.(I know, I taught Australian History...in Sydney!)

Of course only the background is accurate. Austen herself never set foot in the Sydney Colony...as far as we know, since, of the years between May 1801 and September 1804, there is precious little evidence available of Jane's life.

I bought this book many years ago, 1984 to be exact, when it was first published. And only read it in 2007. I was glad I had delayed the pleasure.

An excellent writer, a clever mind, an excellent weaver of fact and fiction, an Austen devotee, a real historian and to top it off...
...a storyteller!!!
Give it a go!!!

[Suzanne Mccandless · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, another Jane Austen imagined life. This time the author, Barbara Ker Wilson, has moved Jane out of her quiet, protected world into the real world of the Napoleonic Wars and the settlement of the Colony of what would become Australia. Jane's imagined and real romances figure in the plot also. I am always entertained by the transportation into the time of Jane Austen and this time I also enjoyed a journey into early Australia with flora and fauna decorating the pages. I would have appreciated a bit more of the bird life.

[Della · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I found it difficult to get into the story; I had put it down for a little while. I picked it up again and the story gradually grew on me. I didn’t look at the tale as being plausible or not since we will never know. I read it as just a story whose characters happened to be real people from the past. Overall, I found The Lost Years of Jane Austen an interestingly, fun read.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother.

[Charmed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not capture Jane Austen's voice at all, not to mention that the story itself just dragged on and on.

I had a feeling reading this book that i imagine is akin to the feelings that the none litterary minded would have when being forced to read Jane Austin in high school. something along the lines of... "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu@#$#! Isn't there a BBC movie we can watch to find out how it ends? What not even a made for T.V. movie? Dayyem."


It's not a feeling I get much I like reading and i like Jane Austen. But this! This was brutal, In the 'trying to stay awake through a lecture on Statistics in an over heated lecture hall' kind of way. Not a pleasant experience.


I do absolutly adore the cover though. So there's that.

[Shala Howell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I finished it. But it was a near thing.

I blame the back cover copy, which made the bold claim that this book is "written in the style of Jane Austen." I had considerable trouble reconciling that claim with the scene on page 9 when Sam Filby propels lonely shopkeeper Susan Gregory into the back room of her haberdashery shop for a bit of sans-culotte action. I've reread every word of Austen's works this summer and I don't remember Austen ever writing anything like that.

Fortunately, by page 75 things settled down a bit, and while I can't call the rest of the book engrossing, I did labor through it with varying degrees of enjoyment. On the whole, though, if I had today to do over again, I would have read something else.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather quaint take on what might have happened in Jane Austen's life as she is disappointed in love and travels to Australia with some family. Fascinating as a historical novel too, this might be the only one I've ever read that focused on Australia during the regency period. Jane is taken by this new world, but after a surprising encounter realizes that England will always be her first home and decides to get serious about her writing. While the descriptions of Australia get a bit tedious, the novel itself is done in the best regency fiction style.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to will myself to actually keep reading this book. The main plot took place in New South Wales (Australia) for about a year. Jane Austen's aunt & uncle invite her to join them on a trip for which the main purpose is to look at the plants, animals and insects of the new colony. I found this whole idea so far fetched and uninteresting. I gave it two stars only because there were a few subplots that redeemed it. Strangely though, it had very little to do with Jane Austen and more to do with life on New South Wales.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always interested in anything Jane Austen! This was about a two year period in Jane's life that are somewhat undocumented. She went to Australia with an aunt and uncle. For some reason her sister Cassandra burned all of the letters from Jane during this time (perhaps to cover up an affair?) Really enjoyed it!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

So boring - I didn't even really read this book. I skimmed this book because I just couldn't put the time into it.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must-read for any Austen fan.

[Jessica Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so very glad to have this book done and overwith! This is by far the worst Jane Austen ... inspired/spin-off, what have you, that I have ever read!

I really didn't like it at all.

[Karen Jagow]

If you love Jane Austin then you'll love this novel. Almost a Romeo and Juliet feel to it!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of the Sydney felons colony with Jane Austen as an observer. Some inoffensive speculation about her romantic life.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting although a little bit boring

[Alethea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit to expecting something different from this novel. The notion of Austen traveling to Australia, spending over twelve months away from her sister, is entirely outlandish. I expected her imagined adventures while there to be, well, adventurous. The back cover of the book promises unadvised and passionate romances -- yet there were none to be found in the book! Her Aunt Leigh Perrot does more adventuring than Jane, surprisingly. The book WAS interesting as a view of how early 1800s Britons would have found Australia upon visiting. Australia's history as an English penal colony is certainly rich. Unfortunately for the author, she made Austen a superfluous character.