Based on actual individuals, all of Hornby's characters are engaging, and the small details of their daily lives build a colorful picture of this time and place. It was trying too hard to be a certain thing and I just wish it would’ve told its own story, if that makes any sense. Mrs Tritton survived her husband by 26 years and after her death in 1983 the estate was bought by the Sunley family, who undertook a major repair programme. The novel opens with Anne Sharp arriving at Godmersham Park to take up a post as governess to young Fanny, eldest daughter of the family.

The two-year period at Godmersham was not the happiest time for Anne, and while this is an intriguing book, it is not cheerful or uplifting for the most part. It was interesting to realize how both these ladies share a lot in common and were walking similar paths – clever, well-educated women not content with following the dictated convention yet frustrated with the limitations of their sex and fearful for the lack of security in their situation. The earliest part of the building that houses ABDO College was built in 1732 by Thomas May Knight, a descendant of the Brodnax family who had owned the manor since 1590. Hornby vividly portrays the limited and proscribed roles available to women, who were forced to marry men they did not love, or to live precariously or in poverty. Godmersham Park’s style, pacing, and tone were no surprise after experiencing Hornby’s earlier novel, Miss Austen.If you are interested in expanding your view of Jane Austen's family and friends, or of Regency social history, this book is for you. Distractions come in the form of the dashing Henry Austen and friendship comes from his sister, the arch Miss Jane Austen. 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. However, mixed with the toils are little sparks of hope and triumph that historical fiction fans who like an authentic backdrop and a character driven, gently paced plot will appreciate. Miss Austen" featured Cassandra, the faithful older sister, some decades after Jane's death, trying to discreetly get rid of letters that Jane had written, while also relating in flashback scenes from the two sisters' earlier life.

In 1804, unmarried and with little outside support, Anne Sharp accepts the position of governess for the Austen family at Godmersham Park in Kent. As someone who has suffered migraines, I was furious when Elizabeth forced open the curtains in Anne's room, insisting that the light would make her feel better. There’s something about the lives of real historical figures being imagined and put into a story which is just delectable to me. The arrival of several of the Austens’ extended family members, however, injects some levity and happiness into her life.The estate management company Sunley Farms Limited, which is 100% owned by Sunciera Holdings Corporation in Panama, is the owner of Godmersham Park. While these flashbacks are usually fine, they do occasionally interrupt the flow of the story, ripping you from the present and thrusting you into another time and place.

There, she learns firsthand about the precarious and often lonely existence of a governess, as well as the freedoms that are lost when one enters service. However, perhaps the most pleasing relationship to see depicted, and perhaps the one of most interest to us Janeites, is Anne’s relationship with Jane Austen.

Walter Sarel remodelled the building, much of the interior being replaced using genuine eighteenth-century features recovered from buildings across England.