Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  Highway thieves stop a carriage on the road and hold the passengers at gunpoint. One person is shot and wounded.

Sexual Content:  A few innocent kisses.

Adult Themes:  Wine is offered at a ball. The mistress at a girls’ boarding school is verbally abusive and treats the girls harshly.  Jane becomes very sick and nearly dies.

Synopsis

This is the story of young Jane Austen before the world knew her, told through the eyes of her cousin Jenny Cooper.  The story begins as both girls are away at boarding school, a miserable place with a cruel headmistress.  While Jane lays feverishly ill, the headmistress refuses to inform her parents, so Jenny sneaks out at midnight to send an urgent letter to Mrs. Austen.  As Jenny wanders the streets of Southampton–something a girl of 16 should never have done in that era–she meets the gallant Captain Thomas Williams, who safely escorts her to post the letter and returns her back to the school without anyone knowing.  The mission saves Jane’s life and the girls are brought back to Steventon, but Jenny fears lest Captain Williams disclose her secret and her reputation be ruined.  (This may seem silly to us living in modern times–the point being she saved Jane’s life!–but it was a valid concern to young women in the late 1700s.)  In spite of being attracted to the Captain, Jenny feels relieved that she will likely never see him again and her daring adventure will remain secret.  But of course she sees him again, and of course it’s at the big ball, where everything interesting happens in a Jane Austen novel!  Perhaps what happens to Jenny and the Captain will become fodder for one of Jane’s future novels?

This delightful story unfolds through the entries in Jenny’s diary, and thus we see Jane as a precocious teenager and aspiring writer, constantly recording her observations of family and social life for her future novels.  Jane is portrayed as funny, irreverent, slightly rebellious, and continually good fun.  The author researched Jane’s early manuscripts and letters, biographies, and family history to create an authentic portrait.  However, the blanks must be filled in, so a good deal of the story is embellished for literary sake, and who knows how much of what happens in the book actually happened in Jane’s life?  Then again, what does it matter?  If you are a Jane Austen fan, you will find it an interesting peek into what the author may have been like as a young woman.  And if you are a young reader, you will find it a perfect introduction into the world of Jane Austen.  Recommended for grades 6 and up.