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 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.

“In a cultured, melodious voice, narrator Juliet Stevenson becomes Miss Cassandra Austen, older sister to Jane and keeper of her memory.” — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

For fans of Jo Baker’s Longbourn, a witty, poignant audiobook about Cassandra Austen and her famous sister, Jane.

Whoever looked at an elderly lady and saw the young heroine she once was?

England, 1840. For the two decades following the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen has lived alone and unwed, spending her days visiting friends and relations and quietly, purposefully working to preserve her sister’s reputation. Now in her 60s and increasingly frail, Cassandra goes to stay with the Fowles of Kintbury, family of her long-dead fiance, in search of a trove of Jane’s letters. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames?

Moving back and forth between the vicarage and Cassandra’s vibrant memories of her years with Jane, interwoven with Jane’s brilliantly reimagined lost letters, Miss Austen is the untold story of the most important person in Jane’s life. With extraordinary empathy, emotional complexity, and wit, Gill Hornby finally gives Cassandra her due, bringing to life a woman as captivating as any Austen heroine.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

“A deeply imagined and deeply moving novel. Reading it made me happy and weepy in equally copious amounts.” –Karen Joy Fowler

“A delightfully astute reimagining of Jane Austen’s life that offers a shrewd take on Regency gender roles… Ms. Hornby enlivens the exhumation with inspired touches of social comedy and a cast of appealing eccentrics.” — Wall Street Journal

Inglaterra, 1840. Cassandra Austen ha vivido más de dos décadas tras la muerte de su querida hermana Jane. Ha pasado el tiempo visitando a amigos y parientes y trabajando en silencio, determinada a mantener la reputación de su hermana. Con más de sesenta años y una salud frágil, decide irse a vivir con los Fowle de Kintbury, la familia del que fue su prometido, fallecido hace muchos años, cuando ambos eran jóvenes. Quiere encontrar las cartas que Jane Austen dejó, esquivando a su anfitriona y a una criada entrometida. Cuando finalmente las halla, se enfrenta a los secretos que guardan, no solo sobre su hermana Jane, sino sobre ella misma. ¿Las guardará y legará su historia a futuras generaciones o las entregará a las llamas?