Publisher: Pegasus Books
Length: (416) pages
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook
Genre: Historical Fiction, Biographical Historical Fiction, Austenesque
Synopsis
A richly imagined novel inspired by the true story of Anne Sharp, a governess who became very close with Jane Austen and her family by the #1 International bestselling-author of Miss Austen.
On January 21, 1804, Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess. At thirty-one years old, she has no previous experience of either teaching or fine country houses. Her mother has died, and she has nowhere else to go. Anne is left with no choice. For her new charge—twelve-year-old Fanny Austen—Anne's arrival is all novelty and excitement.
The governess role is a uniquely awkward one. Anne is neither one of the servants, nor one of the family, and to balance a position between the "upstairs" and "downstairs" members of the household is a diplomatic chess game. One wrong move may result in instant dismissal. Anne knows that she must never let down her guard.
When Mr. Edward Austen's family comes to stay, Anne forms an immediate attachment to Jane. They write plays together and enjoy long discussions. However, in the process, Anne reveals herself as not merely pretty, charming, and competent; she is clever too. Even her sleepy, complacent, mistress can hardly fail to notice.
Meanwhile Jane's brother, Henry, begins to take an unusually strong interest in the lovely young governess. And from now on, Anne's days at Godmersham Park are numbered.
My Thoughts
In this witty, charming and thoroughly entertaining biographical novel, Gill Hornby focuses on Anne Sharp, friend and correspondent of Jane Austen, and her time spent as governess to Jane's niece, Fanny, at Godmersham Park, the rural estate in Kent of Edward, Jane's brother, and his wife, Elizabeth, and their children.
On her mother's death, Anne is inexplicably cast off by her father with an annuity of only £35 (his whereabouts are unknown at the time, but his perfidy is exposed later in the novel). This sum is insufficient to support Anne's current lifestyle and so she must marry or work for a living. However, having reached the age of thirty-one, she vows to live the rest of her life without being beholden to any man. The irony of her situation is not lost on Anne as she accepts the annuity from her father, but quite likes earning her own money and is determined to make a success of her new role.
Anne's feelings about her employers and life at Godmersham Park are mixed. While she finds her charge, Fanny, a delight to teach, the heirarchy of the household leaves Anne unsure of where she belongs. Not part of the family and hated by the servants, she is lonely. Her plans for Fanny's lessons are often disrupted by the many visitors to the house or by Fanny's mother herself. At these times you can feel Anne's frustration, but also the resignation that she can do nothing about it.
Some of the family go out of their way to engage with Anne – in particular Elizabeth's sister and Henry Austen, Jane's brother, who are both regular and welcome visitors to the estate. But the greatest treat for Anne is when she meets Jane Austen whom she has already named her favourite Austen through reading letters written to and willingly shared by Fanny.
Not much of Anne Sharp's early life is known, but thanks to Fanny Austen's journals, Anne's time at Godmersham Park is well detailed and fleshed out beautifully by Gill Hornby, highlighting the precarious position of a governess and the start of a special friendship. Although Anne does leave Godmersham Park, it was heartwarming to read what became of her in the Author's Note.
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