I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend by Cora Harrison

This is the 1 st book I have read by Harrison, and it is supposed to be a book for
children. However, I found it very entertaining and not at all "too young" to make
for interesting reading. While I took it for a work of fiction, never having heard of
Jenny Cooper in the reading I had done on the British author Jane Austen before
this, the story is made more fascinating because it is based on fact! The author
has done an excellent job taking an obscure tidbit of information about Austen
and her childhood, and turning it into this delightful tale.

The novel begins with Jane Austen (as a child) and her cousin Jenny Cooper at a
terrible school. When Jane becomes dangerously ill, Jenny risks all, her life and
reputation, by mailing a letter to Jane's mother to let her know of her daughter's
dire situation. By the time Mrs. Austen arrives at the school, Jane is recovering,
but Jenny herself is seriously ill, and the Austen's decide to take both girl's home
to recuperate. Jenny survives her illness and well, and thrives in the healthy
atmosphere of the active Austen homestead, making friends with Jane's many
brothers and the male students who are being tutored by the Rev. George
Austen. The girls make quite an impression on the family as they attempt to

teach a handicapped member of the family his alphabet, and the scene where he
saves other family members from roadside robbery was so brilliant it made me
weep.

In the end, Jenny finds happiness with the sailor who protected her during her
earlier adventure to rescue Jane, while Jane stays home and continues to write.
This book gives fans a look into life in the Austen home, unexpectedly painting a
less than complementary picture of Jane's beloved sister Cassandra, as well as
Jane's relationship with her mother. It is fascinating in that this book puts Jane's
brothers and parents more into center focus. While it deals with a juvenile Jane, it
is not for that reason uninteresting or immature. The book makes a little known
part of Austen's life into an adventure worth reading about, and gives us a
portrait of the verbally precocious person Austen may well have been. The author
has researched Austen's juvenile writings, and claims to have based many
passages on what Austen herself wrote. I would recommend this book to teens
and other Austen fans, who should find the subject matter as fascinating as I did.

Submitted by Gerti