Book Review: Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby

Godmersham Park is the latest novel by Gill Hornby, published in 2022.

As a Jane Austen fangirl, I couldn’t wait to read this. I was aware of the great friendship between Jane Austen and Anne Sharp and I couldn’t wait to read a book from Anne’s perspective.

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Genre: Historical Fiction

Author: Gill Hornby

Buy: Amazon | Waterstones

Published: 2022

Plot

The book is based on a real diary written by Fanny Austen and tells the story of Anne Sharp, the lifelong friend of Jane Austen.

It’s 1804 and Anne arrives at Godmersham Park to take up the position of governess to 12-year-old Fanny Austen. Anne has no work experience but after her mother dies and she suffers a change in fortune, she is desperate for work.

Fanny and Anne instantly build a connection but Anne finds the relationship with the rest of the household much harder to establish. She is neither family nor servant and so struggles to find her place at Godmersham. Preferring to keep herself to herself, she spends much of her time in her room with Fanny.

However, when the dashing Henry Austen and his sister Jane arrive, they take an instant interest in Anne. The governess finds it harder to maintain a polite distance from the family and finds herself falling in love.

Godmersham Park Book Review

What a charming book! It was a lovely change of pace from the books I’ve been reading lately and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It’s the ultimate tribute to the lifelong friendship between Jane and Anne. Henry too with his lack of propriety was a brilliant character. However, just like Anne, Jane will forever be my favourite Austen! Her personality sparkled throughout the book. Gill Hornby has done a brilliant job at displaying the wit and irony that is always evident in Austen’s novels.

It was an immersive read and the setting and characters felt authentic. It perfectly highlighted the place of women in society in the 19th century and how, through no fault of their own, these women often found themselves at the mercy of men and their employers.

I enjoyed the section at the end where the author reveals what happened to these real-life characters and where the story had come from. The headache cure sounded horrendous so I was horrified to read that this was a real procedure that Anne had to endure.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more by Gill Hornby.

What to read next

If you loved Pride and Prejudice you may also enjoy The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow which tells the story of Elizabeth’s sister Mary Bennet. I would also recommend reading Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, which is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice.