Longbourn

‘If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats,’ Sarah thought, ‘she would be more careful not to tramp through muddy fields.’ It is wash-day in the Bennet household, and Sarah’s hands are chapped and raw. Life below stairs, ruled with a tender heart and iron will by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman, bearing secrets and the scent of the sea…

Longbourne by Jo Baker

Reviews

‘A really special book, and not only because its author writes like an angel.’ Daily Mail

‘A triumph: a splendid tribute to Austen’s original, but, more importantly, a joy in its own right.’ Guardian

‘Delightful and audacious… a work that’s both original and charming, even gripping.’ New York Times Book Review

‘A novel that contrives both to provoke the intellect, and, ultimately, to stop the heart.’ Guardian.

‘Ambrosia from the gods…’ O Magazine