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

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If they did not marry, they were at the mercy of their fathers or brothers, and had no real rights of their own. I was quite transported by Godmersham Park, which often feels as if from Austen’s own pen, perhaps melded with a less Gothic version of Charlotte Brontes’ Jane Eyre. This seems quite unfair given how little evidence there seems to be about her personality either way.

Contending with crippling headaches, mistreatment by the cook and staff, constrained in a limited role, lonely and uncertain, Anne also has another problem.

The book starts with Anne's arrival at Godmersham Park; it's evident she's come down considerably in the world, and eventually we learn why.

It was particularly interesting to read about Anne’s experience of working as a governess and how she struggled to find her place within the household, not being fully accepted either as one of the family or one of the servants.As for the ending, I had mixed feelings, but appreciated it after I read the author’s note about the characters’ subsequent years. The lack of concrete information about Anne Sharp does however leave authors of historical fiction rather a lot of room for creativity and I was interested to see how Hornby chose to play it. I appreciated the concluding notes that explained where the author dove entirely into fiction and where she attempted to stay close to her source materials. The arrival of several of the Austens’ extended family members, however, injects some levity and happiness into her life. lurks offstage in the Arcadia of "Emma" as the thing that Jane Fairfax must do, keeps postponing, and is eventually rescued from in the nick of time by the handy death of Mrs.