The Elopement is a charming and witty peek into the Regency era. It’s based on real people (which somehow makes it more fascinating and more heartbreaking - how people treated their own family!), and you can definitely feel the tension and social drama. The characters are mostly warm and well done, and I loved how Hornby mixes in her usual cleverness and humour.



I went in thinking it was going to be a sweet love story, but real-life swoops in. Still, that’s what makes it stick with you. Even though it’s sad, it feels real and relatable.



So, worth a read if you’re into period drama, but brace yourself for a bittersweet finish.

Mary Dorothea Knatchbull lives with her strict father, for whom she is indispensable. When her stepmother, Fanny Knight (Jane Austen's niece), arrives, Mary finds friendship and love with a Mr. Knight. However their expected marriage faces unexpected opposition.

The story explores societal expectations and forbidden love in Regency England. Whilst it is obviously well researched, the narrative occasionally feels more like a detailed historical account than a compelling story.

Fanny Knight, apparently indispensable to her widowed father and her younger siblings, is married for convenience to a local widower, Sir. Edward Knatchbull . She lives her life estranged from Sir Edward’s eldest daughter Mary and has little to do with the younger brothers who are dispatched to boarding schools and family friends in the holidays. She fervently believes that she is central to both families although there is slow and gradual realisation that she is excluded from their thoughts and activities.

The story is told through Fanny’s experiences and those of her stepdaughter, Mary. The two views providing insight into the social customs, traditions, and concerns of English Georgian society and in particular the dangers and risks of pregnancy and child birth.

This is a well researched and beautifully written period drama. The historical detail is a particular strength of this story.

Fanny Knight feels fulfilled as the eldest sister running her father's household but when a local baronet asks for her hand Fanny is thrust into marriage and stepmotherhood. Mary was packed off to school at an early age and does develop a relationship with her cold, distant stepmother but loves her family. When Fanny's brother Ned develops an attachment to Mary disapproval leads to scandal.
This is the next instalment of Hornby's novels based around the family of Jane Austen and its a cracker. What Hornby does so beautifully is that she takes the facts about the family, weaves a story out of them and then writes it as though it were a Jane Austen plot. This could be awkward, or too reverential, but it's not, just a lovely novel of manners, duty and love that is gossamer light. It's a homage on one hand and a lovely piece of summer reading on the other!

An interesting read with flashes of dry wit reminiscent of Jane Austen herself. I found the depictions of Fanny, Mary Dorothea and Cassandra engaging, and the book brought to the fore how dangerous marriage could be for a woman in the past. Motherhood was a harsh physical trial, all too often fatal, and if a wife kept her life she might have to suppress her own personality and needs to suit the whim of her husband.
I felt the title was a little misleading, given how late the elopement occurs and how relatively small an incident it was in the broader sweep of the narrative. However, it was an enjoyable read, and will no doubt appeal to Hornby’s previous readers.

This was a slow starter for me, with the build up to the actual elopement in the title taking over half the book - I think it actually left the ending feeling a little rushed. I felt bought in to the romance, so I would have liked more time to explore it, rather than focusing on the relationship between daughter and step-mother.

That being said, I did rattle through this book at a quicker pace than I anticipated, and very much enjoyed the exploration of the wider extended family dynamics. I particularly liked that all of the characters were flawed in some way - there was no black and white thinking in who was "right" and who was "wrong". Each character had something that made them likeable and something that made them hard to root for at times.

The ending caught me off guard a little and left me feeling a little bereft at the end of what was ultimately a beautifully written story.

1820. Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward – a man of strict principles and high Christian values. But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary’s life is suddenly changed. Austen Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny’s sisters become Mary’s first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chawton, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming. And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an especial bond with one Mr Knight in particular.
Another well written & researched book which drew me in from the start & I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters have lovely depth, the pace is good & it felt true to the era. This is the first book I’ve read by the author but it won’t be the last, I did see & loved the TV adaptation of Miss Austen which drew me to this book
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

Full Review: https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2025/05/19/the-elopement/

This was another book tied into Jane Austen's family members and I really enjoy historical fiction when it's connected to real people but not as well known as say Jane herself. Though it's brilliant we do have instances of Jane Austen in books; it's nice to know more about those that were around her or her peers.

Edward has a happy family and they are quite content at Godmersham. His eldest daughter Fanny has gone off to marry Sir Edward Knatchbull and though it's not a marriage of love it is one that develops into some good affection. She has five step children and Mary Dorothea is the eldest.

The pacing is a bit off on this one compared to her first book. I have to see this one did not hold up as well as the first. I don't mind that we weren't particularly meant to like Fanny Knight but I did feel as if this book had her in it too much because it never truly felt like Mary's book. More Mary and Fanny's and it was disjointed because of that. The prose is still well written and engaging and the characters were quite interesting, making me invested in their outcomes.

There we have it, this beautiful book will be out on shelves May 22 (2025) and I cannot wait to own my physical copy in my hands.

3.5/5 Cups of coffee from me. Thank you so much to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up

1820: Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the safe charge of her widowed father, Sir Efward - a man of principle and high Christian values. But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary's life is suddenly changed. He new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family, and Fanny's sisters become Mary's first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chowton is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amising, but handsome and charming. And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms a special bond with one Mr Knight in particular. Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. They expect opposition. After all, each is from a good family and has known each other for years.

Jane Austen's niece, Fanny Knight, married Sir Edward Knatchbull and became stepmother to Mary Dorothea. The story is told from Fanny and Mary Dorothea's perspectives. It's based on the diaries of Fanny Knatchbull. The characters are well rounded, and it's told in four parts. It's an emotional read. My only complaint - the chapters were far too long.

Published 22nd May 2025

I would like to thank #NetGallley #RandomHouseUK #Cornrstone and the author #GillHornby for my ARC of #TheElopement in exchange for an honest review.

Another book from the author of Miss Austen and very much in the literary style of Jane Austen. This book follows some years later after the event of Godmersham Park, in which we are introduced to Fanny (referred in this and the previous book variously Fanny Austen, Fanny Austen Knight and Fanny Knight). Fanny, now the eldest daughter of the Austen Knight brood at Godmersham Park, is wed to Sir Edward Knatchbull at a relatively early stage in the book. Initial feelings of sympathy to Fanny for her marriage to that widower changed as the book progresses with Fanny often portrayed in a less than sympathetic light. The book reveals much about the expectations of families in this era - marriage for status and development of family connections and the importance of marriage to ones equals or betters was a strong theme just as the competing ideal of marriage for love is emphasised... harking to ideas also evident in Austen's own texts. Again, this is a book that takes some time to read and appreciate. Not my usual type of book but nonetheless an engaging read, delving into Austen era life and which I suspect lovers of Austen's works will again enjoy. With thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The third foray into the world of Jane Austen. This revolves round the two female protagonists namely Fanny Knight and Mary Dorothea Knatchbull who are stepmother and stepdaughter. It revolves around the role, at that time of women in Marriage

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

I am a sucker for these types of books, sequels/prequels to classics; reimaginings of classics; classics from different points of view etc. Of course, with the recent exceptions of Julia and James for example, I am often very disappointed but I never learn.

I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed by this book. At first I found the attempt to write in the Austen style very contrived and clunky but either the writing got better or I got used to it because after a few chapters it no longer bothered me. At times I started to worry that we were verging into parody but we don't, It is instead written as a pastiche (as in the old style definition) or homage. I didn't realise until the end that the book is based on real events.

It is an enjoyable read, it perhaps flags a little just after half way through, but it is also cleverly written. I liked that we have Austenian names, some echoing the characters of their namesakes but some being quite different in character. There is a lot of dear Jane's sly and dry humour and understatement. i suspect there might be one or two anachronisms of speech but they don't matter.

The two main female characters of Fanny and Mary Dorothea are at odds from the beginning but I liked both characters and sympathised with their situations so it was never a case of rooting for one or the other. Lady Banks is a great character and I would have liked to have heard a lot more about her.

On a more serious note, the book is also a reminder of how life threatening childbirth can be and the grim old days when married women produced a baby every year and often died worn out or as a consequence of childbirth and it also touches lightly on still births and infant deaths. Women today should always rejoice in and defend our hard won freedoms.

Absolutely well worth reading. I might even reread it. 4.5.

I have fairly recently come across Gill Hornsby and loved Godmersham Park and Miss Austen. The Elopement is another lovely story and follows along from previous books. It was great to read more about well loved characters. Fanny was beautifully portrayed and I loved the dynamic between her and her stepdaughter Mary.
This is a must for lovers of Jane Austen and the history of her family. It is written in a way that gives a real feel of what life was like back then particularly from a woman’s point of view. Well worth reading.

I was so happy to be wrapped up in a Gill Hornby novel again. The writing is fantastic and it really draws you in and you can totally forget that this isn’t a book written by Jane Austen herself.

I loved seeing characters from the previous two books growing up and life progressing. The relationship dynamics was interesting and I am forever fascinated by the speed of letter delivery, those Victorian’s didn’t have snail mail, they are the OG creators of Instant Messaging!

Ned and Mary or fantastic characters, I have to say, at the start I felt Mary a bit odd, that she was so closed off to Fanny, but then I could see how much she missed her mama and Fanny’s behaviour was also so very closed off to her, yet bizarrely in her head she was a loving and caring parent. She was blind to Mary as a person to the point she honestly thought that Mary and Ned had no connection.

The changing times is highlighted well, you can see in the way Ned describes how he wants to spend his life with Mary, as equals almost, in fact the very thing he likes about her is knowing her own mind and taking charge. Compared to the relationship of Fanny and Edward it’s completely opposite, Ned is a hands on dad and not afraid to show love and affection. Bringing Casandra Austen in to see them through adulthood and parenthood was simply lovely, she got a family to love and cherish.

Absolutely amazing and I really hope to see it on tv one day like Miss Austen.

The Elopement is the second of Hornby’s novels I’ve read. The first being Miss Austen. The writing is excellent as always. I thought Miss Austen was slow paced at times but this was even slower, and the elopement which is the whole premise of the book doesn’t happen until the latter half of the book. I did enjoy it overall but not as much as Miss Austen (which I have 5 stars) and The Elopement which I’ve rated 4 stars.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I wanted to envelope myself with the Jane Austen characters but unfortunately this was not to be. I found the whole story to be quite dull and the pace of the book very slow.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy of this book.

At 16 Fanny is the eldest daughter of the Knight family, when her mother dies, it falls to her to run the house and take care of the rest of the children . She takes her duties seriously and makes sure everything is running smoothly at Godmersham Park. She is too busy to take part in the escapades of her large family. Things change drastically when widower Sir Edward Knatchbull asks for her hand in marriage, he is a stickler for discipline so Fanny finds it easier to accede to him in all things. She becomes step-mother to his brood of children including his only daughter Mary Dorothea who has had a difficult and isolated childhood. Gill Hornby follows the lives of these two families as described in Fanny's diaries in a personable and compelling way. This story is based on historical fact which makes it even more interesting I'll be looking up her previous novels.

The writing was light, but had emotional threads running through. I liked how the language of the time was peppered throughout the story. That was a nice touch that successfully took you back in time.

There were a couple of viewpoints throughout the story. I enjoyed seeing things from Fanny's point of view and then seeing how the rest of the family saw things. I felt at times that Fanny was quite isolated, which made her point of view appear to be at odds with what the rest of the family were seeing. Some of it was her fault, whereas at other times it seemed that circumstance and society played their part.

The book opened with a character note and then a character list which was helpful as there were quite a few characters to keep track of. There was then a Prologue, 4 Parts split into smaller chapters and an Epilogue. I enjoy a Prologue and an Epilogue. For me they open and close a story well.

Each chapter was fairly long and sometimes split (indicated by a little line). This meant that you got a good chunk of the story before moving on. There was a lot of different things happening to the different groups of characters, which whilst it made for longer chapters, it kept the story going.

The book had a good flow to it and the different parts meant that there was a good pace to the story. As it was based on real events it could easily have been stilted, but it was cleverly brought together into a coherent story.

The characters were good. There were a lot to keep up with, but I managed. I found it harder to keep up with where the characters were. There were lots of place names thrown in and I wasn't always sure that I was thinking about the right place.

I found it interesting that the characters were based on real people. That added an extra layer to the whole thing.

Fanny (one of the main characters) was often portrayed as cold, but the more you read, you saw that actually she was just trying to do her best and support her husband as she was expected to do. She was pulled in different directions and at times I really felt for her.

The time period that the story was set in gave rise to the characters' personalities and it was interesting to see how people interacted with one another during that time period.

Lastly the settings. As I mentioned above, there were a lot of different settings. It was hard to keep up with who was where, but as it wasn't necessarily integral to the story, I didn't concern myself too much with it.

Overall an interesting story.

This is a steadily paced book, charting the lives of extended members of the sadly deceased Jane Austen’s family. Whilst this is perfect for anyone who loves all things Austen, the pace of this book was slightly slower than I would have wished. The elopement itself doesn’t occur until very late in the book and the final 20% really ramps up the story and action. It felt like a little while before the narrative truly began. That said, it was an enjoyable read and interesting insight to familial relations of the time.

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

This was an interesting histfic set around the lives of Jane Austen’s nieces and nephews. A good look at every day life and with a poignant ending.