Medium – Book
About the Book – The Austen Girls tells the stories of two of Jane Austen’s nieces – Fanny, the daughter of her rich brother, and Anna, the daughter of one of her poorer brothers. The two girls are thrown into the marriage market and must make their way through it, trying to find a husband who would suit them and bring money and security. Fanny meets and becomes attached to her father’s curate, who finds himself arrested and under the threat of transportation to Australia. Fanny and Aunt Jane turn detective to try and clear his name, whilst Fanny learns more about her mysteriously wealthy aunt and discovers that marriage doesn’t have to be her next step.
My Rating – 3/5
My Thoughts – Firstly, let’s talk the positives about this book. Prime among these is the fact that the book is written by Lucy Worsley, who I have a massive girl crush on. She is amazing and I love her writing, so was really excited when I heard that she had written some historical, girl-focused, YA novels. Her writing style is lovely, and she produces just the right amount of action and description to really build the world. I really enjoyed the characters of Fanny and Aunt Jane, both of whom had their own voices and were constructed into fascinating characters. The story followed the historical narrative of the times and not too many liberties were taken with the plot.
So on to the not-so-positives. I thought the plot was a little lacking and sometimes there were times that I just wanted something to happen – it was, at times, a little staid. The character of Anna (who is meant to be Fanny’s opposite) wasn’t particularly likable and she seemed to be just there as a counterpoint to Fanny and Jane. There was a bit of a subplot with a ‘Mr Darcy-esque’ character, which didn’t really come to anything. I couldn’t tell whether he was in the book to emphasise the fact that Jane had written ‘Pride and Prejudice’ or just to act as a extra love interest for the two main girls. In general, it was a book that I read quickly, but not one that I took much in of!
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