Miss Austen

The third novel from Hornby (All Together Now) strikes gold in the much-mined terrain of Jane Austen–inspired fiction. After Jane’s death in 1817, her sister Cassandra “Cassy” Austen becomes a fierce protector of her literary reputation and remains so for decades. In March 1840, 67-year-old Cassy discovers that family friends the Fowles are moving out of their home in the village of Kintbury. Cassy, aware of a series of mischievous and moody letters Jane sent their friend Eliza Fowle, fears the letters might tarnish her sister’s legacy if made public, so she travels to Kintbury to find them before they fall into the hands of the Fowle family historian. After sneaking into Eliza’s room and reading the letters, Cassy revisits her own past, from the death of her fiancé to her eventual role as the family’s endlessly useful spinster aunt; Jane’s shifting authorial fortunes; and the sisters’ deep, enduring intimacy. While today’s Jane-ites decry the real Cassandra’s decision to burn much of Austen’s correspondence, Hornby’s Cassy is convincingly sympathetic in her effort to preserve her sister’s reputation, and a focus on female relationships and mutual support adds unexpected tenderness. Echoing Austen’s sardonic wit and crisp prose without falling into pastiche, Hornby succeeds with a vivid homage to the Austens and their world. (Apr.)