Fantastic book

I had read the book last year and enjoyed it so much that I bought the audiobook too, so I could have it with me where ever I went. I do not regret it one bit. Alison Larkin's narration is magical. Having read just one chapter I already forgot that it is not Caroline herself, but Alison speaking. I have so many favourite parts. Some make me laugh, others make me so sad that I almost well up, like the instance where Caroline's father decided never to enter a vegetable growing competion again or where Caroline overheard a woman speak rudely of her and didn't stop even when it was apparent that it had been heard. I got so immersed in the narration that it felt almost as if I were having tea with Caroline and she were telling me her story. Now I listen to it whenever I drive in my car. It is so therapeutic to listen to her story.
A huge thank you to Caroline for sharing such a deeply private story and for Alison to narrate it.

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2 people found this helpful

Fantastic book

I had read the book last year and enjoyed it so much that I bought the audiobook too, so I could have it with me where ever I went. I do not regret it one bit. Alison Larkin's narration is magical. Having read just one chapter I already forgot that it is not Caroline herself, but Alison speaking. I have so many favourite parts. Some make me laugh, others make me so sad that I almost well up, like the instance where Caroline's father decided never to enter a vegetable growing competion again or where Caroline overheard a woman speak rudely of her and didn't stop even when it was apparent that it had been heard. I got so immersed in the narration that it felt almost as if I were having tea with Caroline and she were telling me her story. Now I listen to it whenever I drive in my car. It is so therapeutic to listen to her story.
A huge thank you to Caroline for sharing such a deeply private story and for Alison to narrate it.

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A Captivating and Moving Tale

It is a deeply personal and touching story of Caroline Jane Knight, the last member of Austen Knight family to grow up in Chawton House, the ancient family seat, that Jane Austen referred to in her letters as a "Great House". The book is captivating, honest, brave and absolutely unique - it gives the reader a glimpse into the world so intricately and intimately connected with Jane Austen that one feels her continuous presence on every page, just like one feels it while visiting the village of Chawton.
After reading the book, listening to it is a wonderful way of re-visiting its pages, noticing more nuances, and paying attention to all the rich details that might have escape your attention first time. I thoroughly recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

Not really for me

Whilst the author's enterprise project of setting up a literacy charity is laudable and if I'd sat and listened to her reminiscing about her Knight family and Chawton for an hour or two, I'd no doubt have been interested, there is too much about the author's own life, which I had no real interest in: how she spent her 21st birthday or what jobs (nannying, marketing) she had done It's not a bad book but if you're looking for insights about Jane Austen, you'll probably not find anything new here. The audio narration wasn't great either: I've not heard Vangelis pronounced like that before.

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