In my recollection of that book at least, her beloved sister was someone whom Cassandra often found herself managing -- clever, but difficult, prone to depression, clearly frustrated by the lack of an outlet for her talents in the years before she managed to become a published and productive author. 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. 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.

A portrait of a "non-maid" servant in a difficult time, where being a woman, single and poor, although with a profession, could be a drag on life. However, in the process, Anne reveals herself as not merely pretty, charming and competent; she is clever too. Godmersham Park’s style, pacing, and tone were no surprise after experiencing Hornsby’s earlier Miss Austen. Gill Hornby culls from Fanny Austen’s diaries, Austen family letters, and other breadcrumbs left behind to piece together a story of Anne’s life and her relationship with Jane Austen.She has just begun to settle into her position when dashing Henry Austen and his younger sister Jane come to stay.

Anne’s character growth runs from start to finish and I was invested in her character within a few chapters. 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 also appreciated that the book doesn't focus too much on Jane Austen, who could easily overshadow everyone else in a work of historical fiction like this. It made it more unexpected and gave deeper insight into her life and times by looking at it from those around her and getting their view of the world in which she lived. Muy confusa con el triángulo entre Henry, Anne y Jane (a su pesar, pues Jane no ve a Anne más que como una buena amiga todo el rato, como otra hermana). Y aquí es donde la ficción aparece, pues aunque sabemos los hechos, y aunque se respeta a los personajes, hay ficción en como se expresan estas relaciones.

Elizabeth Austen is a particularly well-penned character, exemplifying the expected behavior of a lady of the house.The storyline about Anne Sharp's family background is necessarily highly imaginative and her friendship with Jane Austen never seems to quite connect enough to give her the same insight into the author which was found in Hornby's previous novel. Anne's arrival at Godmersham Park and her uncertainty there are described beautifully: "First impressions are wont to linger and, as yet, she knew nothing of these people and what might offend them. She also does not shy away from voicing her opinion, including as it relates to topics deemed unseemly by her contemporaries. By the time she encounters the dashing Henry Austen – Jane’s real-life brother, readers will find the saga as entrancing as any of Austen’s own novels.

We first meet Anne in 1804 on the day of her arrival at Godmersham Park, the estate in Kent that is home to Edward Austen Knight, his wife Elizabeth and their many children. 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. And a woman had little recourse, although one servant explained that after nine children, her mother “sleeps with a rolling pin.It follows the story of Anne Sharp, Fanny’s governess, who came to work at Godmersham Park at the age of 31. Regarding the possible homosexual or bisexual attraction, this part is somewhat problematic for me, because Anne admits to love both of them, but at that time, she does not even reflect on whether her feelings for Jane are "natural" or not, something that should have been developed, but everything is very fast and ends soon, with a Jane who does not even perceive this in her friend, and who can only reciprocate her with friendship, and for me it is somewhat confusing. This fascinating imagining of one of Jane Austen's friend's early history works on a number of levels. This is the perfect description of Anne's time at Godmersham Park, as she was always wary of offending both the family and the servants.