Tuesday Tea and Tomes: Lucy Worsley's "The Austen Girls" - for young readers, but enjoyed by older ones, too!

"The Austen Girls" by Lucy Worsley is for young adult readers, but older ones will enjoy it to!

A historical fiction tale involving my favorite author, Jane Austen, written by one of my favorite British historians, Lucy Worsley -  and autographed by said historian! - would surely be the perfect Christmas gift for one who pens this blog. The only misalignment was the age of the intended audience. As a book written in the "Young Adult" category that targets the 11-18 age group, I'm a few-plus scores past the demographic.

This was a present from my husband, Chris, who, seeing the topic and the author AND it being autographed, immediatly saw my name all over it. When I opened the package, I was thrilled at the cover,  the signature of Lucy Worsley on the title page and, following a quick scan of the chapters, I was actually delighted with the larger-than-usual print. But, after a little more inspection, the true market for this book was revealed.

My copy of "The Austen Girls" is signed by the author.

But, with so much going for it and figuring it would be a pretty easy read, I was excited to jump in. The story of Jane's two nieces on the edge of sixteen was entertaining to the card-carrying AARP- member me and it struck a chord with that long-ago, geeky, middle-school-me who would have loved the story of two young cousins who shared romantic dreams of marrying charming young men met at fancy balls. As a young adult reader, I would also have been intrigued by the sleuthing of the Austen ladies in solving a local crime and would have cried along with Fanny and Anna as tragedy hit both cousins, forcing them to "get real" faster than planned.  

Middle-school me, compulsive diary scribe and massive note-sending teen, would also have been both awed and alarmed that Jane Austen made some good coin from writing books, but had to keep her identity hidden as it wasn't considered respectable for a woman to be employed in any form.  (Her novels were credited to the very generic, "A Lady").

Outside Hampton Court in 2015 with book gift-giver Chris, far right, son, Matt and daughter, Rachel

The author of "The Austen Girls", Lucy Worsley is also the chief curator for the Historic Royal Palaces with an office, appropriately enough, at Hampton Court, home of some of England's most famous royals, including Henry VIII and the Georgian kings (we visited the Palace in 2015). Worsley has become a media personality with her televised programs on The History Channel and PBS.  In many of her shows, she dons costumes and inserts herself in the middle of historical recreation vignettes, taking some of the stuffiness out of higher learning programs. In a recent article in Great Britain's Good Housekeeping magazine, Worsley defends her approach as a way to bring history to a larger audience. "I think entertainment is like the gateway drug, the marijuana of history - you can then get addicted to more serious things later." (Although she quickly added, she would stay clear of drug analogies in the future.) 

Inside Hampton Court at dining table of George I, 2015

I say, I agree wholeheartedly. My true love affair with Jane Austen began in the mid 1990's with the airing of the BBC's "Pride and Prejudice" featuring the most engaging Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth. That spawned a reading of all six Jane Austen novels and a few trips across the pond to Austen-sites. It was also an introduction to the aristocratic norms, including the importance of being the eldest son and the often dire challenges of having several daughters where the focus was finance, not romance, in having them marry "well".

First Austen trip, 2006, Barb and Rachel in Bath

Which brings us back to the "Austen Girls".  Based on real members of Jane Austen's family, it's an engaging story of what life was like for young ladies in the Regency era. There's an epilogue at the end of the book which gives some details on what really happened to Fanny and Anna and when "artistic license" was used to enhance the story. 

Sense & Sensibility at Chawton, written by "A Lady

Barb & Rachel visit Chawton, Jane's home

I'm confident that young readers would use this as a stepping-stone to learn more about Jane Austen and her novels, just as a wet-shirted Mr. Darcy had (in between "AARP" and "middle school") me running back to "Pride and Prejudice" with renewed interest.