Henry on the other hand, moves between an Austenian hero with the misfortune of having a wife, and no fiancée, and on the other, someone who is a seducer, a kind of Willoughby, and it all seemed very strange to me. Unas mujeres que se ven obligadas a vivir en tierra de nadie, que no eran servidumbre ni parte de la familia, que estaban solas y casi recluidas al aula donde impartían clases. But Anne is keenly aware that her new role is an awkward one – she 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. Fanny wants to learn correct opinions on given subjects by rote and titters at the idea of foreign travel, proclaiming that she never even wants to leave Kent. It was interesting to realize how both these ladies share a lot in common and were walking similar paths – clever, well-educated women not content with following the dictated convention yet frustrated with the limitations of their sex and fearful for the lack of security in their situation.

The best parts of the book were her interactions with Jane and the glimpse into the Austen family dynamics. MY THOUGHTS: After greatly admiring and adoring Gill Hornby’s brillint Miss Austen, I was beyond excited to learn that her next novel focused on another intriguing person in Jane Austen’s life. It is a curious, realistic and linear description compared to the author's previous austenite novel, which has an intelligent, calm and detailed pen with the character. I was also getting irritated by the sheer volume of italics used in speech but did get used to this by the end.Tal fue la conexión que existió entre Anne y Jane que, tras la muerte de la autora en Winchester, Cassandra Austen escribió aquellas líneas famosas “Se ha ido la parte más importante de mi misma” como queriendo dejar claro que Jane era su compañera en la vida y no Anne… se dice que ambas mujeres, limaron aspereza tiempo después, pero si que me ha sorprendido ese aspecto de una persona que, en mi cabeza, era tremendamente generosa como Cassandra. Through her former maid, Aggie, who is still living in London, she is slowly seeing the mysteries of her past unveiled while she goes forward with her new life. This story gives us a very plausible view of the life of the Austen family, including Jane, Cassandra, their mother, as well as Henry Austen, Edward, his wife Elizabeth and young Fanny. Jane herself is talked of and corresponded with in the first half of the book but does not make an appearance until Act 3, chapter 27. There, she learns firsthand about the precarious and often lonely existence of a governess, as well as the freedoms that are lost when one enters service.

The book has a steady pace while keeping the reader engaged (due to the trials and tribulations of Anne’s life) throughout, yet Hornby manages to keeps a light atmosphere. Contending with crippling headaches, mistreatment by the cook and staff, constrained in a limited role, lonely and uncertain, Anne also has another problem. A governess was neither part of the family nor part of the servant group so their lives would have been very lonely. Godmersham Park is a pleasant enough novel but I felt the story sacrificed dynamism for historical accuracy. A través de ella, veremos las condiciones reales en las que se movía una mujer con profesión en una época en la que una dama, si trabajaba, se convertía en una especie de animal mitológico, pues no era parte de los criados ni de los señores.

Was he -- still a married man at this time -- flirting with the governess merely out of an abundance of high spirits? La propia Jane Austen hace hincapié, por ejemplo en “Orgullo y prejuicio” en cuales son las enseñanzas adecuadas para una mujer o en “Sentido y sensibilidad” se indica que dependen de la bondad de familiares cuando se quedan solas y sin un padre que las apoye, tal y como les sucedió a la propia Austen o a Anne Sharp en sus vidas reales. This fictional Anne was raised in a mostly absent parental home, suggesting a mystery—her family’s secret hovers but is easily guessed at.

Already miffed at her drastic change of circumstances, Anne is desolate when she realises that being a governess is akin to being invisible, 'She was neither a guest deserving of especial courtesy, nor a servant to be treated as a friend'. Meanwhile, the likes of Elizabeth Austen, blessed with true love and a real, mutual attraction, might well not survive to her fortieth year. A governess’s life was a precarious one and this is clearly illustrated thoughout the book as Anne fears for her position due to her poor health and she only spends two years with the Austen family.

Although she does enter the story toward the latter half, it mostly keeps one step away from her, instead opting to provide a fresh look at some of the other family members in their own contexts.