Will the Family Fortune Fall To Another?
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Blog Tour
TYPE OF NOVEL: Mystery, Jane Austen as a Main Character
SERIES: Miss Austen Investigates #2 (NOTE: while the events of this book are sequential and make a slight reference to events take place in the first book, this book could be read as a standalone)
THE PREMISE: A young Jane Austen, still lamenting the loss of Tom Lefroy, travels to Kent to visit her brother Edward and assist his wife, Elizabeth, as she prepares for her next lying-in. While there, Jane stumbles upon a bit of intrigue in the shape of a supposedly shipwrecked princess. Can Jane learn the truth about this young woman? And will the truth have negative repercussions for the Knights and Austens?
WHAT I LOVED:
- Jane’s Catherine Morland Era: Yes for an overactive imagination! Yes for running mad! Yes for flights of fancy! I love seeing Jane Austen learn the lessons her heroines do. And in this case, I find it very plausible. Given what we know of Jane Austen’s Juvenilia (youthful writings) and playfulness, it is easy to believe that one of the lessons Jane Austen would need to learn is to temper her overactive imagination with understanding and experience. I don’t mind seeing a Jane Austen with some ignorance and immaturity in her youth. I appreciate her having recognizable flaws.
- The Knight Family: I love that this series is spotlighting so many of the Austen siblings. In The Hapless Milner, it was George Austen, and in this story it was Edward. Edward is the sibling who was adopted by other relatives and made their heir – like Frank Churchill, or Fanny Price (if the Bertrams decided to give her a dowry). I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Jane and Edward – how there is a little bit of distance and disconnect for them to overcome. In addition, I enjoyed seeing more of Elizabeth Knight, whose portrayal in this book is exactly how I imagined her – haughty and content to orchestrate the lives of those around her. I love that even though she was eight months pregnant, her main objective was to try and marry Jane off to anyone who would have her. 😂
- Mrs. Knight: What a delightful mixture – as opinionated as Lady Catherine de Bourgh but as sympathetic as Mrs. Jennings. Her family is concerned for her – is she being taken advantage of? Would she willfully change Edward’s inheritance? But Mrs. Knight keeps her own counsel. I enjoyed the relationship between Jane and Mrs. Knight – they both possess equal amounts of “celebrated frankness” and headstrong obstinance. I loved seeing these two go toe-to-toe, and I really appreciated the understanding and admiration that developed between them.
- A Shipwrecked Foreign Princess?: Who is this mysterious interloper? And what is her story? (SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT!) Mrs. Knight’s houseguest is not who anyone suspects she is. But with more time and closer observations, the reader can start to understand who she really is, what she has experienced, and why that has forced her to act as she does. It is extremely sad, but real. I appreciated the inclusion of a character facing this situation and the portrayal of how they would react to it.
WHAT COULD’VE BEEN BETTER:
- The Mystery: I am sad to say I found the mystery a little weak in this one. There was no murder, no big crime, no suspects or multiple theories. It was more so a situation where family members weren’t being open with each other and a direct conversation would have solved everything. It felt like the outcome was inevitable, and the villain, who we didn’t have much development for, was easily dispatched. I think ultimately I was missing having something to guess or try to solve.
- Extreme Assumptive-ness: Everyone jumps to conclusions so quickly in this one. Just because Mrs. Knight has taken in a houseguest and is caring for her needs it means she plans to change her will and heir? Why do they have this immediate assumption? While I know that this behavior is part of Jane Austen’s imagination and immaturity, I don’t think it as excusable in others.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
🔎 A skillfully construed closer look at the Austen and Knight families and their unique, complex dynamics.
👒 There is something quite special about seeing Jane Austen at the age of many of her heroines – in her own coming-of-age evolution.
🤗 I cannot wait to see what misadventures and mysteries befall our young authoress next!
