Miss Austen, a new BBC period drama based on Gill Hornby's novel, has earned a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The four-part series stars Keeley Hawes as Cassandra Austen, who destroyed thousands of her sister Jane's letters after her death to protect the family's reputation. Of an estimated 3,000 letters, only about 160 survive.
The story follows Cassandra travelling to the home of family friends the Fowles to retrieve letters between Jane and the late Eliza Fowles before they fall into the hands of the Austens' vicious sister-in-law Mary, played by Jessica Hynes. Mary wants a biography written of her husband, James, with Jane as an addendum.
Through extended flashbacks, Cassandra reads the letters, evoking the sisters' closeness. Patsy Ferran delivers a perfect performance as the young Jane Austen, capturing her wit and intelligence. The script manages to sound effortlessly Austen-like, witty but not waspish.
In the present day of 1830, Cassandra becomes involved in the fate of Eliza's daughter Isabella (Rose Leslie), an unmarried woman facing eviction after her father's death. Cassandra seeks an alternative for Isabella, potentially involving the doctor who cared for her father (Alfred Enoch).
The series is praised for its masterly performances and interweaving of past and present narratives. Mary is a masterpiece of natural malevolence, while Isabella is a finely drawn portrait of frustration. Cassandra is a fully realised woman shaped by grief and love. The drama is warm, intelligent, and thought-provoking, feeling true to the age and Austen's works.
