In Conversation with Gill Hornby

Join us at Reading Central Library as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth with a talk by Sunday Times bestselling author Gill Hornby.  Gill will be talking about her latest novel The Elopement, a follow on from her novels Godmersham Park and Miss Austen, recently adapted for the BBC staring Keeley Hawes.

After the talk and book signing, those attending will have the opportunity to visit the Abbey Gateway where Jane Austen attended school from 1785 to 1786 between the end of the talk and 3.30pm.  Museum volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the building and Jane Austen’s experience of being there at the school.

About the book:

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?

About the author:

Gill Hornby is the author of the novels The Hive and All Together Now, as well as The Story of Jane Austen, a biography of Austen for young readers. Her subsequent novels, Miss Austen and Godmersham Park, were Sunday Times bestsellers, and Miss Austen is a four-part BBC adaptation starring Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen. She lives in West Berkshire with her husband and their four children.