Jane Austen's Cousin: The Outlandish Countess de Feuillide

by Geri Walton

Eliza de Feuillide seemed fascinating and outlandish to her cousins in rural eighteen century England. When she visited their village, her appearance was electrifying. She was an attractive, accomplished French countess with a vivacious personality who inspired their imaginations and regaled them with stories of life in London and Paris where she hobnobbed with French nobility and wore the latest fashions. One of these impressionable younger cousins would find Eliza's stories so fascinating that she would incorporate elements of Eliza's life into some of the most famous novels in English literature. This cousin was Jane Austen.

Yet Eliza's life was not as glamorous as Jane or her Austen cousins might have thought. She faced many tragedies in her life that wealth and social class could not protect her against. She was also forced to adapt and re-examine her priorities in a way that would dramatically change her life choices and result in a more sedate lifestyle.

Read about the perseverance and courage of the real person behind several fictional characters in Jane Austen's writings and novels and the deeper connection Eliza had to the Austen family.

Genres: Jane Austen, Nonfiction, Biography

152 pages, Hardcover

Published May 11, 2021

About the author

Geri Walton has long been fascinated by history and the people who create it. As a child growing up in a large family in Utah, she loved to sit around in a big circle with family members, sharing stories. Her father’s many stories—from not only his own childhood but the lives of their ancestor’s—particularly fascinated her.

After a long career in technical writing and publishing in the computer industry, Geri returned to history as her first love. She worked on several different books, articles, and blog ideas before realizing her passion was around the history and people of the 1700s and 1800s. So, she started her current blog in 2013.

Geri lives in Northern California with her husband, son, and two Pomeranians. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, and jogging. She is also a bit of a health nut. Geri graduated summa cum laude with BA in History from San Jose State University.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I read a biography of Jane Austen, I have been captivated by one of her cousins- a most colorful and flirtatious figure. Jane Austen’s cousin Eliza and her mother lived lives that might have graced an Austen novel and, may have…
So, when I spotted this biography that dealt exclusively with Eliza de Feuillide’s life, I couldn’t resist snatching it up to learn more about her and the world she lived in.

The author begins the books with Eliza’s parents’ stories- Philadelphia Austen (older sister to Jane’s father, George) and Tysoe Hancock. Philadelphia was apprenticed as a seamstress, but she had ambitions to be a gentlewoman so daringly sailed for India to meet and marry a lonely doctor, Hancock. Hancock worked for the East India Company and had ambitions to amass a fortune and move back home. In India, the Hancocks became friendly with another East India Company man, Hastings. Rumors abound that Hastings was the true father of Eliza, but he never acknowledge this and neither did her parents if it was so. He did, however, leave her a goodly amount of money as her godfather.

Eliza as the central figure emerges when she is about fifteen and her father dies. Philadelphia takes her to Europe and they settle in Paris. Yes, they crossed paths with Marie Antoinette and the troubles and Eliza was married to a rascal who may or may have not been a true count, but she used the countess title when fleeing back to England. Eventually, Eliza remarries and to Jane Austen’s own handsomest brother, Henry.

I was equal parts interested and distracted. The author, at times, let herself get distracted down rabbit trails that seemed to have little to do with Eliza or contributed to the immediate background of her life and, at other times, she filled in unknown data with speculation that might be entertaining, but also amounted to fiction. Do I think Eliza led a fascinating life and saw more than the average English gentlewoman of Austen’s time? I surely do and I have no problem buying in that her little cousin Jane might have looked up to her and featured her in her stories and novels. Eliza was fun and spirited, generally loved.

I didn’t read much that I didn’t already come across about Eliza from other sources, but it was lovely to have it all compiled into one book about her. As Georgian Era personal stories go, hers is not boring and tedious though, as I said, the background material can slow up the pace. A nice window into the Georgian Era world and another facet into the life of a brilliant English author.

I rec’d this eARC through Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una biografia di Eliza de Feuillide che non aggiunge molto a quello che sapevo già di lei, tenendo presente che non ho neanche letto A Chronology of Jane Austen and Her Family: 1600-2000 di Deirdre Le Faye. A volte l'ho trovata un po' dispersiva, quando torna indietro di decenni per introdurre nuovi personaggi secondari o vecchi accadimenti che influiscono sulla vita di Eliza. Ho trovato i legami con Jane Austen piuttosto trascurati, quando invece il titolo mi faceva supporre che la biografia volesse evidenziare proprio la relazione tra le due cugine. Alcuni particolari mi hanno lasciata un po' perplessa: tanto per cominciare, non transigo che i romanzi di Jane Austen vengano definiti "romantic novels". Poi non ho capito da dove la Walton abbia tratto l'informazione che il testo della lapide di Jane Austen fosse opera di James, quando, consultando il manoscritto nella teca accanto alla sepoltura nella cattedrale di Winchester c'è scritto (in alto a destra) "Henry Austen". Sono un po' delusa.

A biography of Eliza de Feuillide that doesn't add much to the information I already knew about her, considering that I haven't read A Chronology of Jane Austen and Her Family: 1600-2000 by Deirdre Le Faye yet. In some cases I found it a bit dispersive, when Walton goes back several decades to introduce new characters or old facts that occurred and afterwards influenced Eliza's life. I found the links with Jane Austen were sloppy, while the title of the essay made me think that it would be focused on their bond. Some details left me puzzled. For starters, i can't put up with someone who defines Austen's "romantic novels". Then I can't figure out from where Walton took the information that James and not Henry wrote the text for Jane's tombstone in Winchester cathedral, when it can be seen in the glass case besides the burial that it was drafted by Henry Austen.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Pen & Sword Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The subject of this badly written biography is interesting enough, but I found the writing increasingly irritating as I waded through. Where was the editor? The book certainly needed one. I don’t like to be unkind or unduly negative in a review, but this really isn’t a very good book at all. It tells the story of Eliza de Feuillide, Jane Austen’s cousin, a woman who led a fascinating life. But unfortunately the author has chosen to put in every bit of research, relevant or not, which weighs down the narrative. There are far too many digressions and too much historical background, and the whole thing felt more like a school essay than a professional biography. For example, at one point we hear of one of Eliza’s friends and then get a full irrelevant biography, and there’s a story about a John Bellingham who seems to have nothing to do with anything except he happened to be contemporaneous. We don’t need so much information about the French Revolution – it all seems to be padding. Far too much use pf “perhaps”, too. The whole description of Eliza’s flight from France, for which there is no documentation, is simply made up. And why call Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra “Cassandra Elizabeth”? Nowhere else is she called that. The author claims that Eliza is the inspiration for many of Jane Austen’s characters. But was she? Where’s the evidence? And there are actually vocabulary mistakes, with Eliza at one point making use of her feminine “virtues” to flirt – surely not. I’ve carped enough. A disappointing read, and one that could have been so much better.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Austen's Cousin is about the illustrious Eliza whose life is described in detail in this fascinating book. Though she was always independent, extravagant and flirtatious, her life was not easy. We are regaled with stories from her birth to death, including her youth, marriages, children including her beloved disabled son, international travels and sorrowful deaths of those around her. She married Count de Feuillide who really wasn't a count.

In a time of massive class and gender divisions and financial hardship, Eliza's life must have seemed splendid in comparison to most. It was to a certain extent. Very few had her privileges. Eliza's personality must have been arresting...no wonder nieces and nephews thought her exotic. However, her emotional losses would have been enough to crush most people. The author describes events going on at the time including war and executions, attempted carriage robberies and hail wiping out crops,

Jane Austen's inspiration largely came from real people, especially Eliza. I like that though the book is about Eliza, her Austen relatives are also discussed. They are integral. I also enjoy learning and putting puzzle pieces together. Jane Austen has been one of my most loved authors since a little girl and reading anything related to her is such a treat! Every family has stories, including this one. Little did they know centuries ago we would continue to be this enamoured...but we are!

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Jane Austen’s cousin Eliza was an interesting woman, who ended up marrying a French count and losing him to the French Revolution, married her younger cousin and Jane Austen’s favorite brother, Henry, and had a charming, flirtatious personality that is said to have come through in many of Jane’s characters. But just as we often have to infer things with Jane Austen from context, a lot of what we have about Eliza is in a similar. The result is there’s a lot of filling out the book with background info about the French Revolution and Austen family dynamics, and a lot of it is a retread of what Austen fans have read before. There are some nice insights here, and it is well researched, but it is comparatively underwhelming.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Jane Austen’s Cousin’ tells the story of Jane’s older cousin Eliza- a woman who travelled the world, married a ‘count’, and enjoyed living life to the fullest. Family and friends, society and entertainments were the focus of her days and her life contrasts sharply with that of Austen’s. Here, Eliza and her mother are once again given voice and their their lives moved to the front of the story. Although occasionally repetitious and with a few unnecessary side-stories, over all this is a good biography and fills in well aspects of the world Jane herself would have known, if only through letters and newspapers, as well as highlighting more remarkable members of the Austen family.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Leith Devine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Austen’s cousin Eliza was an interesting yet unknown woman. She led a full life as a supposed countess, and had her share of happiness and heartbreak. However, the book is full of extraneous detail and history that I found unnecessary. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Tahlia Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost more about the Jane Austen & the Austen family than about the titular Countess. Sometimes it seemed like Eliza was forgotten altogether until the author suddenly remembered who it was she was supposed to be writing about.

I give this book 3.5 stars; it lost its focus fairly often, but it was an easy and fun read that I was able to polish off in one day.

[The Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is a very well written book and a terribly interested read albeit to Janeites out there. I strongly recommend this book.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting to know Eliza de Feuillide, I hadn't really heard about her before but reallly enjoyed getting to learn about her. The author has an engaging writing style and seemed to know what they were talking about.

[Lorri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliza's vivacious personality and outlandish adventures are smothered under Walton's lifeless prose and stodgy explanations. Jane Austen's fictionalized depictions of her cousin, Eliza, are much more vivid and memorable.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. What a great book. Highly recommend for all Jane Austen fans out there.

[Nicholas Ennos · Rating 3 out of 5]

On Bloom's Taxonomy of Levels of Understanding, this book does not rise above the lowest level, I.e. the mere collation and recall of facts.

[J.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive

Well written and insightful information not just into the Regency Era in England, but also France, which is harder to find.