I finished an ARC our librarian loaned me today entitled Cassandra's Sister by Veronica Bennett. Our librarian knows I enjoy Jane Austen, and when this ARC crossed her desk about Jane and her sister, she knew I'd probably enjoy it. And I did, though I'm still not sure who the actual audience will be for this book. It appealed to me, an Austen fan, because basically it's written in the style of Austen herself, but I'm still unsure that it will go for middle school girls who are unfamiliar with Austen. It is sort of written in the style of Little Women, so it might gain an audience there, but I think it's going to take some tricky advertising on the part of the publisher to find its niche.
Since it's an ARC, I can't review it on Amazon, so I'll give a brief review here: We first meet Jane when she is 17 and looking for love. We follow her, not unlike many of her heroines, as she attends balls and visits with friends and family, and we see her mature as a young woman hopeful for love and ever looking up to her elder sister. Following Jane as she develops her writing skills is interesting, and the author does a credible job of using Austen's own style to give us insight into the world of the late 1700s. I was kept engaged throughout, and enjoyed this little gem quite a bit, though I did find it tragic that poor Jane never did achieve the love and household of her own that she so desired. Beyond that, I can recommend this one to lovers of Jane Austen, no matter their age. Now I'm off to read What's a Ghoul to Do? and I'm already almost 70 pages in, and gobbling this fun one up. ~taminator40
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