Book Review: The Austen Girls: The Story of Jane & Cassandra Austen, the Closest of Sisters, by Helen Amy

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Jane and Cassandra Austen were the closest of sisters from early childhood. Cassandra was the most important person in Jane’s life; Jane looked up to and adored her older sister, who was devoted to her in return. As well as sharing the same education, interests, friends and Christian faith, the inseparable sisters supported each other through various emotional crises and family troubles. Most importantly, Cassandra, who was privy to Jane’s imaginary world, supported and encouraged her in her writing.

If you thought you knew all there is to know about Jane and Cassandra Austen, Helen Amy’s new book, The Austen Girls, is guaranteed to have a few surprises.

 
This is a story of a lifelong bond, exploring the intimate connection between the sisters. Cassandra is not a supporting character in Jane’s life, but her confidante, her critic, her keeper of secrets, and often her emotional compass.

 
Helen Amy challenges readers to reconsider the “great author alone at her desk” myth, replacing it with a more granular and human portrait of two sisters navigating family obligations, financial insecurity, and the societal constraints of Regency England.

It is easy to forget girls of their time would usually have had the most basic education, with academic learning thought ‘unwomanly’, and only the most affluent being sent to boarding schools.
Jane and Cassandra were an exception in being ‘allowed’ to join their brother’s sessions with tutors. They also attended their father’s lessons and encouraged to read literature and history books, as well as learning basic French.

I particularly liked the many excerpts of Jane’s letters, which offer a real sense of her voice and personality. We only have Cassandra’s portrait of Jane and a ‘silhouette’ of `Cassandra, which makes the descriptions of them in the book quite intriguing. For example, Jane is said to be, “tall and slight, well balanced, as proved by her quick, firm step.”

For readers familiar with Jane Austen’s novels, The Austen Girls offers fresh perspective—not by reinterpreting her works, but by enriching our understanding of their emotional world. The Austen Girls is a tribute not just to Jane Austen’s genius, but to the sustaining power of family and the invisible threads that nourish great art.

Tony Riches

I would like to thank the publishers, Amberley, for providing a review copy.

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About the Author

After leaving university with a BA in English Literature and history Helen worked for a number of years in the Court Service before becoming a full time mother of three. Her interest in the life and works of Jane Austen developed from the research she did for her MA dissertation which was about the lives of women in late Georgian England. You can find Helen on Facebook