“Kelly brilliantly reconstructs the tumultuous world that influenced Jane Austen's writing, offering readers a fresh and illuminating perspective that even those of us with a familial connection find revelatory.”

Caroline Jane Knight, Last of Jane’s Nieces from Chawton House

"I just wanted to say I have loved reading Helena’s book - it is a triumph. What I love about Helena’s book - which I also loved about Jane Austen: The Secret Radical - is the fascinating way she is able to contextualise Austen’s life and work in a way that gives the reader the opportunity to return to Austen with completely fresh eyes and a whole new understanding of how the world she lived in shaped her and her pen. Her writing is both fascinating and accessible, and I’ll return to this book over and over again!"

Dr Lizzie Rogers, Writer and historian of eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries