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Miss Austen

By: Gill Hornby
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Sunday Times best-seller, and set to be a major TV drama.

A wonderfully original, emotionally complex novel that delves into why Cassandra burned a treasure trove of letters written by her sister, Jane Austen – an act of destruction that has troubled academics for centuries.

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....

Based on a literary mystery that has long puzzled biographers and academics, Miss Austen is a wonderfully original and emotionally complex novel about the loves and lives of Cassandra and Jane Austen.

©2020 Gill Hornby (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Without romanticising its period setting or underplaying the precariousness of any woman’s position in this society, it celebrates unexamined lives, sisterhood and virtues such as kindness and loyalty." (Sunday Times)

"The perfect book to wrap yourself around on a dark night." (STYLIST)

"So good, so intelligent, so clever, so entertaining - I adored it." (Claire Tomalin)

What listeners say about Miss Austen

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Loved it

I loved every second of this book! The family tree was a bit confusing at times but that didn’t take away from it.

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Miss Austen by Gill Hornby

what an interesting Family always Traveling & They have compasion for everyone ..Thank you everyone
I'll catch you all at the Hamptons
lol 💜💜💜💜

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delightful

excellent narrator, makes the story a treat for Austen lovers and those who enjoy a well researched historical drama

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A must for lovers of Jane Austen

Highly recommend this book if you enjoy Jane Austen's work. it's a treat. A family tree would help!

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4 people found this helpful

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Satisfied lover of all things Jane Austen

Very well written and narrated. It brought into sharp focus how precious and truly satisfying relationships between women can be, and most especially, between some sisters. I cannot imagine Jane Austen herself finding any fault with it. It really touched my heart, and it left me longing to be able to let my dear deceased sister what she’d meant to me.

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Miss Austen

A thoroughly enjoyable book for Jane Austen lovers. Highly recommended. Both content and narration were excellent.

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Just delightful

Beautifully researched and written. How precious sisters - blood or not - are, to get through life.

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Wonderfully interesting

Such a fascinating view into thee lives of the Austen family.
Loved how the story revealed the influences that informed Jane Austens books.
Great narration.

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