Comment 271 on “The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen”

1. Petra X says:

   at 2:33 AM

   I read nearly half of this book before I finally gave up and skipped to the predictable ending that had me sucking my teeth Yes I knew the author would write that, but in view of Austen s known history it was just in the realms of unlikely fantasy.The writing was very amateurish with many anachronisms which made it, at times, cringe worthy to read It didn t help that the whole story was revealed through the governess, in a faux Regency voice that s what I mean by amateurish Over the years the go [...]

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2. Laurel says:

   at 2:33 AM

   Jane Austen s personal life is a bit of an enigma We know a bit about her day to day life from her remaining personal correspondence of which a few snippets allude to her beaux and friends Readers are often puzzled how a spinster wrote so perceptively about romance and the human heart One would think that first hand experience would be a requirement I have always thought that she had her fair share of romance We are just not privy to the details We do, however, know a little about of one of her [...]

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3. Marci says:

   at 2:33 AM

   I was hoping this would be a tragic book with humor, affection, wit, drama, and pathos and it is all that but it adds a nasty imagining of Jane Austen s family that left me unable to keep reading the book, even though it told its story fairly well There are anachronisms that were awkward, but the author had done her research well The problems were mainly in the author s fictionalizing view spoiler First the author makes Jane s favorite brother Henry into a sexual reprobate, carrying on affairs w [...]

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4. Lisa says:

   at 2:33 AM

   I enjoyed reading and thinking about Jane Austen, her novels, and recalling visiting sites where she had been in Bath and Winchester But I d have given this book one star I I weren t such an Austen fan The writing is amateurish and the author can t leave anything implicit up to the reader to decipher Instead her narrator is a nosy busy body and her every thought and inference is outlined Disappointing.

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5. Anna says:

   at 2:33 AM

   Review originally posted on Diary of an EccentricLindsay Ashford imagines a sinister explanation for Jane Austen s sudden demise at the age of 41 in The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen Told from the point of view of Anne Sharp, former governess to Jane s niece, Fanny, and a close friend of Jane s, Ashford deftly weaves together biographical facts and fanciful fiction to tell a story of forbidden love, adultery, greed, and possibly murder.Anne meets Jane when she visits her brother Edward A [...]

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6. Stacy says:

   at 2:33 AM

   I have mixed feelings about this book First, I should admit that I don t tend to like fanfiction about Jane Austen I tend to be selfish in that regard in that as a great admirer of her works, I like to interpret her personality from her actual writings, and that interpretation tends to be pretty set in stone, so I am resistant to movies and book spin offs where other writers interpret her or her works in their own way This explains a lot of how I went into the book, and for those who don t mind [...]

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7. Angie says:

   at 2:33 AM

   I can t believe I waited over a year to finish this after putting it down for a break I was frustrated with parts of the book and wasn t sure where in the world the author would go from there I have to say, despite my reservations when I initially started it, I really ended up enjoying it Would recommend it to Austen fan fic readers who are open to liberal fictionalization and don t mind straying a bit Although it portrays some family members in different lights than we are used to, I felt that [...]

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8. Helen says:

   at 2:33 AM

   I am a little perplexed about this book.Pros love the premiseLOVE her writinglove its authentication on snippets of factCons disappointing ending SPOILER SO did not like the sexual orientation of the main character I just felt it was unnecessary to the storylinend that the incestuous relationships a bit muchThus unsure where to place this book

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9. Linds says:

   at 2:33 AM

   Never quite connected or became engaged with this book The prose itself isn t bad.

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10. Kathleen Flynn says:

    at 2:33 AM

    Whoa, Nellie This was quite a crazy book A successful blend of murder mystery and Jane Austen, in my view, than the P.D James effort, which got so much notice I enjoyed all the speculation and gossip about the extended Austen family every bit as much as I expected to, though Jane remained a bit of a cipher As I suppose she always must While there were anachronisms, as other readers have observed, they were not so great as to distract from the reading pleasure in a significant way I did have tr [...]

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11. Vanessa says:

    at 2:33 AM

    WOW Great way of weaving in the facts of Jane Austen s life with the book of Mansfield Park and how the characters of that book could have been her brothers and sister in laws Conspiracy theory or not, it was so well researched and connected Any Jane fan should love this book.

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12. Olga Miret says:

    at 2:33 AM

    The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen by Lindsay Ashford Faction and death in the Austen Family Thanks to Honno Welsh Women s Press for sending me a paperback copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.I do like Jane Austen s novels Some than others Pride and Prejudice is my favourite at the moment, although there are some that I can t even remember if and when I read them, so this could change , but I am not an expert on the subject or her number one fan Still, when I was offered a copy [...]

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13. Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) says:

    at 2:33 AM

    Illicit liaisons, illegitimate children, sinister murders, scandalous secrets things you would never associate with the Austen family, right Can you imagine the quiet, country family from Hampshire embroiled with secrets of adultery and murder Could you give any credence to the theory that Jane Austen s death was not from natural causes Our protagonist, Anne Sharp, can Twenty six years after Jane Austen s death, Anne former governess to Fanny Knight sends a lock of Jane s hair to be scientifical [...]

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14. Marie says:

    at 2:33 AM

    As a huge fan of Jane Austen, I ll read anything that even mentions her So when I read the synopsis for this book, it didn t just catch my attention, it demanded it I was familiar with the controversy surrounding her untimely death a majority of the speculation leaning towards natural causes, but with some questioning whether or not something sinister was the cause But because her life was so intriguing and her literary works so brilliantly written, the end of her life had never been of a pass [...]

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15. Andie says:

    at 2:33 AM

    My friend bought me this book, along with Longbourn click for review , for my birthday and I decided to read both during Austen August She highly recommended this book and I went into it pretty much blind I have to say, it wasn t exactly what I was expecting The idea is that in the 1950s, a lock of Jane Austen s hair which was sold at Auction was tested to try and prove her cause of death They found a large amount of arsenic than a body would have in it naturally leading to the theory that Jane [...]

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16. Linda Banche says:

    at 2:33 AM

    Hidden passions Greed Deceit Murder Enter the possible dark side of Jane Austen s life in Lindsay Ashford s page turner, THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MISS JANE AUSTEN.Miss Anne Sharpe, governess to Fanny, daughter of Jane Austen s brother, Edward, narrates a chilling story of appearances and how deceptive they can be Henry Austen visits his brother Edward s family much too often, and mostly when Edward is away Edward s wife, Elizabeth, spends a great deal of time with Henry Is there something here in [...]

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17. Mark Flowers says:

    at 2:33 AM

    SLJ review ASHFORD, Lindsay The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen 432p Sourcebooks Landmark 2013 pap 14.99 ISBN 9781402282126 LC 2013010791.Adult High School The title promises a mystery the murder of Jane Austen, no less and Ashford does eventually follow through, but the bulk of this wonderful historical novel is given over to a touchingly rendered portrait of Anne Sharp, the onetime governess of Jane s favorite niece Anne and Jane develop a friendship, which Anne, at least, hopes can be so [...]

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18. LillyBooks says:

    at 2:33 AM

    Apparently this book caused a stir when it was released in the UK because the basis of the plot is that that Jane Austen did not die of natural causes but was instead murdered via arsenic poisoning not a spoiler, the back cover tells you this This is actually not a completely baseless theory, as a lock of Austen s hair was tested in 1949, and it contained highly abnormal levels of arsenic This book is billed as a fictional but based in facts murder mystery to uncover the killer In basic terms, t [...]

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19. Meghan Tracy says:

    at 2:33 AM

    I picked this book up based solely on the fact that I didn t know anything about the way Jane Austen dies and I m such a sucker for a good historical fiction Let me give you the real reason you should pick up it up you get to walk through Jane Austen s life with her through the perspective of her best friend Admittedly, at times it reads like a regency romance, but it s never gratuitous and always stops at affection, even if it is unrequited The story moves along at a very reasonable clip, by f [...]

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20. Carol says:

    at 2:33 AM

    This was a selected read for my book club, and that s the great thing about book clubs you discover books you might never have chosen on your own I ve never been a great fan of Jane Austen, having been required to read Pride and Prejudice in college, but I love the movie adaptations of her books, so I am somewhat familiar with her characters This book however tells, in fictionalized form, about Jane s life through the eyes of her friend Anne Sharp, a governess who works for Jane s brother Edward [...]

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21. Suzie Fullmer says:

    at 2:33 AM

    I m really not sure how I feel about this book I loved the behind the scenes story of Jane and the Austen family This is fiction based on real people so I m sure the author took a great deal of creative freedom in her descriptions of the family dynamic But it was quite scandalous And I had no idea that Jane Austen died at such a young age under suspicious circumstances These aspects of the story are what kept me reading.I did not like that the author felt the need to make the narrator, Anne, a l [...]

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22. Kirk says:

    at 2:33 AM

    While not a fan of mysteries except for Boston s own Spenser for Hire , I enjoyed this one Having heard the recent BBC 4 Radio adaptation, I knew who did it That didn t lessen my enjoyment My two favorite Austen reviews, Laurel Austenprose and Meredith Austeneque Reviews, both liked the book too I loved meeting Jane Austen s nieces Anna Austen later Lefroy and Fanny Knight later Caroline Bingley.

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23. Noninuna says:

    at 2:33 AM

    I did not like the fact that how the writer mix fact with fiction Now i m totally confused about the character of real people in JA s life Even thought it is universally acknowledge that her life is a bit of a mystery, most fan knows the flow, the important event etc Pin pointing to a certain real person as a villain in a fiction, i just don t get it I thought the book is of an argument, not a totally fiction Pure disappointment.

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24. Katie says:

    at 2:33 AM

    2.5 stars Way less mystery than I thought there would be, with a painfully obvious culprit While the second half moved faster than the draggy first, I was ultimately disappointed The book has decent writing on its side and a colorful cast of characters, but ultimately it fell flat for me.

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25. Jenny says:

    at 2:33 AM

    Very interesting, but after such an extensive rummage through the Austen dirty laundry I do feel a bit in need of a shower

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26. Rebekah says:

    at 2:33 AM

    interesting premise, good writing long and slow bonus points for queering C19th literature a bit, but I do think the author could have done with that theme.

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27. Tracy says:

    at 2:33 AM

    Enjoyable read about what might have happened to Jane Austen It was a bit hard to get into, but once I got into it, it went fairly easily and quickly.

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28. Jenifer says:

    at 2:33 AM

    I didn t like the authors writing style Much of it was interesting but not intriguing Not a great read.

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29. Lacey Persianni says:

    at 2:33 AM

    couldn t get into this book

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30. Megan says:

    at 2:33 AM

    I found myself, at the start of this book, really forcing myself to read on in hopes of the plot thickening It felt, to me, as if there were a lot of extra details I did not really care for and didnt add desire for my will to read it However, abdout midway through, I found myself on the edge of my seat I wanted , needed One has to keep in mind that this book is essentially a conspiracy theory on Jane Austen s death a fictional story It goes deeper than I imagined it would and ended up captivati [...]

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