"1840: 23 years after the death of her famous sister Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury, and the home of her family's friends, the Fowles. She knows that, in some dusty corner of the sprawling vicarage, there is a cache of family letters which hold secrets she is desperate should not be revealed. As Cassandra recalls her youth and her relationship with her brilliant yet complex sister, she pieces together buried truths about Jane's history, and her own. And she faces a stark choice: should she act to protect Jane's reputation? Or leave the contents of the letters to go unguarded into posterity."

The book highlights the plight of women in those times, who were considered next to nothing when not married - sometimes by their own family. Evenings without a male companion were considered dull... This makes Cassandra's decision to stay unmarried, even though she seems to really like Mr. Hobday, a bit implausible. Don't get me wrong, if faced with someone like Mr. Collins I totally agree that, even when faced with poverty, marriage was not an option ;-) But with lovely and wealthy Mr. Hobday? She is portrayed as such a dutiful daughter and sister and could have provided for her mother and sister much better if she had married him. Instead they are dependent on their brothers, the richest of them not even thinking of helping them by himself.

Reserved for aava.

Sent to aava in Finland to reduce her wishlist. Enjoy 😊

I am truly sorry for not journaling the book before now. As it happened it went to wrong post office and my friend did not remember to give the package to me. But all is with the book(s) and now I a looking forward reading them. Especially Miss Austen seems to be perfect for this stressful times. Actually I already started reading it.

So thank you so much for sending me the books. I wish you a peaceful Christmas time!

***This was quite good read for this time. A glimpse to the history of Jane Austen and her family life and the society which was so cruel for unmarried women at the time. Thanks so much for this one, Miss Austen will travel on.

From the Kerava mini-meet-up today. I have to admit that I haven´t read anything by Austen, but I´ve literally stood on top of her grave (part of a cathedral floor), seen the house where she died and visited the Jane Austen Centre (they don´t want to call it a museum, which it is) in Bath. I´ve seen the film, but perhaps one day I will actually read Pride and Prejudice…
I do know a few Austen fans, so this book will certainly find a new home once I`ve finished it.

Pic: Standing on her gravestone in Winchester Cathedral.

The Austen grandparents had a disabled son who lived away from the family. I guess that was the done thing way back then and even a bit later; my grandfather had a disabled sister who was placed into another family and I think she lived to be around 70 yrs - quite a long time to be placed elsewhere. Mom remembered visiting her once as a child, but for example my cousins didn't know she even existed. One of them had a severly disabled child herself and was of course quite shocked.

Pic: From London Vet Show lecture: "What did John F. Kennedy and Jane Austen have in common? - Addison's disease."

Not quite my cup of tea, so didn't read for too long. I had assumed that after reading suitable Christmas present books around the clock in November and December I would be able to choose whatever I liked and read it idly - ha! I joined the Finnish birthday group and I have a list arm long saying what I need to read by which date - gosh I wish they all were born in December!
This book is reserved to a Jane Austen fan born in February.

Happy Birthday to an Austen fan. Didn't see this in your bookshelf.

Thank you ever so much!