PRE-ORDER NOW: The new novel from the bestselling author of Miss Austen and Godmersham Park coming soon! ''Gill Hornby''s trilogy about Jane''s family has all Austen''s wit and unnerving powers of observation with an extra twenty-first century zap , and The Elopement is the best yet '' FERDINAND MOUNT ____________ ''It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'' 1820. Mary Dorothea Knatchbull is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward - a man of strict principles and high Christian values. But when her father marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary''s life is suddenly changed. Her new stepmother comes from a large, happy and sociable family and Fanny''s sisters become Mary''s first friends. Her aunt, Miss Cassandra Austen of Chawton, is especially kind. Her brothers are not only amusing, but handsome and charming. And as Mary Dorothea starts to bloom into a beautiful young woman, she forms an especial bond with one Mr Knight in particular. Soon, they are deeply in love and determined to marry. They expect no opposition. After all, each is from a good family and has known the other for some years. It promises to be the most perfect match. Who would want to stand in their way? ____________ Readers are loving The Elopement! ''It is so well-written with vivid period detail that I felt immersed in the Austen world and did not want it to end .'' ''I was hooked from the first page.'' ''Sharply observed, well researched and wonderfully told '' ''I loved every minute of this novel'' ''A gem ''

Autorentext

Gill Hornby is the author of The Hive and All Together Now, as well as The Story of Jane Austen, a biography of Austen for younger readers.

Her subsequent novels, Miss Austen and Godmersham Park were Sunday Times bestsellers, and Miss Austen is a four-part BBC adaptation starring Keely Hawes as Cassandra Austen. She is also the President of the Jane Austen Society.

She lives in West Berkshire with her husband and four children.

Klappentext

Three women, two families, one forbidden marriage. Get ready to fall in love with this captivating regency novel, perfect for fans of The Other Bennet Sister!

'A richly imagined family saga, love story and social comedy' Times

'Gripping and moving and also so sharp and funny. I loved it!' Sabine Durrant, bestselling author of Lie with Me

'Has all the wit and wisdom of a Jane Austen novel' Red

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1820. Mary Dorothea is living under the sole charge of her widowed father, Sir Edward, a man of strict principles and high moral values.

But when Sir Edward marries Miss Fanny Knight of Godmersham Park, Mary's life is suddenly changed.

Mary's new stepmother, Fanny, comes from a large, happy and sociable family, and Fanny's brothers are amusing, handsome and completely charming.

One brother is particularly attentive and, as Mary approaches her seventeenth birthday, a bond forms between them that leads, on the last day of the year 1825, to a proposal of marriage.

Sir Edward's outrage is immediate, his refusal isabsolute. The union will never take place.

There appears to be only one solution . . .

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Praise for The Elopement:

'Tremendous' Nigella Lawson

'Has all Austen's wit and unnerving powers of observation with an extra twenty-first century zap' Ferdinand Mount, prize-winning author of Big Ceasars and Little Caesars

'Few writers are as perspicacious or half as delightful as Hornby' Karen Joy Fowler, international bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club

'A captivating return to the world of the Austens' Woman & Home

'Combines meticulous period research with a fine feeling for the characters' inner lives, hopes and fears' Daily Mail

Readers are loving The Elopement:

'I was hooked from the first page' 5-star reader review

'I loved every minute of this novel' 5-star reader review

'One of the best books I've read this year. It's a delight - by turns refreshing, funny, romantic, poignant and touching' 5-star reader review

'Full of warmth, wit and suspense' 5-star reader review

'It is so well-written with vivid period detail that I felt immersed in the Austen world and did not want it to end' 5-star reader review