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Title: The Lost Years of Jane Austen

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Barbara Ker Wilson

Narrator: Polly Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-17-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Jane Austen's letters and diaries from the period preceding her first novel have never been found. It's believed that they were intentionally destroyed by her sister Cassandra, but no one knows why. Many people claim it was to hide a family scandal or a failed romance involving Jane herself. The Lost Years of Jane Austen includes both these possible intrigues and more as it weaves an engaging tale of Jane's own trials and tribulations within Regency society.

Written in the language of the era, this witty and entertaining novel captures Austen's original style, suspenseful narrative, and sardonic humor. The Lost Years of Jane Austen begins with a true historical event - the arrest of Jane's aunt, Mrs. Leigh Perrot, on charges of shoplifting a piece of black lace. The fictional events that follow take Jane across the sea to the prison colony in Australia, bring her face to face with the dashing Mr. Wentworth and place her in many other adventures that are sure to thrill and delight Austen fans.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Great interpretation of what might have happened during Jane's "quiet" years.

Dazzlingly historically researched, but with some narrative dissonance

In this interesting book, the author, Barbara Ker Wilson, asks us to imagine that Jane Austen accompanied her aunt and uncle, Jane and James Leigh Perrot, to the Antipodes (New South Wales, later to be Australia) during the period around 1803-04--a time during which little is known about the real Jane Austen's life because of a dearth of surviving letters to her sister, Cassandra. Although the book's title implies that its focus is Jane Austen, the narrative actually centers as much on the Leigh Perrots, and other real historical individuals, as it does on Jane.

One of the best parts of the book is the early chapters that detail the experience that Jane Austen's aunt, Jane Leigh Perrot, had when she was falsely accused of stealing some lace from a store in Bath (a true event), and bravely decided to weather the accusations--and spend some months in jail--rather than paying her accusers a blackmail fee. This material is historical fiction at its best, fleshing out real events in a very convincing way. Jane Leigh Perrot emerges in this part of the novel as a complex, sympathetic figure, even as she appears to others in the book--including her niece Jane--as rather proud and haughty.

The novel loses some of its narrative power as it spins out its complicated tale, although the details of the long sea voyage to New South Wales (with its maritime dangers) and life in the Antipodes (with its fascinating insects and marsupials) are faithfully observed by the author, who definitely knows her Australia. There are many characters in the book, and readers looking for an intense focus on Jane Austen may be disappointed. Also, if readers are hoping for a novel about a steamy romance between Jane and a dashing fictional figure, they will not find that here.