Cassandra's Sister [Paperback]

Veronica Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2006

Young Jane - or Jenny, as she was known - is a girl with a head full of questions that no one seems able to answer. But the sudden arrival of her worldly-wise cousin, Eliza, to the parsonage in rural Hampshire brings Jenny some of the answers she is seeking and provides the germ of an idea...Building on the close relationship between Jane and her older sister, Cassandra, and drawing on characters and incidents from such masterpieces as "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility", "Cassandra's Sister" creates a moving portrait of one of the world's greatest and best loved writers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A haunting story, beautifully written and rich in historical detail." The Bookseller on Angelmonster"

About the Author

Veronica Bennett graduated from University College, Cardiff, and worked as an English lecturer for several years before becoming a children's author. Her titles include Angelmonster, a powerful account of the life of Mary Shelley, and Monkey, a novel about bullying. She lives in Middlesex.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens Paperbacks; First Edition edition (September 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844281477
• ISBN-13: 978-1844281473
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,620,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A loving little gem of Austen scholarship, January 9, 2009

By 

Jean McAneny - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cassandra's Sister (Hardcover)

***Spoiler alert***
I stumbled across this book in the children's section of the library, and since I am a lifelong fan of Jane Austen (have reread P&P esp., numerous times, whenever I need comfort) I thought it might be fun to introduce my daughters to her through a YA bio. But *I* actually ended up being the one plowing through it. I already knew the bare bones of her Tom Lefroy misadventure and the acccepted, then rejected proposal, but the loving detail that this author supplies was delightful.

But Austen fans should take note, this is not a pastiche of Austen's writing, so the young Jane never says anything nearly as clever as her characters always do - though she does seem a little like Catherine Morland at times! It's not a witty book, like JA's, but it has other virtues. It finds the origin of a number of themes from Austen's books in her own life - for instance that business of the entail on the Bennet family's home in P&P that complicates all the daughters' marriage prospects. The story considers the plight of Jane Austen and her best friend and sister Cassandra, and other single women like them, in a very understanding way.

But all in all, I'm not really sure whether this is a children's book - it's certainly perfect for me, i.e. someone who likes reading well written YA books. And anyone who has been entertained by P&P might want to go on to learn more of the enigma of Jane Austen the person and the writer. Give it a try!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, January 28, 2008

By 

Olivia Joy (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cassandra's Sister (Hardcover)

I am very surprised that "Cassandra's Sister" isn't more popular. It is one of the best historical fiction books I have read, and at that, it is about Jane Austen! It is appropriate for all ages with nothing questionable, and offers good insight to what Jane's life may have been like as a teenager. It also sheds a new light on the books that Jane wrote and different aspects of them. A wonderful read!