This was a lovely gentle read. An imagining of the life of Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra, trying to retrieve letters that Jane wrote to Eliza Fowle, to avoid any scandal and preserve the reputation of her often outspoken sister.
It is a story of sisterly love, loss, grief, and the place of women in society at the time. Whilst Jane had created strong, independent women her novels also showed the fate of women, particularly spinsters, and how society viewed them and indeed discarded them once there was no man to safeguard the household. This book echo’s that, and shows that Jane’s discourse on a woman’ place was a true reflection of what was happening at the time.
The book takes place in 1840 after Jane’s death, while the letters transport Cassie back to 1795, and shows how her remembrance of events is different to her sisters. This is in no way a biography, but is instead a mingling of fact and fiction, to give us an insight into Jane’s family life and her loving relationship with her less famous older sister.
The female characters are written about in more depth than the male characters, but perhaps this is intentional. These women, often in the shadow of the men at the time, being brought to the fore. There is a humour and warmth to the writing, and it is very akin to Jane’s own writing style, albeit with a more modern feel to the language and grammar.
This is a simple, slow story, where the drama is muted and life lived at a gentler pace. It is an insight into the sisterly bond of the Austen’s and a woman’s view of society. A pleasurable and easy Sunday afternoon read.
It is a story of sisterly love, loss, grief, and the place of women in society at the time. Whilst Jane had created strong, independent women her novels also showed the fate of women, particularly spinsters, and how society viewed them and indeed discarded them once there was no man to safeguard the household. This book echo’s that, and shows that Jane’s discourse on a woman’ place was a true reflection of what was happening at the time.
The book takes place in 1840 after Jane’s death, while the letters transport Cassie back to 1795, and shows how her remembrance of events is different to her sisters. This is in no way a biography, but is instead a mingling of fact and fiction, to give us an insight into Jane’s family life and her loving relationship with her less famous older sister.
The female characters are written about in more depth than the male characters, but perhaps this is intentional. These women, often in the shadow of the men at the time, being brought to the fore. There is a humour and warmth to the writing, and it is very akin to Jane’s own writing style, albeit with a more modern feel to the language and grammar.
This is a simple, slow story, where the drama is muted and life lived at a gentler pace. It is an insight into the sisterly bond of the Austen’s and a woman’s view of society. A pleasurable and easy Sunday afternoon read.