Godmersham Park: The Sunday Times top ten bestseller by the acclaimed author of Miss Austen

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It focuses so much on these three characters and tangentially on Elizabeth Austen, her daughter, Miss Harris and some other character that appears in the form of a "cameo", that later it is difficult to understand the relationship with other characters such as Cassandra or Edward, who was the master of the house, but appears very little, although it is natural because he delegated the house to his wife.

En este caso se habla de Anne Sharp, institutriz en la casa de Edward y Elizabeth Austen, que da nombre al título, y se basa en una ficcionalización de los hechos descritos en el diario de Fanny Austen, sobrina de la conocidad autora, así como en los hechos reales de los que se tiene conocimiento sobre esta mujer. Con respecto a la posible atracción homosexual o bisexual, esta parte es algo problemática para mí, porque Anne admite querer a los dos, pero en esa época, ni siquiera reflexiona si sus sentimientos por Jane son "naturales" o no, algo que debería haberse desarrollado, pero todo es muy rápido y acaba pronto, con una Jane que ni siquiera percibe esto en su amiga, y que sólo la puede corresponder con amistad, y para mí queda algo confuso. However, we see her navigate the day to day life of a servant in such a house when she joins the family on several events. Fanny wants to learn correct opinions on given subjects by rote and titters at the idea of foreign travel, proclaiming that she never even wants to leave Kent.Henry Austen, Jane's favorite brother, well known for his charm, also dominates the story to a degree I had not expected, but I was never entirely sure what his function was in the novel, or his game. Godmersham Park” es el nombre de una casa que perteneció a uno de los hermanos de Jane Austen, Edward, quien fue adoptado por unos familiares ricos pero sin hijos.

Her new one, Godmersham Park, is also inspired by the Austens, telling the story of Anne Sharp, who became one of Jane’s closest friends after taking up the position of governess to her niece, Fanny. Anne appears to have become an important friend to Jane; a letter to her was one of the last that Jane wrote shortly before her death in 1817, and she also sent a copy of "Emma," the last book published in her lifetime, to Miss Sharp. There is a running thread through the novel as Anne tries to discover why her father has disinherited her while also trying to find some security in her position at Godmersham Park. I enjoyed Hornby’s previous novel Miss Austen, which imagines Cassandra Austen’s life after Jane’s passing. I admit that this is a fictionalization of a true fact, and therefore, it is open to doubts and interpretations, but I appreciate the book for showing this "hidden figure" that shows the reality of working women of a certain class at that time.

Muy confusa con el triángulo entre Henry, Anne y Jane (a su pesar, pues Jane no ve a Anne más que como una buena amiga todo el rato, como otra hermana). While these flashbacks are usually fine, they do occasionally interrupt the flow of the story, ripping you from the present and thrusting you into another time and place. I enjoyed Gill Hornby’s previous novel, Miss Austen, about the life of Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra. The story highlights how powerless even smart, independent-thinking, well-bred women were: without a man you were utterly vulnerable.

Austen even gifted her a first edition of Emma and it has been theorised that the heroine of Persuasion was named for her. Godmersham Park’s style, pacing, and tone were no surprise after experiencing Hornsby’s earlier Miss Austen. At the same time it is a beautifully written and evocative story peopled by well observed, rounded characters.

It succeeds as a page-turning romp on its own terms, but also manages once again to give agency and interest to a minor figure in Austen’s life who has otherwise been ignored by biographers and scholars. That meant there were several storylines that looked like they were going to go somewhere but were never mentioned again.