The Austen Girls

By Author / Illustrator

Lucy Worsley

Genre

Historical Fiction

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

ISBN

9781526605450

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-04-2020

Synopsis

Would she ever find a real-life husband? Would she even find a partner to dance with at tonight's ball? She just didn't know. Anna Austen has always been told she must marry rich. Her future depends upon it. While her dear cousin Fanny has a little more choice, she too is under pressure to find a suitor. But how can either girl know what she wants? Is finding love even an option? The only person who seems to have answers is their Aunt Jane. She has never married. In fact, she's perfectly happy, so surely being single can't be such a bad thing? The time will come for each of the Austen girls to become the heroines of their own stories. Will they follow in Jane's footsteps? In this witty, sparkling novel of choices, popular historian Lucy Worsley brings alive the delightful life of Jane Austen as you've never seen it before.

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Reviews

This is a really enjoyable historical fiction book from Lucy Worsley that follows Fanny and her cousin, Anna, as they make their debut onto the marriage market watched closely by their mysterious and unusual Aunt Jane. This is a witty and lighthearted look at some of the issues girls faces in this period, where marriage wasn't always about compatibility or love, but about class, status and financial security. This book touches lightly on some deep and serious issues but remains entertaining and positive.

320 pages / Reviewed by Jessica Locke, school librarian