Dearest Cousin Jane

by Jill Pitkeathley

“A well-researched and beautifully imagined novel….If Jane and the Austen family were not quite like this, they should have been.”
—Ruth Rendell   Dearest Cousin Jane by Jill Pitkeathley, the author of Cassandra and Jane , is an inventive reimagining of the intriguing and scandalous life lived by Jane Austen’s cousin, Countess Eliza de Feuillide. The fact-based story of a remarkable woman whose progressive and passionate views on love and marriage greatly influenced Austen’s work—including such beloved novels as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility — Dearest Cousin Jane will fascinate and enchant readers interested in Victorian Era Britain and all lovers of Jane Austen literature and lore. Janet Aylmer, author of Darcy’s Story , says, “This novel brings a new and enjoyable dimension to our knowledge of Jane Austen’s life and work.”

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Regency, Historical, Romance, British Literature, Chick Lit

276 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2010

Reviews

[Charmaine Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book jumped into my hands while purusing the books at Costco. I am a Jane Austen junkie and couldn't resist. I enjoyed it but it isn't for everyone. I think you need to be an Austen aficionado to have the patience for a book like this. Evidentally Jane Austen had a nortorious cousin, Eliza Hancock, believed to have influenced Jane's writing. Eliza married a French count and after his death Jane's brother, 10 years her junior. Eliza's social escapades and extravagances were often in question. Her life and colorful character was entwined with the Austen family for most of Jane's life. The book has no plot. Each chapter is a first person account of an Austen family member including Jane, her sister Cassandra, her mother, Eliza, Jane's brothers, some of Jane's cousins and a sister in law. Some of the story is told in letters from one of these family members to another. It is a choppy way to write a story but I did enjoy learning about the interactions and movings of her family. I feel like I have a good understanding of the family dynamics that surrounded Jane's life and writing. It is fiction based loosley on knowledge of the real family.

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is loosely based on the life of Jane.
It uses real correspondance between members of the Austen family as reference.
I think what I was most disapointed in was the frequent use of images and phrases from the beloved stories from Jane.
At first I thought it added charm but it was overkill.

[Nancy L Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my 2nd reading. An interesting and easy readnwas Was rereading because was not feeling well and did not want to have to concentrate on a new book.
Now it goes into box for upcoming book swap by my book club

[Haley Mathiot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: DNF

Dearest Cousin Jane is not about Jane Austen or a re-write of one of her novels, but rather about her extended family. It sounded interesting. If I'd gotten to the halfway mark, I may have found it interesting. However, I couldn't push myself past the first few chapters.

Dearest Cousin Jane was very hard to read. I found myself, even after several chapters, unable to understand who was speaking, and which characters were which. The writing was very formal and good, and matched the time period, so I'm not complaining about that. I just didn't like the fact that I didn't understand what I was reading, and had to go back and re-read several times.

Dearest Cousin Jane got higher ratings on Amazon and goodreads. Please check out some other reviews.

This review is copyright Haley Mathiot and Night Owl Reviews.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book i picked up on the fly at BJ's and started reading it. i liked it al ot and it really helped me understand more about Jane and her life but at times it was just so slow.

It doesn't follow Jane and her life but it is follows her cousin who lived an exciting life. It was fun to read because it was a fiction book with historical events and an unknown character and a very well known character. it opened up a new insight to two people instead of one. and reading and learning about Jane helps me better understand her books and think about the way her stories are written and what must have been going on in her mind.

i liked the book a lot. i don't know if i would recommend it as an amazing book, because like i said there were parts that were very very slow. but i value the understanding i learned form it.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how I missed the fact that this author is the same as the writer of Cassandra and Jane, which I did not like at all. Had I realized that, I would have saved myself some time by not starting this one.

I could not connect to either the characters or the writing style of this author. There is just something I cannot put my finger on, but it puts me off, and makes me react negatively to the characters.

I can't be more specific, but I will not read any other books by this author about Austen or her life. They just do not work for me.

[Amy Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to get into this book, but it became a charming historical fiction. I enjoyed remembering parts of biographies I've read come to life. I will always love Jane Austen!!!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable historical fiction read

Always love Jane Austen books so enjoyed reading about her life ,or what could have been, and possibly who some of her characters were drawn from.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I don't know how accurate it is, and I really don't care.
It was interesting to not only learn more about Jane Austen and what may have inspired her for her novels, but to also get to know more about her family, and her favorite cousin Eliza.
This book was told from so, so many different points of views, and with letters sprinkled in, but it really worked for me.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming and insightful view of Jane's life through the eyes of family members. In an exchange of letters the same events are seen from the point of view of several relations/characters. The author particularly highlights the ongoing European upheaval and war that affected family members, placing Austen's work into a larger context.

[Suzanne Mccandless · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun addition to my collection of Jane Austen related books. This was the story of Eliza, Jane's cousin and also the wife of Henry, Jane's favorite brother. Eliza, 14 years older than Jane, encouraged Jane and her writing all of her life. Although it was fiction, it was well researched and much I believe to be reliable .

[Haley Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I do love reading about Jane Austen but I thought it was a little choppy with having it told in journal entries.

[Baj · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoyed this book, I don't think less of you. But this review is based on my personal experience and feelings...

I absolutely LOVE Jane Austen, and anything about her. I was so excited about this book when I found it because I thought it would be a straight-forward fictionalized take on real events in Austen's family life.

WRONG-O! This is a slow, slow, book. Quite frankly, it's boring. The narrative style is confusing as all get out, jumping between letters and not-letters, though it's SO HARD to tell which is which, the characters share so many of the same names that it's also hard to keep them straight (even with the helpful guide at the beginning of the book), and the timeline is fast-tracked in such a way that you feel like you're flying through time without being able to catch your breath.

I would have DNF'd, but after multiple years of slowly nibbling pages here and there, I was determined to see it through to the end. Did it ever pick up? I'm afraid not. But at least my rating is 100% authentic based on the entirety of the book.

[Samantha McNulty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis: Drawing on historical fact, Jill Pitkeathley paints a luminous portrait of Jane Austen's free-spirited and seductive cousin, Countess Eliza de Feuillide - from her flirtatious younger years to her great influence on one of the world's favourite authors. Speculated to have been born from a love affair between her mother and the great Warren Hastings, founder of the East India Company and the British Raj, Eliza was a precocious young woman and well-known flirt. Educated in England and France, she went on to marry a French count, Jean de Feuillide, and bear one son with him, who died before reaching adulthood. She later suffered the loss of her husband when Madame la Guillotine claimed him during the early days of the French Revolution. Eliza was close to the Austen family throughout her days, and flirted with both of Jane's brothers profusely, encouraging both men to propose to her upon the death of her husband. She eventually accepted Jane's favourite brother Henry, bringing glamour and excitement on her visits to the Austen's country parsonage in England. With chapters in the voices of Jane, Jane's sister Cassandra, and other family members including Jane's love-sick brothers, Pitkeathley reveals Countess Eliza's influence on one of the world's best loved novelists - and that it is indeed high time her story is told.

I have always loved Jane Austen, and since watching the movie Becoming Jane (with Anne Hathaway) I have also come to love Eliza, her cultured, spirited and flirtatous cousin.

This book, though fiction, is based on fact and follows Eliza throughout her life until her death in 1813. It chronicles the struggles she endured in her life, but also the happier times of marriage to a French nobleman, and later, after his execution, to her cousin, Jane's favourite brother Henry.

This book also gives light to the fact that Eliza was one of only a few members of the Austen family who truly believed in Jane's writing skill and talent. Eliza was a huge influence on Jane, which is shown through several of her characters being based on Eliza herself.

Jill Pitkeathley does Miss Austen, Eliza and her other family members justice, I believe. Though fiction, JP has interwoven the true life events effortlessly into a fiction novel, keeping dates and events in their correct order and not changing them for her own liking.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

In love with the beautiful cover of a headless Regency lady, I borrowed this book from the library last year but didn't even read past the first chapter. I gave it another go and actually finished it this time! I think what turned me off to the book the first time around is that the title is misleading. The book is not about Jane Austen, but rather her cousin Eliza de Feuillide (later Austen). If a book is called Dearest Cousin Jane, shouldn't it be about someone named Jane? It should've been called Dearest Cousin Eliza, but then I doubt it would garner as much interest.

I've read a few historical accounts of Jane Austen's family, and her cousin Eliza was an important figure in Jane's life. They were close like sisters, in spite of the difference in their ages. I was familiar with a lot of the events that happen in this book — Eliza's childhood in France, the beheading of Eliza's first husband, her acceptance of Henry Austen's proposal after years of him trying to win her — so it wasn't too confusing reading them from the various first-person perspectives Pitkeathley employs throughout.

The book is broken up into three parts — Eliza as a child, Eliza married to the Comte de Feuillide, and Eliza married to Jane's brother Henry. The story of Eliza unfolds as a series of journal entries, and sometimes letters, from various members of the Austen family, incuding Rev. George Austen, Philadelphia Austen Hancock, Cassandra Austen and Jane Austen herself. Many chapters are narrated by Eliza as well.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but because there are so many different narrators, I found myself often forgetting who was narrating a particular chapter...and I'd have to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see who it was. Dearest Cousin Jane might be interesting to those who wish to read about Jane Austen's extended family, but for people who want more focus on the authoress, look elsewhere.

[Lydia Laceby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

I enjoyed Dearest Cousin Jane once I had a grasp on the multiple characters from whose point of view this book is told and with not knowing much about Jane Austen, I liked finding out bits about her life through this chick lit-ish historical fiction.

There was a lot of history in this Dearest Cousin Jane with it being based on Eliza’s point of view from her travels to and from India and her life in France leading up to The French Revolution. Eliza loved the fine things in life from Parisian court to galas to the theatre and I thought the story being told from her perspective was an interesting take on Jane Austen’s life, seeing the potential influence her older and outrageously flirtier cousin had on her. Not having been all that familiar with Jane Austen’s story, I enjoyed learning about her life, especially as seen from her family’s perspective.

I found the details of Eliza’s flamboyant lifestyle and that of Jane’s less colourful life were portrayed so well I could picture both vividly. This combined with the historical details such as various health aspects of life at that time - which I found fascinating - led to a colourful novel about Jane Austen’s life. I found it interesting to learn how her stories evolved and the struggle of female authors at the time. I found this novel well researched, filled with details and it didn’t leave me with any nagging questions.

If you’re looking for something with a historical perspective, pick up Dearest Cousin Jane today.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a fictionalized biography of Jane Austen's lively cousin Eliza. Eliza was born in India Jane Austen's aunt Philadelphia and her husband Mr. Tysoe Saul Hancock. Eliza was the goddaughter of the Governor General of India and in the story, his illegitimate daughter. Eliza and her mother, Philadelphia, moved back to England when Eliza was a child. The girl was educated in France but enjoyed spending holidays with her Austen cousins. She loved entertaining in the lavish French style and cared deeply for her little boy who was ill. Eliza's story is often mentioned in Austen biographies and this book tries to flesh her out more and share with the reader how the interesting and outspoken woman influenced Jane Austen to defy social conventions and become a published author. I liked Eliza and it's easy to see why Jane was fascinated by her older cousin, but I did not like the way the story was told. Letters (real and fictional), journal entries and conversations between the Austens, Eliza, and their cousin Philly Walter make the story disjointed. It's difficult to switch points of view each chapter and each section is dated at the top rather than revealing the time through the narrative. I think the story could have been told in a more lively manner, to match Eliza's personality. This book is all right and if you want to read everything about Jane Austen, then pick this one up. It's more for the casual Austen fan than true Janeites.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A second fictionalized bio by the author of Cassandra and Jane, this one much more readable because the author has stopped making lists of facts and relied more on invention. The focus of this book besides Jane is on Eliza de Feuillide, who seems to have been the one most historically interesting person related to Jane Austen - her mysterious parentage (was she, or was she not, the child of the famous Hastings?), her life in India, England, and France, her marriage to a French aristocrat, her not-quite-normal son, and her tragic death - the facts are soap opera-y enough for any novel. The author's style has improved - it is too bad that some of the action of this book slightly depends on knowing the fictionalizations of the last one, because this book is more readable if you didn't struggle through the last one.

[Hollie Robb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay I have tried to read this book, but I just can't get into it. Kudos to all who have and can get into this book. So I'll not rate this book, how can I when I haven't read it all of the way though? I'll probably pick it up hear and there and try and read it all the way though. There were somethings that bothered me in this book, they were facts that were historically correct but still bothered me.


Hmm maybe I should have a book shelve that is titled "tired to read, but could not get into it."

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for the most part, but I took issue with a lot of the characterizations in the novel. I know that writing from the point of view of historical figures who were once real as opposed to fictional characters can be challenging, but this author had a real tendency to go OOC (out of character) and it annoyed me. Maybe it's my hero worship speaking, but I have a hard time believing that Jane Austen could be that whiny and unlikeable! The author also had some comma issues too, which was really distracting.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Told from the viewpoint of many different characters in Jane Austen's life, the reader feels as if he/she knows the Austen family personally. This story focuses on Jane's cousin, Eliza, who was once called Betsy until her mother took her on many travels around the world. Eliza was a social, out-going relative who loved Jane dearly and wanted her to succeed as a writer. At the time, there was no such thing as an independent woman, but Eliza always lived life by her own designs.

[Popokigirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do read a lot of Austen sequels, fan fiction, etc., but rarely enjoy them very much, as few people seem to take the trouble to research and model their Austen-like creations after the original herself. Ms. Pitkeathley is one of those wonderful few. She has given voice to many of those in Austen's family as they interact, based on the historical record, with Jane and Eliza de Feuillide, the centers of the story. Certain portions of or inspirations from the novels blend seamlessly into the narrative and suggest plausible and interesting ideas about their origin. Recommended for any Jane-ite.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tremendously. It takes me awhile to get into the letter writing format of the book but after a few pages it works for me. I loved what would have been perhaps going back and forth between Henry, Jane, Eliza, the Comte de Feuillide, a couple cousins, etc. It really puts pieces together of a life that could have been. Perhaps we should all start writing letters unabbreviated and on paper....well nice thought. I loved the insight.

[Michele Bolay · Rating 3 out of 5]

My most recent capitulation to the jumping-on-Jane's-bandwagon oeuvre. Not bad, actually. Pitkeathley writes the period well, no glaring anachronisms, no actions that seemed out of character for her real-life protagonists. Austen's cousin (and later sister-in-law) Eliza was undoubtedly the inspiration for Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park, and is an interesting person in her own right. Relaxing bedtime reading for Austen fans.

[Lauren Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was truly amazing but it isnt for everyone. You have to have patience with this book. It painted a wonderful picture of the life of Eliza Hancock,Jane Austens fun loving and flirty cousin, and the whole Austen family really. It take you through her life in letters as well as first person accounts. I was so disappointed when the book ended and would recommend it if your thinking of reading it.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read full of historical detail, but the dialogue was occasionally heavy-handed, as it awkwardly attempted to explain large leaps of time and backstory in conversation between characters who wouldn't need to say these things to each other. It also went a bit far afield for its double focus on Eliza Austen and Jane Austen, and might've done better to focus on just one or two perspectives; juggling so many narrators felt like too much and that some were inconsistent. Still, I enjoyed it.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was unable to get into this book, although I did finish it. I'm just not a Jane Austin fan.

Eliza, a terrible flirt, is a cousin of Jane Austen. Her only strength of character seems to be to encourage [Plain} Jane to write, and to change residences frequently, however. But, since she is one of the idle rich in England, she does little else but visit people and write soliloquies; but neither does anyone else. A patent piece of fluff.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like being a part of the family ... well, as close as you could be 200 years later. Nice use of narrative and correspondence to share the tale. Shocking to think that JA only lived to be 41 years old - at least she was able to experience some of her success tho Northanger Abbey was published posthumously.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in the actual history of Jane Austen, you would probably like this book. It's sort of a history of her extended family with fiction filling in the blanks of facts, and really focusing on her cousin Eliza. It's not a story, it reads more like an series of personalized autobiographies, or something. Interesting, but not really a 'quick read' if you know what I mean.

[Natale Cozzolongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a seemingly well researched account of the dynamics of the Austin family and the development of a young writter through a rich narrative. At times it seemed a bit melodramatic and I began to loose interest. However the excitement felt when the young Jane Austin finally gets published (I hope this doesn't qualify as a spoiler) makes the book a worthwhile read.