Cassandra's Sister: Growing Up Jane Austen -- Veronica Bennett

From Cassandra's Sister:

Serious plans were afoot, then, to bring Cass and Tom together at Godmersham.  Did Jenny's exclusion from these discussions signal her exclusion from the party?  If so, it would not be for the first time.  Three years' difference in age did matter sometimes, however often people commented on how inseparable the sisters were.  Cass was regarded as a woman--twenty-one, calm and practical, blissfully engaged to an equally level-headed man--while Jenny was still seen as a fledgling woman, half-formed, without her sister's polished manners, and her head always full of questions no one seemed able to answer.

I really enjoyed Veronica Bennett's novel about Mary Shelley, so I was excited about picking this one up -- and it didn't disappoint.  Like Angelmonster, it is a fictionalized retelling.  Yes, the book contains facts about her life, but much of the story is imagined. 

Fans of Austen's books will recognize character traits and social situations, but it isn't necessary to have read her work to enjoy the book.  Jenny's hopes and fears and frustrations (and for some, her ambition) will be familiar to readers regardless of their knowledge of Jane Austen's novels. 

It's a quiet book.  I found it completely engrossing and also comforting, though it did have me feeling quite melancholy by the end of the epilogue.  I'd give it (of course) to teen fans of Austen, but also to readers of historical fiction and aspiring writers.

Comments

[Kelly Fineman]

As a person working on a biography of Jane (of sorts), I found the author's note troubling - "we're free to make it up" isn't any way to write a biography, or a novel where the main character is so darn famous.

[Leila]

I could see that. How much information do we have about her life? Bennett mentioned in the author's note that Cassandra burned all of Jane's letters (or as many as she could find) after her death* -- so it did make me wonder how much we know for certain. (If you're working on a bio, you're the perfect one for me to ask!)

*Jane's death, I mean, obviously.

[anonomous]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very good book to read and very intrigging. When you start reading this book, you can not really bring yourself to stop and put the book down if you need to. This book was very e
enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good sit down and read on a rainy day type book.