Godmersham Park: The Sunday Times top ten bestseller by the acclaimed author of Miss Austen

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In 1804 the Knights hired a governess for their eldest daughter, Fanny, who was eleven. Henry’s friend recommended Anne Sharp. Raised in luxury, well educated, and pretty, with the death of Ann’s mother came poverty. Her father had disappeared from their lives and left her a mere 35 pounds per annum to live on. Anne donned plain garb, adjusted her attitude to fit into the role of lowly governess, and with dread reported to Godmersham Hall. 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'. Things begin to look up when she becomes with Henry and Jane Austen, 'within the walls of that splendid, unforgettable park - her heart had been captured by both.' In this case we are talking about Anne Sharp, governess in the house of Edward and Elizabeth Austen, who gives her name to the title of the book, and is based on a fictionalization of the events described in the diary of Fanny Austen, niece of the well-known author, as well as in the real facts that are known about this woman.

In the author's note, we learn that Anne found some success after leaving Godmersham Park. I would have loved that to have been a part of the book.

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Harriet Bridges blows hot and cold in her friendship choosing Anne when there is no one else about. Anne Sharp no es una mujer convencional, y ha decidido ganarse el pan, tras la muerte de su madre, y el supuesto abandono, incluso económico de su padre. 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. Es una descripción curiosa, realista y lineal comparada con la anterior novela austenita de la autora, que tiene una pluma inteligente, calmada y detallista con el personaje. The book has slowly and gently built to two crisis points: Anne’s discovery of the truth about her father and her past as well as Anne facing facts about her feelings for charming Henry and Jane Austen. When tempting this Austen lover with a new book, one merely need mention that it is based on real life figures in Jane Austen’s life including herself. By making it a governess’ tale with a mysterious past, I am well-nigh bewitched. I settled in eager for Gill Hornsby’s thoughtfully considered development of characters, setting, historical context, and engaging plot. 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). Queda claro que Henry y Anne sienten algo entre ellos, pero a la vez, Anne no lo quiere admitir por cómo se ha criado y las figuras masculinas que la han rodeado, ¿o quizá porque es lesbiana? ¿o porque no quiere caer como su madre cayó siendo la amante de alguien? Con respecto a la posible atracción homosexual o bisexual, esta parte es algo problemática para mí, porque Anne admite querer a los dos, pero en esa época, ni siquiera reflexiona si sus sentimientos por Jane son "naturales" o no, algo que debería haberse desarrollado, pero todo es muy rápido y acaba pronto, con una Jane que ni siquiera percibe esto en su amiga, y que sólo la puede corresponder con amistad, y para mí queda algo confuso. Tampoco se entiende, aparte de los celos fraternales, que Cassandra tuviera problemas con Anne, porque no se ficcionaliza ningún conflicto, supongo que porque la autora no tiene datos suficientes. Henry por otro lado, se mueve entre un héroe austeniano con la desgracia de tener esposa, y no prometida, y por otro, por alguien que es un seductor, una especie de Willoughby, y todo me resultaba muy extraño.

Vic (7 October 2009). "Edward Austen Knight: A tightwad or a man with heavy responsibilities?". Jane Austen's World . Retrieved 13 August 2017.Anne, however, is not merely a purveyor of information concerning the Regency governess; she is a fully fleshed-out character with a well-developed arc. We see her transform from a privileged, carefree individual into a woman of substance, who faces her changed circumstances head on with dignity and strength. She is also a highly intelligent and perceptive person, and her commentary on the various absurdities of the household and society at large are both insightful and entertaining. Hornby’s protagonist is Anne Sharpe, a once well-to-do woman who has been forced into straitened circumstances after her mother’s death. She is compelled to take the only “respectable” work available to women of her standing: becoming a governess at Godmersham Park, home of Jane Austen’s elder brother, Edward, and his wife, Elizabeth. Thankfully, their daughter, her charge, Fanny, is an unusually charming and bright girl . As for Anne, we are reminded early, “behind every well-bred governess there was an absence of man”. 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.

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. It focuses so much on these three characters and tangentially on Elizabeth Austen, her daughter, Miss Harris and some other character that appears in the form of a "cameo", that later it is difficult to understand the relationship with other characters such as Cassandra or Edward, who was the master of the house, but appears very little, although it is natural because he delegated the house to his wife. Anne Sharp, who had enjoyed a comfortable life before the death of her mother, suddenly finds herself in search of a job after her father shows her to the door. In one interview with a shady lawyer, she learns her father is cutting her allowance to the bone and evicting her from her home. A job interview is suggested, and she arrives at Godmersham Park as the governess of Fanny Austen, daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Austen. Anne's position is a tough one, as she is not considered part of the family or truly a servant, and has no real support group to call her own. When she meets Fanny's aunt, Jane Austen, a fast friendship is formed. Anne Sharp arrives in Kent as an unknown thirty-one year old woman whom the Edward Austen’s have hired sight unseen through the influence of a family acquaintance to fill the role of governess to their oldest daughter, Fanny. This is their first experience with a governess and her own first time as a governess.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. 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. A Secret Sisterhood by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney first introduced me to Anne Sharp. Hornby brings to life the story they tell.

It focuses on her and Henry Austen, a kind of Henry Tilney who seems to be attracted to the young woman, although there cannot be any fairy tale here, since Henry is married. It also talks about the governess's friendship with Jane, who was like the other side of Henry's coin, both nice, interesting, good and seductive. And this is where fiction appears, because although we know the facts, and although the characters are respected, there is fiction in how these relationships are developed.On 21 January 1804, Anne Sharpe arrives at Godmersham Park in Kent to take up the position of governess. At 31 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. I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and Hardcover from publisher to read in exchange for an honest review. Godmersham Park" takes as its main character a real person too, but one whom less is known about: Anne Sharp, the governess to the oldest daughter of Jane's wealthy brother, Edward. Anne appears to have become an important friend to Jane; a letter to her was one of the last that Jane wrote shortly before her death in 1817, and she also sent a copy of "Emma," the last book published in her lifetime, to Miss Sharp.