The Elopement

Gill Hornby

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Century
03 June 2025

Fiction & Literature; Historical romance; Sagas

Gill Hornby plunges us into the lives of the Austen family during the early 19th Century, where an unconventional marriage divides a family and turmoil ensues.

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'

By: Gill Hornby
Imprint: Century
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 213mm, Width: 134mm, Spine: 36mm
Weight: 476g
ISBN: 9781529903348
ISBN 10: 1529903343
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 03 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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 will be a four-part BBC adaptation starring Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen. She lives in West Berkshire with her husband and their four children.

Reviews for The Elopement

Has all Austen’s wit and unnerving powers of observation with an extra twenty-first century zap * Ferdinand Mount * Few writers are as perspicacious or half as delightful as Hornby * Karen Joy Fowler * Gripping and moving and also so sharp and funny. I loved it! * Sabine Durrant * Turmoil ensues in this novel laced with scandal, elopement, gossip and family intrigue. * The Bookseller * Has all the wit and wisdom of a Jane Austen novel * RED Magazine * A captivating return to the world of the Austens * Woman & Home * A magical and terrifically interesting read * Persephone Books Newsletter *