Summary of Paula Byrne's The Real Jane Austen

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The family profile is a portrait that shows the father, George Austen, the adoptive mother, Catherine Knight, and the boy Edward, who was adopted by the couple in 1783. It was commissioned by Thomas Knight, a wealthy but childless gentleman from Kent, to commemorate his formal adoption of his nephew Edward Austen.
#2 The practice of adoption was not uncommon in the Georgian era, when the preservation of large estates was the key to wealth and status. It was common for children to be transferred into wealthy families, and for girls to be adopted. #3 In 1782, a six-year-old girl was excitedly awaiting the return of her father in a hack chaise from the main stage-coach post in Andover. Her father was returning home with his elder daughter, who had been visiting relatives in Bath.
#4 Jane Austen was the seventh child of the Reverend George Austen and his wife Cassandra, née Leigh. She was born in December 1775, and was baptized privately by her father on the morrow to ensure that her soul would be saved if she died in her first few days.