The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley

FYI: Posting this now, but due to personal reasons, this meeting might be switched to online or to a different day.

I chose this book to end out the "Historical" part of Jane's 250th year of birth. It has a mix of real and imagined plotlines, and hopefully after a full year immersing ourselves in many different exhibits fueling discussions of her actual life, a story about her and the relationship with her nieces will be more enjoyable to you! It is a book I have be waiting a while to sneak in (published 2020), so hopefully it's an enjoyable read! Can't wait to discuss with you all!

Description from the Storygraph:

By turns thrilling, dramatic and inspiring, this is the story of Jane Austen's life as you've never heard it before.

It is 1809 and Fanny and Anna have just been launched on to the ruthless Regency marriage market by Fanny's mother (think Mrs Bennet). But luckily their mysteriously wealthy Aunt Jane is there to guide them and help them make better choices - i.e. don't get married at all!

Jane plays detective to help them rescue a falsely accused friend from being transported to Australia, while Anna impetuously makes and breaks an engagement. Fanny is forced to leave the marriage market when her mother dies and she has to look after ten siblings. She learns the secret of Jane's wealth and self-possession (she is, of course, a writer) and decides to follow in her footsteps.

Do not forget update your RSVPs by November 12th, as we would like to make sure that we are aware of the correct number of attendees.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

** Please keep in mind, now that the world is opening up again and we are having meetings in person, when we are indoors, and not via zoom or outside, your RSVP is very important. If you cannot make an event, please kindly remember to adjust your status so that people on our waiting list can be notified that there is a spot for them. **

**You all were so great last year, so I thank you for continuing to update your RSVPs. I will still be still taking attendance this year. So just as a reminder, repeated no-shows will be bumped to the waitlist so as not to take up one of our limited spaces. But maybe moved day of, if the meeting is not full.**