I adore this author and this book was a brilliant read and one that is perfect to escape for a few hours and loose yourself.
Characters that fall out of the pages of the book and make you fell apart of the story, the setting comes alive and captured is well with words.
A great read. that I would highly recommend.

I was really looking forward to this, but having read it I can't make up my mind what to think about it. It has witty moments. It took a bit of getting into, then I felt that it got going and I started to enjoy it, but I felt like it petered out a bit at the end, and I've had trouble articulating what I though it was trying to be/do - so either I've missed something or it hasn't quite managed what it was trying to do. A puzzle.

1840. Over twenty years after the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the Fawles residence. The house is soon to change hands. Cassandra knows that somewhere in the house are hidden letters from Jane to the previous owner. Letters that hide many personal aspects of Jane Austen's life. As the guardian of her fame, Cassandra is not willing to let those fall into the wrong hands. So, she's determined to find and destroy them. But what was in those lost letters? And why does Cassandra feel she needs to protect her sister's untold story?

Miss Austen is a heartbreakingly beautiful story that gives a fictional answer to the real-life question of why Cassandra Austen chose to destroy the majority of her sister's letters. Beautifully written, it evokes a great sense of love and grief, as it takes the reader through tender, happy, and tragic moments of the life of the Austens.

Miss Austen is a book you can't help but fall in love with. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. Jane Austen fans in particular will love it!

Cassandra Austen - the Miss Austen of the title , visits the home of close family friends 23 years after the death of her sister Jane . She is not a welcome guest as the women of the family are busy packing up the vicarage to move out , she is elderly ,obviously looking for something and gets in the way. The premise of this novel is based on historical fact that Cassandra was the gatekeeper of Janes legacy and reputation .It is beautifully written and reads almost like a Jane Austen novel itself .The story intersperses Cassandra’s present day with her memories and excerpts of imagined letters from Jane her family and friends.
It is a glimpse into the stifling lives of single unmarried women in the 19th Century and how their fate was dependent on the goodwill of their male relatives. Lovely book to read

I love Jane Austen, she’s one of the authors that got me into reading in the first place so to read about her through the (fictionalised) eyes of someone who loved her dearly was great but it was even more of a brilliant read because we got to see Cassandra - Jane’s much forgotten sister. Cassandra was the pillar of the family, keeping them together when they were poor and moving around. Her characterisation in this book was something I could relate to - I often push aside my thoughts and feelings to look after others because I feel like they’re feelings are more important. It’s a habit I need to break.
I highly recommend this book to any fans of Jane Austen or her books.

This is an enjoyable book, looking at the life of Cassandra Austen, sister of the famous Jane.

It is interesting to see the fates of many women in the Austen and Fowle families. It does show the progress of feminism!

It was at times confusing to remember who everyone was but was very enjoyable.

Cassandra Austen’s purpose in coming to Kintbury had been to remove all that might reflect badly upon Jane or the legacy of the Austen family: that was the brief she had given herself. But, the letters that she burned weren't of incriminating behaviour of Jane, as she had assumed. In fact, some of them were personally intrusive of her own life rather than her famous sister Jane Austen. So, what was the justification that she agreed with herself to burn the nearly three thousand letters that Jane wrote during her lifetime?

In this deeply moving and emotionally complex imaginative novel by Gill Hornby, Miss Austen, the author attempts to reenact and the interpret the thoughts and actions of Cassandra Austen as she searches to destroy any and all letters that might tarnish the Austen legacy.

The narrative is set in the 1800s, a time when Jane Austen is dead, and her works have achieved a certain level of celebrity reverence, which acts as propellant for Cassandra to protect the legacy. You empathise with her, given the skeletons that tumble out of celebrities cupboards these days.

The author doesn't play around and we start right of at the point when Cassandra, who is now in her late 60s, turns up uninvited at the house of the Fowles, her late fiancé’s family, in Kintbury, to pay her respect to Isabella Fowles on her father’s death. This polite gesture hides her real purpose of visit, to recover the letters that Jane wrote to Isabella’s mother, Eliza.

Once the letters are found; it is not a spoiler, Cassandra re-lives the painful memories of her youthful days she shared with her sister, her glowing memories of her fiancé, her family and of her second chance at love wistfully. The narrative switches from the past to the present, through letters we learn of worrying family fortunes, romantic hope and disappointment, and of sacrifices made for family and a sense of duty, all tropes that will be familiar to Austen readers.

Reading the book, I felt immense delight and pleasure as the author has convincingly created a world of Jane Austen where kindness reigns supreme with acts of goodness touching humour and caustic wit, elements that often had me believe that I was maybe reading a Jane Austen novel.

What a delightful novel this is! It has taken known facts from the lives of Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra and woven a poignant story around them. Miss Austen is Cassandra, portrayed as an ageing woman, after Jane's death, wanting to retrieve personal letters and edit them for posterity, as she does not want some personal details to come to light. It is easy to be angry with these actions in our longing to know what secrets she tried to hide and this examines Cassandra's motivations. It is a well-written imagining of what may have been.

A must read for all fans of Jane Austen! Years after the death of her famous sister, Cassandra goes in search of a cache of letters written by Jane to a friend. She needs to find them to preserve the secrets they contain. This charming, well written book offers insights into the wonderful relationship between the sisters , the shared laughter , sorrows and dreams. I loved it

Such a delightful novel. I am normally skittish about liking a novel set around a favourite author, but Gill Hornby does a superb job of imagining Cassandra Austen’s life as the beloved sister of Jane Austen. We know that Cassandra burned most of Jane’s letters; the author imagines what some of them may have said in this story, along with fleshing out how their lives could have been at the various stages depicted in the letters.

What came home to me so clearly was how tough life was as a spinster woman who was fully dependent on a man for their home, food, and everything.

Not only well crafted, but fully enjoyable. Five stars from a reluctant five-star giver!

I loved 'Miss Austen' . The book is a poignant and beautifully written story of Cassandra Austen and her weeding of Jane's letters interspersed with her past. The characters are skillfully drawn and as an Austen fan it is a delight to see Cassandra in more depth.

Gill Hornby brings to the fore the discomforts and awkwardness of the single ladies of the era. Most of us are familiar with the roles of females in Georgian society and it was fascinating to see this up close, especially with the contrast between Cassandra and Isabella. Revisiting her past with Jane and Tom is deeply sad yet still manages to be witty and uplifting.

I was so absorbed by Miss Austen and pulled in so many emotional directions that I didn't want it to end. I turned straight back to page one and began again.

I completed a short university distance learning course on Jane Austen so was interested to see how this book compared and I’m pleased to say I was not disappointed. The book begins in 1840 when Miss Cassandra Austen, now an elderly spinster lady, visits Kingsbury the home of The Fowle family, relatives of her long dead fiancé. It is Cassandra’s mission to recover letters written to Eliza Fowle by her late sister Jane whose reputation Cassandra strives to protect. Cassandra arrives at a most inconvenient time as the family are packing up to move to new premises in readiness for the next incumbent. Kintbury is currently occupied by Isabelle Fowle unmarried youngest daughter of the late Rev, Fowle. The story moves back and forth between between the past and present. Cassandra recalls her first visit to Kintbury as the young bride to be of Tom Fowle unfortunately killed at war. Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and reads of the secrets they hold not only of Jane but Cassandra too. Cassandra must decide whether to destroy the letters which give an insight into the sisters past lives and the love which clearly existed between the two sisters and their close family members. The book in looking at the past and also via the letters illustrates the family , the places they lived and life in general for a Georgian family, love, poverty, and often loneliness experienced by them especially Cassandra and Jane who were the only girls and therefore particularly close. A lovely delightful book which I enjoyed enormously.

Fans of Jane Austen will love this book.
The way it is written one could believe that Jane herself is writing it.
Based on historical evidence it hypothetically tells how her elder sister Cassandra destroys some of the letters that Jane has written because she thought it would place Jane in a bad light and destroy her reputation.
While Cassandra is reading these letters you are taken back to events in the Austen family life and get to live the lives of this famous family.
Just loved it

Cassandra, the central character in this novel is Jane Austen's beloved sister. Cassandra, now that she is getting older, is concerned that the letters thst were shared among the family will fall I to the wrong hands and destroy Jane's reputation. We learn of the loyalty these sisters has for each other and the loss of Cassandra's fiancé. It's a fictitious look into what led Cassandra to burn two thirds of her sisters letters and tries to preserve her sisters reputation.

Cassandra thought she was doing the right thing when she burnt her sisters letters. Cassandra was ot just Jane's sister buther friend and confidant as well. This is a witty and charming story that's and at times in the same style as Jane Austen. I found this to be an engaging read. I was drawn in from the beginning. Fans of Jane Austen will love this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Gill Hornby for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elegantly written, it's gentle compelling style is so refreshing. The characters are well described and their quirky natures sympathetically revealed.
The plight of the unmarried woman who must seek help from family memberships for their survival is to modern women unbelievable.
Cassandra is her sister Jane's best friend, supporter and confident, Jane's wit and insight give the novel a refreshing take on the everyday lives and difficulties of that age. Having good intentions is not always sufficient if one does not know the full story.

The book was beautifully written and really made me feel like I was privy to Cassandra Austen's actual diary. The story was woven seamlessly between the letters, Cassandra's history with Jane and her present day situations all whilst maintaining the themes that make Jane Austen's books so loved: Romance, Sisterhood and stunning locations.

Would 100% recommend for any fan of Jane Austen, but also for anyone who wants to explore this historical era further, especially the different roles women play in society.

‘Her purpose in coming to Kintbury had been to remove all that might reflect badly upon Jane or the legacy: that was the brief she had given herself.’

I love all things Austen. So it was with great interest that a story has been written about her sister, Cassandra. With the spotlight always on the talented Jane, it was refreshing to come across a tale from a differing perspective. There was always much controversy as to why Cassandra in her later years, destroyed all letters and correspondence concerning her famous sister. So here the author, Gill Hornby, has imagined how and why Cassandra undertook such a task.

The novel alternates between the time Cassandra was actually collecting the letters, and with them in her hands to read and reflect, to another time, back on the actual events that gave rise to them. All these snippets of information that have been lost to history, are now imagined (by the author) through both the reasoning of Cassandra and musings on the actual events that saw them come to pass.

I found the time period of Cassandra retrieving and destroying the letters are struggle. Not a lot goes on. She is determined to protect everything concerning her sister and there is a small side story to accompany that. Even the flashbacks to the imagined conversations of when Jane was alive - although seemingly commendable in capturing the voice of the time - still lacks that full engagement. This is not a complex tale at all. It meanders gently through the years, with often sad outcomes for the reasoning behind well known events.

If you are looking for something new and riveting, then this is not the book for you. What you do read is the story of a sister and her family, the struggles and personal (possible) reasoning behind this most famous family’s correspondence. Jane Austen devotees are sure to appreciate this new interpretation. Personally, I struggled with the slowness. Initially intrigued as to why Cassandra would deny the world a window into Jane’s thinking, I felt this promising premise fell short.

What I do feel warrants a mention is the definite social commentary on the plight of unmarried women and being a spinster in this time. The author has completed valid research and it really is rather sad how women struggled when not, through choice or otherwise, in a position to be married.

‘... thinking that this was the thing by which she would be defined from here on. She would have no other opportunity. Her future was to be denied her. She would have no marriage to succeed in, no vicarage to run, no children to raise. This was to be the test of Miss–forever, eternally Miss–Cassandra Austen.’


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I would like to thank netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the later life of Cassandra Austen, the beloved older sister to Jane. Cassandra is on a mission to control which of Jane's letters are left behind and to destroy any that may damage her reputation. As she reads the letters, events unfold in the present along with flashbacks.

Hornby does a good job of imagining the contents of letters we don't have and of showing the real Jane and Cassandra Austen.

Gill Horby has written a book that, for me, made Cassandra live and breathe. Very much in the shadow of her younger sister, Cassandra was someone I knew little about before reading this book and I have come to understand how significant she was to Jane, to Jane's writing, and to Jane's legacy for us.
Using the letters which did survive Cassandra's cull, and the history of the people and places associated with the Austen family's life, Gill Horby has imaginatively - and very believably - filled in the gaps. What is it the Cassandra didn't want to become public? What 'scandal' did she want to keep hidden? Hornby weaves quotes from the letters, events from the lives of the people concerned, and her own insights and imaginings into a very readable account. Literary history has not been kind to Cassandra but through reading this book I came to understand her, and to have sympathy for the way she coped with the sadness of losing first her fiance and then her much loved sister by selflessly caring for others.
I loved this book - and may even read it again. Just as I can read, and re-read, Jane's books!

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby
This novel looks at the life of Cassandra Austen, Jane’s lesser known sister. Her life is told through letters which she discovers as she returns to Kintbury to pack up the belongings of Isabella. Cassandra is looking for letters, sent by Jane, which could give people an unwanted insight into Jane’s private life. We discover that Cassandra, like Isabella, is a spinster and therefore a burden on her family. It is clear that Cassandra had no control over her own destiny and she was reliant on her brothers to provide for her needs and those of her mother. It is a novel which will be of interest to those who are keen Janeites and there is a good deal of historical detail.
This was an engaging read and I would like to thank Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.