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The Austen Girls
By turns thrilling, dramatic and inspiring, this is the story of Jane Austen's life as you've never heard it before.
It is 1809 and Fanny and Anna have just been launched on to the ruthless Regency marriage market by Fanny's mother (think Mrs Bennet). But luckily their mysteriously wealthy Aunt Jane is there to guide them and help them make better choices - i.e. don't get married at all!
Jane plays detective to help them rescue a falsely accused friend from being transported to Australia, while Anna impetuously makes and breaks an engagement. Fanny is forced to leave the marriage market when her mother dies and she has to look after ten siblings. She learns the secret of Jane's wealth and self-possession (she is, of course, a writer) and decides to follow in her footsteps.
It is 1809 and Fanny and Anna have just been launched on to the ruthless Regency marriage market by Fanny's mother (think Mrs Bennet). But luckily their mysteriously wealthy Aunt Jane is there to guide them and help them make better choices - i.e. don't get married at all!
Jane plays detective to help them rescue a falsely accused friend from being transported to Australia, while Anna impetuously makes and breaks an engagement. Fanny is forced to leave the marriage market when her mother dies and she has to look after ten siblings. She learns the secret of Jane's wealth and self-possession (she is, of course, a writer) and decides to follow in her footsteps.
289 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2020
86 people are currently reading
2682 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Worsley
33 books2,973 followersI was born in Reading (not great, but it could have been Slough), studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, and I've got a PhD in art history from the University of Sussex.
My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)
You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.
***
Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.
Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).
-From Wikipedia
My first job after leaving college was at a crazy but wonderful historic house called Milton Manor in Oxfordshire. Here I would give guided tours, occasionally feed the llamas, and look for important pieces of paper that my boss Anthony had lost. Soon after that I moved to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in the lovely job for administrator of the Wind and Watermills Section. Here I helped to organise that celebrated media extravaganza, National Mills Day. I departed for English Heritage in 1997, first as an Assistant Inspector and then as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings; Bolsover Castle, Hardwick Old Hall, and Kirby Hall were my favourite properties there. In 2002 I made a brief excursion to Glasgow Museums before coming down to London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces in 2003. Yes, this is a brilliant job, but no, you can’t have it. (Bribes have been offered, and refused.)
You might also catch me presenting history films on the old goggle box, giving the talks on the cruise ship Queen Mary 2, or slurping cocktails.
***
Lucy Worsley, OBE (born 18 December 1973) is an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter.
Worsley is Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television series on historical topics, including Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (2011), Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls (2012), The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (2014), A Very British Romance (2015), Lucy Worsley: Mozart’s London Odyssey (2016), and Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016).
-From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
September 4, 2020
*4.5 Stars
I’ve read a lot of reviews saying that they expected more balls/romance but I loved it and I think you’ve missed the point if you are annoyed about the romance. The point is making yourself the heroine of your own story and embracing who you are! It’s about the girls finding about what they are worth and that their friendship is worth more than any man that they marry.
I read this for a book club and this book has really taught me something. Deeper than just the story itself. About following your ambitions and surviving in a world that is more in men’s favour than women’s.
It was just such a wholesome read that I just thought so much about after I finished reading it. It’s a great historical novel and I can’t wait to read Lucy’s other books. I absolutely love her programs and her career and ambition!
I’ve read a lot of reviews saying that they expected more balls/romance but I loved it and I think you’ve missed the point if you are annoyed about the romance. The point is making yourself the heroine of your own story and embracing who you are! It’s about the girls finding about what they are worth and that their friendship is worth more than any man that they marry.
I read this for a book club and this book has really taught me something. Deeper than just the story itself. About following your ambitions and surviving in a world that is more in men’s favour than women’s.
It was just such a wholesome read that I just thought so much about after I finished reading it. It’s a great historical novel and I can’t wait to read Lucy’s other books. I absolutely love her programs and her career and ambition!
July 14, 2020
5 out of 5 stars
If you love Jane Austen then you will love this. Written for a YA audience it’s the story of two of janes nieces Anna and Fanny. Centred mainly around fanny we see their adventures and wishes to be heroines like those in the books. This book also represents some of the real problems that happened to girls in this era. Loved it so much ❤️
If you love Jane Austen then you will love this. Written for a YA audience it’s the story of two of janes nieces Anna and Fanny. Centred mainly around fanny we see their adventures and wishes to be heroines like those in the books. This book also represents some of the real problems that happened to girls in this era. Loved it so much ❤️
November 6, 2020
Well, this was a big disappointment.
As a Jane Austen fan, I had really high hopes for this book. On top of that, this is written by Lucy Worsley! She's a fellow Austen fan and a history presenter for the BBC, meaning she knows her shit. And, one thing I can say I loved about The Austen Girls was how I knew I was in Regency England - Worsley's writing is easy and accessible, and interlaces her knowledge of the era very well into the narrative without it sticking out like a sore thumb. It flows really well, and there isn't an overabundance of historical facts. It was a perfect balance.
Another big thing I adored about this book was the very fact that Jane Austen herself is a character. She talks. She walks. She exists. Aunt Jane is by far the best character in this entire book, and I think that was Lucy Worsley's intention. Jane Austen is mysterious, secretive, possesses a quiet power at Godsmersham Park, is direct & intimidating, witty and has a strange sense of humour - almost alike to Mr Bennet's from Pride and Prejudice. And just magical. I practically squealed when she first appeared on the page from behind a newspaper. Her character was the only reason I kept on reading if I'm being really honest.
Here's the main thing that made me hate this: I get that sixteen-year-old girls were husband-hunting, and girls were married by twenty in the Regency Era, but as a twenty-one-year-old reading about children wanting to get married to much older men just made me feel ill. Lucy Worsley knows what she's talking about, but I think she should've made Fanny and Anna much, much older. One of the girls dances with a lord at one of the balls who is obviously nineteen or early twenties - she then claims to love him and wants to marry him. Next, the same girl gets engaged to a THIRTY-YEAR-OLD man, claiming to love him and going against her parents' wishes to proceed with the engagement (until she realises marrying him would be the dumbest thing ever!). Then, by the end, she's engaged again to another clergyman who's probably a decade older than her when she's still sixteen!. WTF! Fanny is consistently jealous of her cousin, Anna, throughout, because she doesn't receive a single proposal. They fight all the time. I hated Anna for the way she treated Fanny and her parents, especially. She was a bad egg, and I didn't care for her whatsoever. She felt very underdeveloped. Fanny had some character development and was more developed than Anna, but it was only until after her mother's death did she realise that perhaps she doesn't want to marry yet, and would rather take on her mother's role as a caregiver to her nine little brothers and sisters. It just felt odd. It felt too sudden and quite anti-climatic.
The romance (if I can call it that) was meh. Underdeveloped. Rushed. I didn't feel anything. I wished Mr Drummer had been more developed as a character. The dynamic was similar to Catherine Morland & Mr Tilney from Northanger Abbey - which in my opinion, was more friendship and platonic love than love love.
I know it says it in the synopsis on Goodreads, but it doesn't on my physical copy, that this was going to be a mystery?? Why? As soon as the mystery was introduced, the whole plot went out of whack. It was all over the place. The mystery was cool, and Lucy Worsley says at the back of the book that it was inspired by real crime happening at the time, but I don't think it should've been featured in this particular story. Also, the death of Fanny's mother was a big shock (even though it says it on the Goodreads synopsis), and I will admit, I did cry a bit when Fanny and her father were hugging each other.
Overall, there were more things I disliked than I liked, and that's why I feel like 2 stars is a very fitting rating.
As a Jane Austen fan, I had really high hopes for this book. On top of that, this is written by Lucy Worsley! She's a fellow Austen fan and a history presenter for the BBC, meaning she knows her shit. And, one thing I can say I loved about The Austen Girls was how I knew I was in Regency England - Worsley's writing is easy and accessible, and interlaces her knowledge of the era very well into the narrative without it sticking out like a sore thumb. It flows really well, and there isn't an overabundance of historical facts. It was a perfect balance.
Another big thing I adored about this book was the very fact that Jane Austen herself is a character. She talks. She walks. She exists. Aunt Jane is by far the best character in this entire book, and I think that was Lucy Worsley's intention. Jane Austen is mysterious, secretive, possesses a quiet power at Godsmersham Park, is direct & intimidating, witty and has a strange sense of humour - almost alike to Mr Bennet's from Pride and Prejudice. And just magical. I practically squealed when she first appeared on the page from behind a newspaper. Her character was the only reason I kept on reading if I'm being really honest.
Here's the main thing that made me hate this: I get that sixteen-year-old girls were husband-hunting, and girls were married by twenty in the Regency Era, but as a twenty-one-year-old reading about children wanting to get married to much older men just made me feel ill. Lucy Worsley knows what she's talking about, but I think she should've made Fanny and Anna much, much older. One of the girls dances with a lord at one of the balls who is obviously nineteen or early twenties - she then claims to love him and wants to marry him. Next, the same girl gets engaged to a THIRTY-YEAR-OLD man, claiming to love him and going against her parents' wishes to proceed with the engagement (until she realises marrying him would be the dumbest thing ever!). Then, by the end, she's engaged again to another clergyman who's probably a decade older than her when she's still sixteen!. WTF! Fanny is consistently jealous of her cousin, Anna, throughout, because she doesn't receive a single proposal. They fight all the time. I hated Anna for the way she treated Fanny and her parents, especially. She was a bad egg, and I didn't care for her whatsoever. She felt very underdeveloped. Fanny had some character development and was more developed than Anna, but it was only until after her mother's death did she realise that perhaps she doesn't want to marry yet, and would rather take on her mother's role as a caregiver to her nine little brothers and sisters. It just felt odd. It felt too sudden and quite anti-climatic.
The romance (if I can call it that) was meh. Underdeveloped. Rushed. I didn't feel anything. I wished Mr Drummer had been more developed as a character. The dynamic was similar to Catherine Morland & Mr Tilney from Northanger Abbey - which in my opinion, was more friendship and platonic love than love love.
I know it says it in the synopsis on Goodreads, but it doesn't on my physical copy, that this was going to be a mystery?? Why? As soon as the mystery was introduced, the whole plot went out of whack. It was all over the place. The mystery was cool, and Lucy Worsley says at the back of the book that it was inspired by real crime happening at the time, but I don't think it should've been featured in this particular story. Also, the death of Fanny's mother was a big shock (even though it says it on the Goodreads synopsis), and I will admit, I did cry a bit when Fanny and her father were hugging each other.
Overall, there were more things I disliked than I liked, and that's why I feel like 2 stars is a very fitting rating.
May 19, 2020
I'm a huge fan of Lucy Worsley. She's an historian, TV presenter and Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and I've watched almost all of her documentaries. Her latest book The Austen Girls explores the life of Jane Austen from the perspective of her nieces and I knew I'd need some help reviewing it. Luckily for me, young reviewer Sophie Harris came to the rescue. Check out my blog to see Sophie's thoughts on the book: https://www.carpelibrum.net/2020/05/g...
For me, reading a book like this without having read one by Jane Austen was a little bit cheeky but totally doable. As Sophie points out in her review, this novel is aimed at a younger reading audience and may even serve as an entry point to entice younger readers to move on to read Pride and Prejudice or Emma in the future.
Reading The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley mostly reminded me that I really need to get to at least one of her classics before the decade is through.
* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing *
For me, reading a book like this without having read one by Jane Austen was a little bit cheeky but totally doable. As Sophie points out in her review, this novel is aimed at a younger reading audience and may even serve as an entry point to entice younger readers to move on to read Pride and Prejudice or Emma in the future.
Reading The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley mostly reminded me that I really need to get to at least one of her classics before the decade is through.
* Copy courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing *
August 2, 2020
Si tratta della storia delle due nipoti maggiori di Jane Austen le due cugine Fanny e Anne Austen, quindicenni. In realtà Fanny si chiamava Knight, perché suo padre, Edward Austen, era stato adottato da una ricca famiglia di lontani parenti e aveva ereditato il loro cognome, oltre alle immense proprietà. Anne invece - che ha uno spirito molto indipendente e un caratterino che ricorda molto quello che appare nelle lettera di zia Jane - è più povera, visto che suo padre James è solo un parroco di campagna (è colui a causa del quale Jane Austen dové trasferirsi con i genitori e con Cassandra a Bath, poiché la canonica di Steventon serviva a lui e alla nuova moglie, Mary). E, per giunta, Anna non si è mai sentita benaccetta in casa propria, perché orfana di madre e con una matrigna - Mary, appunto - che non gradiva molto la presenza di una figliastra con uno spirito così indipendente.
Il libro si apre con il debutto delle due cugine Anne e Fanny che escono da Godmersham per recarsi alle Assembly Rooms e con lo sprone della madre di Fanny, Elizabeth (Knight) Austen a cercare subito un buon partito, e a stare alla larga dai pastori, che di solito hanno mezzi piuttosto modesti. Elizabeth ci tiene che Fanny si sposi al più presto: ha già dieci figli, più uno in arrivo, e ben cinque sono femmine (mi sa però che la Worsley ha esagerato a fare fidanzare Lizzie. Sì, è vero che dice che è molto giovane, ma in realtà ha solo otto anni - il libro è ambientato nel 1808 e Lizzie è nata nel 1800 - mentre lei fa immaginare che ne abbia almeno tredici!)
Ad Anne, comunque, andrebbe bene chiunque, pur di sposarsi e di avere una casa tutta sua, dato che a Steventon non si sente a proprio agio.
Il libro è rivolto a un pubblico di adolescenti e fa riflettere sulla condizione delle giovinette dell'epoca, ma anche sul tema della giustizia a quei tempi, con il caso del furto del merletto di cui venne incolpata la zia delle Austen, Mrs. Leigh-Perrot, che qui viene attribuito a un personaggio di pura invenzione, ma con meno possibilità finanziarie dei Leigh-Perrot, e che dunque rischia addirittura la deportazione in Australia.
Ci sono delle licenze, con alcuni fatti non del tutto veritieri, come per esempio la presenza di Jane Austen così frequente in casa del fratello Edward che sì, è vera, ma non in quel particolare momento. Inoltre Jane Austen nel 1808 non aveva ancora pubblicato alcun libro, mentre qui ha già pubblicato sia Ragione e sentimento che Orgoglio e pregiudizio, e ritiene di essere indipendente perché guadagna con la propria scrittura, ma in realtà i suoi guadagni erano comunque aleatori e anche piuttosto esigui.
Il libro si apre con il debutto delle due cugine Anne e Fanny che escono da Godmersham per recarsi alle Assembly Rooms e con lo sprone della madre di Fanny, Elizabeth (Knight) Austen a cercare subito un buon partito, e a stare alla larga dai pastori, che di solito hanno mezzi piuttosto modesti. Elizabeth ci tiene che Fanny si sposi al più presto: ha già dieci figli, più uno in arrivo, e ben cinque sono femmine (mi sa però che la Worsley ha esagerato a fare fidanzare Lizzie. Sì, è vero che dice che è molto giovane, ma in realtà ha solo otto anni - il libro è ambientato nel 1808 e Lizzie è nata nel 1800 - mentre lei fa immaginare che ne abbia almeno tredici!)
Ad Anne, comunque, andrebbe bene chiunque, pur di sposarsi e di avere una casa tutta sua, dato che a Steventon non si sente a proprio agio.
Il libro è rivolto a un pubblico di adolescenti e fa riflettere sulla condizione delle giovinette dell'epoca, ma anche sul tema della giustizia a quei tempi, con il caso del furto del merletto di cui venne incolpata la zia delle Austen, Mrs. Leigh-Perrot, che qui viene attribuito a un personaggio di pura invenzione, ma con meno possibilità finanziarie dei Leigh-Perrot, e che dunque rischia addirittura la deportazione in Australia.
Ci sono delle licenze, con alcuni fatti non del tutto veritieri, come per esempio la presenza di Jane Austen così frequente in casa del fratello Edward che sì, è vera, ma non in quel particolare momento. Inoltre Jane Austen nel 1808 non aveva ancora pubblicato alcun libro, mentre qui ha già pubblicato sia Ragione e sentimento che Orgoglio e pregiudizio, e ritiene di essere indipendente perché guadagna con la propria scrittura, ma in realtà i suoi guadagni erano comunque aleatori e anche piuttosto esigui.
November 1, 2021
For my full review: https://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/...
Biographical fiction is a genre which can be a really mixed bag, ranging from the sublime such as The Taste of Sorrow and Miss Austen to the utterly absurd such as Brontë's Mistress. Having moderately enjoyed Lucy Worsley in the past both as a writer and a presenter, I was hoping for something more towards the upper end of the scale. Instead, I read this rather peculiar piece of young adult fiction. Centred around the lives of Jane Austen's nieces Fanny Austen-Knight and Anna Austen, Worsley tells a story of Regency courtship and intrigue.
Austen Girls is odd from start to finish. It kicks off with Fanny and Anna being packed off to their first ever ball by Fanny's parents, Edward and Elizabeth Austen. There is an unseemly appetite to get the girls 'married off'. Given everything I have ever read about Elizabeth Austen, this felt out of character. She was the elegant daughter of a baronet who brought class and distinction to Edward Austen, who had come from nowhere. Jane Austen herself commented on how Elizabeth managed to be neat and well-dressed at all times, including right after giving birth. She was making a direct comparison here to her other sister-in-law Mary Austen, but the point is clear. Elizabeth Austen seems unlikely to have been quite so gauche and Mrs Bennet-esque in raving about getting a daughter off her hands.
But this is just the drumroll for the rest of this strange, strange book. Lucy Worsley is a historian. She has written about Austen. She knows the background. This book is described as well-researched. But ... it's not. Or rather, it makes use of the research and then makes up a bafflingly different narrative. So for some reason Jane Austen seems to be living at Godmersham with Fanny's family as opposed to being with Cassandra and the older Mrs Austen. 'Aunt Jane' is also mysteriously wealthy, prompting Fanny's ultimate discovery that she is the author of the fabulous romance novels that Fanny and her friends have been raving over. First of all, Austen was never really wealthy in her own lifetime. She did not even match the income from legacies which her mother and sister received. Secondly, Austen did not write romances.
The weirdest part though is the novel's main action. Fanny finds herself drawn to the local clergyman Dominic Drummer. He is unsuitably poor but nice enough. But then. Oh no. He gets arrested on suspicion of stealing lace from a shop. Determined to prove his innocence, Fanny gets involved in the investigation to prove that this is an elaborate con by the shop itself to extract hush money. For the long-term Austen fan, this story sounds familiar. It did happen. But not to any sweetheart of Fanny Austen's. To Mrs Leigh-Perrot, aunt to Jane Austen herself. This is one of the more well-known 'scandal' moments in the life of the famous author who was a teenager at the time of the alleged incident. When Mrs Leigh-Perrot was sent to prison to await trial, Mrs Austen offered to send Jane and her sister Cassandra in with her to keep her company. So it's all the stranger to see Lucy Worsley taking this story, changing everything about it and presenting it in biographical fiction.
On top of all this, we have lifeless characterisation, peculiar dialogue and a completely flat denouement. The Austen Girls never really gets going in terms of plot and has little genuine connection with the real life characters. The only aspect of the novel which I found even remotely interesting was the sub-plot regarding Anna Austen. Less so her supposed flirtations with the louche aristocrat as the poor girl's desperate desire to get married so she could leave home. Anna Austen does seem to have been regarded as a wild child by her relatives but when one looks across her early life, it is hardly surprising. After the death of her mother when she was no more than a toddler, Anna was farmed out to her aunts for a few years before being summoned home upon her father's remarriage. Mary Austen is presented positively in The Austen Girls but seem to have been a difficult woman in real life. Worsley does manage to depict how a sixteen year old girl might think that marriage to a dull man twice her age might be a better option than being stuck at home under the rule of parents who show little kindness. There is something too in how Anna projects qualities onto her new fiancé which he clearly does not possess - she does not know him properly and has no real way of improving her acquaintance without actually making the commitment. She would hardly be the only young girl of her era to make such a mistake.
I had hoped to enjoy The Austen Girls more than I did. I really liked the film Miss Austen Regrets which was similarly focused on the relationship between Jane and Fanny Austen so had hoped that this would be on similar lines. As it is, it does not really hang together as either a fictionalisation of Austen's life or indeed a story on its own merits. I can see that this may have been intended for a young adult market, to familiarise them with Austen's life ... but it's not interesting and has little or nothing to do with the real facts. On the plus side, when I was trying to sort out my bookshelves, it did inspire me to remove some of the other Lucy Worsley novels which had been on my TBR pile and pass them on to the charity shop. I don't think I'm going to be trying this author out again. With a hefty marketing campaign behind it and an author who is genuinely familiar with the field, I had expected better things. But alas.
Biographical fiction is a genre which can be a really mixed bag, ranging from the sublime such as The Taste of Sorrow and Miss Austen to the utterly absurd such as Brontë's Mistress. Having moderately enjoyed Lucy Worsley in the past both as a writer and a presenter, I was hoping for something more towards the upper end of the scale. Instead, I read this rather peculiar piece of young adult fiction. Centred around the lives of Jane Austen's nieces Fanny Austen-Knight and Anna Austen, Worsley tells a story of Regency courtship and intrigue.
Austen Girls is odd from start to finish. It kicks off with Fanny and Anna being packed off to their first ever ball by Fanny's parents, Edward and Elizabeth Austen. There is an unseemly appetite to get the girls 'married off'. Given everything I have ever read about Elizabeth Austen, this felt out of character. She was the elegant daughter of a baronet who brought class and distinction to Edward Austen, who had come from nowhere. Jane Austen herself commented on how Elizabeth managed to be neat and well-dressed at all times, including right after giving birth. She was making a direct comparison here to her other sister-in-law Mary Austen, but the point is clear. Elizabeth Austen seems unlikely to have been quite so gauche and Mrs Bennet-esque in raving about getting a daughter off her hands.
But this is just the drumroll for the rest of this strange, strange book. Lucy Worsley is a historian. She has written about Austen. She knows the background. This book is described as well-researched. But ... it's not. Or rather, it makes use of the research and then makes up a bafflingly different narrative. So for some reason Jane Austen seems to be living at Godmersham with Fanny's family as opposed to being with Cassandra and the older Mrs Austen. 'Aunt Jane' is also mysteriously wealthy, prompting Fanny's ultimate discovery that she is the author of the fabulous romance novels that Fanny and her friends have been raving over. First of all, Austen was never really wealthy in her own lifetime. She did not even match the income from legacies which her mother and sister received. Secondly, Austen did not write romances.
The weirdest part though is the novel's main action. Fanny finds herself drawn to the local clergyman Dominic Drummer. He is unsuitably poor but nice enough. But then. Oh no. He gets arrested on suspicion of stealing lace from a shop. Determined to prove his innocence, Fanny gets involved in the investigation to prove that this is an elaborate con by the shop itself to extract hush money. For the long-term Austen fan, this story sounds familiar. It did happen. But not to any sweetheart of Fanny Austen's. To Mrs Leigh-Perrot, aunt to Jane Austen herself. This is one of the more well-known 'scandal' moments in the life of the famous author who was a teenager at the time of the alleged incident. When Mrs Leigh-Perrot was sent to prison to await trial, Mrs Austen offered to send Jane and her sister Cassandra in with her to keep her company. So it's all the stranger to see Lucy Worsley taking this story, changing everything about it and presenting it in biographical fiction.
On top of all this, we have lifeless characterisation, peculiar dialogue and a completely flat denouement. The Austen Girls never really gets going in terms of plot and has little genuine connection with the real life characters. The only aspect of the novel which I found even remotely interesting was the sub-plot regarding Anna Austen. Less so her supposed flirtations with the louche aristocrat as the poor girl's desperate desire to get married so she could leave home. Anna Austen does seem to have been regarded as a wild child by her relatives but when one looks across her early life, it is hardly surprising. After the death of her mother when she was no more than a toddler, Anna was farmed out to her aunts for a few years before being summoned home upon her father's remarriage. Mary Austen is presented positively in The Austen Girls but seem to have been a difficult woman in real life. Worsley does manage to depict how a sixteen year old girl might think that marriage to a dull man twice her age might be a better option than being stuck at home under the rule of parents who show little kindness. There is something too in how Anna projects qualities onto her new fiancé which he clearly does not possess - she does not know him properly and has no real way of improving her acquaintance without actually making the commitment. She would hardly be the only young girl of her era to make such a mistake.
I had hoped to enjoy The Austen Girls more than I did. I really liked the film Miss Austen Regrets which was similarly focused on the relationship between Jane and Fanny Austen so had hoped that this would be on similar lines. As it is, it does not really hang together as either a fictionalisation of Austen's life or indeed a story on its own merits. I can see that this may have been intended for a young adult market, to familiarise them with Austen's life ... but it's not interesting and has little or nothing to do with the real facts. On the plus side, when I was trying to sort out my bookshelves, it did inspire me to remove some of the other Lucy Worsley novels which had been on my TBR pile and pass them on to the charity shop. I don't think I'm going to be trying this author out again. With a hefty marketing campaign behind it and an author who is genuinely familiar with the field, I had expected better things. But alas.
June 24, 2020
Opening lines: ‘The belle of the ball!’
September 18, 2020
This was a delightful little jaunt.
June 24, 2020
The Austen Girls centres around Jane Austen’s nieces, Fanny and Anna primarily, although the other 9 nephews and nieces also feature. In this story, with some facts, but with a lot of imagination thrown in, Jane Austen lives with her brother, his wife and their 10 children. Jane spends a lot of time in her room writing, although the family think it letters as they are completely unaware of her fame, even whilst reading the novels themselves. Fanny, the eldest niece is preparing to ‘come out’, which has a completely different meaning in Georgian times! Being presented at her first ball when she was 16, she arrives with her cousin Anna, both hoping they will be asked to dance and not be fated to sit on the sides, pitied by the other women. Talking about finding a husband also takes up a lot of their time as they know that is the ‘best’ option for women, to rely on being kept as women making their own money was unheard of. This is ironic when Aunt Jane has made her own money, yet can’t tell the family. The first half of the book is taken up with trying to find husbands and feelings of jealousy when one of them becomes engaged. However, the book becomes more interesting when Fanny becomes involved in trying to prove the innocence of the local curate, who is faced with transportation to Australia – which was considered an awful punishment. Aunt Jane features more, giving advice on discovering what true feelings are rather than going along with what is expected of their rank.
There is an accurate depiction of life in middle class England in the Georgian period as would be expected of an historian, and the book is pitched at a young audience. This is a lightweight read and probably helps if you know how young girls were expected to behave at the time, otherwise it may come across as quite dull. Jane Austen is portrayed well, being intelligent and considerate and somewhat quirky of her time.
There is an accurate depiction of life in middle class England in the Georgian period as would be expected of an historian, and the book is pitched at a young audience. This is a lightweight read and probably helps if you know how young girls were expected to behave at the time, otherwise it may come across as quite dull. Jane Austen is portrayed well, being intelligent and considerate and somewhat quirky of her time.
September 17, 2021
Loved this book! A really interesting insight into the life of Jane Austen as well as her nieces. Going to go read pride and prejudice now!
A lot of people say it doesn't have a lot of romance and I agree it's not and it's not really like an Austen novel, it's good in a completely different way :)
A lot of people say it doesn't have a lot of romance and I agree it's not and it's not really like an Austen novel, it's good in a completely different way :)
May 24, 2020
I have never read a single book published by Jane Austen but am well aware of who she is. This brilliant book is about the lives of the Austen family, or more especially, the lives of young Fanny and Anna. Both girls have come of age to go to their first ball and start their hunt on finding a husband. The girls both meet a gentleman named Mr Drummer and Fanny becomes very well aquatinted. Mr Drummer is unfortunately set up for a crime he did not commit and is placed in the house of correction. The story follows as Fanny investigates the crime and tries to solve it to free Mr Drummer. In doing so, she learns that life is not just about finding a husband and with the help of her Aunt Jane, discovers that certain circumstances can change everything.
May 3, 2021
Really enjoyed this as a light read until the last few chapters where I was not sure if this really was an ending? Hmm. Either 2 or 3 stars.
July 30, 2020
Rating - 2.75 out of 5 stars
The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley, set in 1809, is a coming-of-age story of Jane Austen’s two nieces Fanny and Anna who are dedicated to finding a husband for themselves through attending balls and meeting an honorable and a wealthy man as necessitated by Fanny’s mother Elizabeth.
This book has a lot of interesting characters and dramatic events. The story mainly focusses on Fanny's inner dilemmas and her relationship with Anna and others. Anna was a major part of the first part of the book but then she disappeared until almost the end. Aunt Jane has also played side and supporting character to her nieces, to give them advice in the matter of love, marriage, and life. It's Historical Fiction but I was thrilled to read about Jane Austen and her lifestyle because I love her work.
Though the book is set in the Gregorian era and it has some elements to reflect it like middle-class lifestyle, the urgency to get their daughters married, the costumes but I feel the writing style couldn’t do justice to the timeline. Whenever I read Austen’s novel, it transports me into her time period so when I read this book, considering its set in 1809, I couldn’t help but search for those elements of the Gregorian era.
It’s a light middle-grade read and I liked the first half of the book more than the second. The first half was thrilling and had a balanced pace which gave me time to understand the characters but the second half was too rushed and I felt the author has tried to fit so many things that it made the story overwhelming and it was all over the place. But I have to say, I completed this book in 2-3 sittings because I was interested in Fanny and Anna’s story and I wanted them to have whatever their hearts desire.
The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley, set in 1809, is a coming-of-age story of Jane Austen’s two nieces Fanny and Anna who are dedicated to finding a husband for themselves through attending balls and meeting an honorable and a wealthy man as necessitated by Fanny’s mother Elizabeth.
This book has a lot of interesting characters and dramatic events. The story mainly focusses on Fanny's inner dilemmas and her relationship with Anna and others. Anna was a major part of the first part of the book but then she disappeared until almost the end. Aunt Jane has also played side and supporting character to her nieces, to give them advice in the matter of love, marriage, and life. It's Historical Fiction but I was thrilled to read about Jane Austen and her lifestyle because I love her work.
Though the book is set in the Gregorian era and it has some elements to reflect it like middle-class lifestyle, the urgency to get their daughters married, the costumes but I feel the writing style couldn’t do justice to the timeline. Whenever I read Austen’s novel, it transports me into her time period so when I read this book, considering its set in 1809, I couldn’t help but search for those elements of the Gregorian era.
It’s a light middle-grade read and I liked the first half of the book more than the second. The first half was thrilling and had a balanced pace which gave me time to understand the characters but the second half was too rushed and I felt the author has tried to fit so many things that it made the story overwhelming and it was all over the place. But I have to say, I completed this book in 2-3 sittings because I was interested in Fanny and Anna’s story and I wanted them to have whatever their hearts desire.
July 31, 2020
3.5 stars
Anna Austen has always been from people that she much marry rich as her whole life depends on it.Gosh the amount of pressure though. While on the other hand her cousin Fanny was more chilled and had the choice to choose who she wanna marry but has been under pressure as well as she does not know who is the right one for her.
Asking her Aunt Jane for advice on love was the best thing as she was single the whole life and she was very supporting honestly and super chill. The fact that there was a mini suspense of who she was amazing. There were so many hilarious quotes in this book but would like to say this that being single is totally cool.
Finished this book in one sitting and would recommend you if you like historical drama and romance.
Thank you pansing for the book for and honest review!
Anna Austen has always been from people that she much marry rich as her whole life depends on it.Gosh the amount of pressure though. While on the other hand her cousin Fanny was more chilled and had the choice to choose who she wanna marry but has been under pressure as well as she does not know who is the right one for her.
Asking her Aunt Jane for advice on love was the best thing as she was single the whole life and she was very supporting honestly and super chill. The fact that there was a mini suspense of who she was amazing. There were so many hilarious quotes in this book but would like to say this that being single is totally cool.
Finished this book in one sitting and would recommend you if you like historical drama and romance.
Thank you pansing for the book for and honest review!
November 21, 2020
2.5 stars
When I first picked this up, I thought it was an adult novel, because my library had mislabeled it. Then I found out it was YA, and I was fine with that, but reading it it became pretty clear to me that the book is intended for a younger audience, more like the younger end of YA, bordering on middle grade. Scenes were short and often underdeveloped, things moved on too quickly. But that also made it a fast read and it was entertaining, so I kept on. I think for the intended audience, this is a good book - it's fun, it has great heroines and a solid historical setting in Jane Austen's England. It reads a lot like Jane Austen written for younger readers.
Only the ending I really wasn't happy with, it felt sudden and unresolved and a little bit depressing compared to the rest of the story.
When I first picked this up, I thought it was an adult novel, because my library had mislabeled it. Then I found out it was YA, and I was fine with that, but reading it it became pretty clear to me that the book is intended for a younger audience, more like the younger end of YA, bordering on middle grade. Scenes were short and often underdeveloped, things moved on too quickly. But that also made it a fast read and it was entertaining, so I kept on. I think for the intended audience, this is a good book - it's fun, it has great heroines and a solid historical setting in Jane Austen's England. It reads a lot like Jane Austen written for younger readers.
Only the ending I really wasn't happy with, it felt sudden and unresolved and a little bit depressing compared to the rest of the story.
November 17, 2024
For a book aimed at younger readers, the story was well paced and exciting while not straying far from historical accuracy. I thought that the conclusion for each girl was appropriate for them, and realistic for the period. I loved the fact that some of the characters have names which arise in Jane Austen’s books
June 26, 2020
A historical fictional account of Jane Austen’s two teenage nieces.
September 27, 2020
This was a joy and a perfect way to teach younger readers about history
October 16, 2020
DNF, just don’t think I am in the right mood for this
December 15, 2020
I am loving all of the Austen tie in books that are around this year and this one is no exception. The story was interesting, sad, realistic. Overall though, just simply quite entertaining!
August 17, 2021
This was one of the most boring books i’ve ever read.that was harsh anyways.The charachters were all really boring.I think the ending was good though.
January 2, 2025
Overall, the plot was pretty strong, but it was harder to follow in some places. Wish the ending resolved a bit more.
August 11, 2023
A quick little read for me! I personally love to imagine a world in which Jane Austen was a badass beloved feminist aunt/secret author/sleuth?? to her nieces who clearly loved and looked up to her (same). Just an overall fun read for the nerdy lil Jane Austen gal I am!!
January 16, 2024
Very emotional at the end shows the how tough it was to live in those times even if you were rich
April 2, 2020
The Austen Girls is a cute, fun and refreshing take on one of the greatest literary minds to ever be published. Both Fanny and Anna are strong likable characters who make the story extremely enjoyable as it's so easy to connect to them. The book is a great way to introduce anyone to the wonderful world of Austen, but it also holds appeal for fans of Austen who will no doubt devour and adore the characterisation of Austen,who as a secondary character in the novel quietly pulls the strings behind the scenes, in her nieces lives as they figure out who they are and what they want.
November 9, 2020
The novel gets off to a sort of rocky start--almost boring--but it picks up and turns into a charming if very fictional account of the eldest cousins who are nieces of writer Jane Austen, and who are navigating their coming-of-age adventures. Jane Austen appears as the wise, slightly formidable, and sort of mysterious aunt who guides them with hints and looks.
Note that you have to suspend your knowledge of the realities of this family. The girls are said to be 16 when they start attending balls. Since they were both born in 1793, this should mean the novel starts in the spring of 1809. But Aunt Jane is already a published author in this novel and has a third book almost ready to go. In reality that would have meant this novel started in the spring of 1813 and continued a little over a year into the fall of 1814. But then this novel has Fanny's mother die in childbirth in the fall of the first year of the book's action. In reality that happened in October 1808, when Fanny was 15. Both cousins are introduced as Miss Austen; but in reality Edward Austen had to take the surname Knight in 1812, and his children would have had to add it to their names too, so Fanny would have been introduced as Miss Knight in 1813. Fanny's younger sister Lizzie gets engaged in this novel. Lizzie was born, in reality, in January 1800. If this novel were set in 1809-1810, she'd be far too young to be getting engaged. If you think it's set in 1813-1814, she's still too young even in that society, so you have to assume that the author decided to make her closer in age to Fanny than she really was. The novel also suggests that Jane Austen made more money on her novels than was actually the case. She made only a little over £220 on both her first two books, and before publishing her 3rd novel, she couldn't have paid that ransom demand, let alone buy all the things she's suggested as having been able to afford.
Okay, so ignore the facts and enjoy the fiction, because as a story of young ladies of that time figuring out how to establish their own identities within the social constraints of that time and place, it's an insightful tale showing how money made such a difference to what the range of choices were.
Note that you have to suspend your knowledge of the realities of this family. The girls are said to be 16 when they start attending balls. Since they were both born in 1793, this should mean the novel starts in the spring of 1809. But Aunt Jane is already a published author in this novel and has a third book almost ready to go. In reality that would have meant this novel started in the spring of 1813 and continued a little over a year into the fall of 1814. But then this novel has Fanny's mother die in childbirth in the fall of the first year of the book's action. In reality that happened in October 1808, when Fanny was 15. Both cousins are introduced as Miss Austen; but in reality Edward Austen had to take the surname Knight in 1812, and his children would have had to add it to their names too, so Fanny would have been introduced as Miss Knight in 1813. Fanny's younger sister Lizzie gets engaged in this novel. Lizzie was born, in reality, in January 1800. If this novel were set in 1809-1810, she'd be far too young to be getting engaged. If you think it's set in 1813-1814, she's still too young even in that society, so you have to assume that the author decided to make her closer in age to Fanny than she really was. The novel also suggests that Jane Austen made more money on her novels than was actually the case. She made only a little over £220 on both her first two books, and before publishing her 3rd novel, she couldn't have paid that ransom demand, let alone buy all the things she's suggested as having been able to afford.
Okay, so ignore the facts and enjoy the fiction, because as a story of young ladies of that time figuring out how to establish their own identities within the social constraints of that time and place, it's an insightful tale showing how money made such a difference to what the range of choices were.
April 4, 2020
The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley is a valiant attempt at a charming read, Jane Austen style, that only goes awry when it moves away from a Jane Austen 'happily-ever-after' ending.
The first half of the book very much feels true to form. The two cousins are vying for husbands, there's the awkward lord, the irritating clergy-man, a number of balls where the girls can mingle with other eligible bachelors, an overbearing mother, and a distracted father.
Mrs. Austen is almost, word for word, a reenactment of Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. I know this because I've just rewatched the 1995 classic with Colin Firth. I don't know if this is a conscious decision on the part of the author or not. I thought it was, and I thought it a good decision, but it gets squandered along the way. Mr. Austen is not quite Mr. Bennett because he's never fully developed as a character, and neither Fanny or Anne has the spark and wit of Elizabeth Bennett.
From about 50% the book gets 'messy.' It doesn't seem to be doing anything other than trying to tell too many stories at once, which in such a short novel means that none of them are truly well developed. Eventually, the story just seems to come to an end, but not the end, which must be found in the author's notes.
Now, I know this book is a young adult story. As an effort to engage younger readers with Jane Austen's writing, it is a really good, but in mingling the fictional and the historical fiction (AKA fact), and trying to give the girls more than just the desire to find a husband as their reason in life, and to somehow make the Jane Austen character actually do something, it all becomes a tangled mess, without the satisfaction of a happily-ever-after for either of the two cousins. (I'm thinking along the lines of the ending of Season 1 of Sanditon). I know that my 'teens' would not enjoy the ending of this book. They're still traumatised by the ending of Little Women and found Emma far more satisfying.
This is a real shame.
The first half of the book very much feels true to form. The two cousins are vying for husbands, there's the awkward lord, the irritating clergy-man, a number of balls where the girls can mingle with other eligible bachelors, an overbearing mother, and a distracted father.
Mrs. Austen is almost, word for word, a reenactment of Mrs. Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. I know this because I've just rewatched the 1995 classic with Colin Firth. I don't know if this is a conscious decision on the part of the author or not. I thought it was, and I thought it a good decision, but it gets squandered along the way. Mr. Austen is not quite Mr. Bennett because he's never fully developed as a character, and neither Fanny or Anne has the spark and wit of Elizabeth Bennett.
From about 50% the book gets 'messy.' It doesn't seem to be doing anything other than trying to tell too many stories at once, which in such a short novel means that none of them are truly well developed. Eventually, the story just seems to come to an end, but not the end, which must be found in the author's notes.
Now, I know this book is a young adult story. As an effort to engage younger readers with Jane Austen's writing, it is a really good, but in mingling the fictional and the historical fiction (AKA fact), and trying to give the girls more than just the desire to find a husband as their reason in life, and to somehow make the Jane Austen character actually do something, it all becomes a tangled mess, without the satisfaction of a happily-ever-after for either of the two cousins. (I'm thinking along the lines of the ending of Season 1 of Sanditon). I know that my 'teens' would not enjoy the ending of this book. They're still traumatised by the ending of Little Women and found Emma far more satisfying.
This is a real shame.
March 4, 2021
"Oh, what nonsense," said Fanny's mother sharply. "A girl needs a husband. Ideally a lord, it's true, but any gentleman of good birth and good fortune will do perfectly well."
Aunt Jane's intense silence might have signalled her disagreement.
Very engaging writing style, but the story itself was kind of confusing?
June 5, 2020
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Thank you Bloomsbury for this book in exchange for an honest review
The Austen Girls is based around the lives of the Austen family but in particular the young lives of Fanny and Anna. They have hit the age of being socially allowed to attend balls and find themselves a husband. Stumbling across Mr Drummer, Fanny thinks that she has found her soul mate until he is set of for a crime he didn’t commit. Fanny desperate to see Mr Drummer free, set out and investigates the crime herself. Along the way, Fanny realises that life isn’t just about finding yourself a husband as her Aunt Jane steps in to assist.
While this is a cute, fun and interesting take on one of the greatest literary minds to date, I found the pace of the book to be rather slow. But I think the book was more inclined to invite a younger audience to the Austen world and not soo much for those that already have a love and appreciation for Austen already.
The characters were likeable and bold (or as bold as females were permitted in that time anyway) but were also enjoyable as well. I more enjoyed the appearance of Jane Austen and the glimpse into the life of writing books and the strong female voice that influences Fanny and Anna’s life and their choices. Because just in case you didn’t know females have more in life then marrying and having children.
Overall it was a quick and fun-ish read, but I feel as though I have read this storyline one too many times before but again, I think this was more inclined for the younger readers out there.
Bookstagram
Website
Thank you Bloomsbury for this book in exchange for an honest review
The Austen Girls is based around the lives of the Austen family but in particular the young lives of Fanny and Anna. They have hit the age of being socially allowed to attend balls and find themselves a husband. Stumbling across Mr Drummer, Fanny thinks that she has found her soul mate until he is set of for a crime he didn’t commit. Fanny desperate to see Mr Drummer free, set out and investigates the crime herself. Along the way, Fanny realises that life isn’t just about finding yourself a husband as her Aunt Jane steps in to assist.
While this is a cute, fun and interesting take on one of the greatest literary minds to date, I found the pace of the book to be rather slow. But I think the book was more inclined to invite a younger audience to the Austen world and not soo much for those that already have a love and appreciation for Austen already.
The characters were likeable and bold (or as bold as females were permitted in that time anyway) but were also enjoyable as well. I more enjoyed the appearance of Jane Austen and the glimpse into the life of writing books and the strong female voice that influences Fanny and Anna’s life and their choices. Because just in case you didn’t know females have more in life then marrying and having children.
Overall it was a quick and fun-ish read, but I feel as though I have read this storyline one too many times before but again, I think this was more inclined for the younger readers out there.
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