* NATIONAL BESTSELLER * “This novel delivers sweet, smart escapism.” –People “Fans of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society… A charming and memorable debut, which reminds us of the universal language of literature and the power of books to unite and heal.” –Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost … heal.” –Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris
Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England’s finest novelists. Now it’s home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen’s legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen’s home and her legacy. These people–a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others–could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.
A powerful and moving novel that explores the tragedies and triumphs of life, both large and small, and the universal humanity in us all, Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society is destined to resonate with readers for years to come.
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Fans of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society, which tells the story of an eclectic group of people in a post-World War II English village who come together to save the beloved author’s home and legacy. Author Natalie Jenner has penned a charming and memorable debut, which reminds us of the universal language of literature and the power of books to unite and heal.
So wonderful!
From a debut author (out 5/26), a fictional reimagining of how the Jane Austen Society came about, filled with the stories of its 8 founding members.
While it started a bit slow, I was eventually swept up into the joys, the heartbreak and the everyday lives of these men and women who shared a deep love and respect for the writer. Some of their stories even reflect elements of Austen’s books.
Beautifully written with some surprises and a very satisfying ending. A real comfort read. Highly recommend.
A big thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Ms. Jenner has written her own Jane Austen book, set forward a century plus, and it’s a marvel. The troupe of characters who make up this engaging and compelling tale are as vivid in their own ways as Lizzie Bennett, Mr. Darcy and the rest. A lovely, lovely story filled to the brim with people to care for deeply and all the AustenWorld minutiae an Austen lover could want!
Unlikely characters with one goal to bring them together: save the estate where Austin wrote her last three books.
Well-written, seamlessly plotted, The Jane Austin Society is a gem of a novel that would have made Jane Austin proud.
I applaud debut author Natalie Jenner and look forward to her next endeavor.
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner – what a glorious read! I only meant to have a quick flick through, but instead I have spent the last couple of days absolutely enthralled. It’s like watching Mr Darcy step out of the lake, or reading Sense and Sensibility for the first time.
Set in 1940s England, it follows a group of disparate characters, all struggling in some way, who form the Jane Austen Society. Through their love of books and their care for each other, they find what they were looking for. Highly recommended, and not just for Jane Austen fans.
4.5 Stars!
I absolutely loved this gently moving, character driven story with a pace that lulled me into quiet contentment. For me, the pacing and storytelling (minus the epistolary element) was reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer in its wit, setting, and light romance. The story also had moments of heartbreak and melancholy, but ultimately it was a feel good, happily ever after story.
I’m a Jane Austen fan, but have yet to read her complete library and I don’t think it’s necessary to know each of her stories to enjoy this book. The Jane Austen devotees within know her work and have their favorites, but the author does a wonderful job in conveying the characters’ thoughts and literary comparisons without losing the reader. Although, I will say, the story entices me to hurry up and finish the Austen stories that I have yet to read.
If you are a Jane Austen aficionado then you will enjoy the references to her books and characters peppered through this book about The Jane Austen Society that was formed in the 1940s in her hometown of Chawton. While all of the characters are fictional and the events leading up to the formation of this group may not be how it really happened, it was eye opening to see so many who cared about an author and her works and be invested in her writings. I was intrigued by how many times these characters read her books and commenting on the new nuances they discovered and debating Austen’s thoughts while writing the book.
But this book is about more than Jane Austen. It is about finding new friends, relationships, misunderstandings, and perhaps renewed faith and interest in life. The cast of characters ranges in age but there is a connection between all of them, which is not surprising for this small village in England. I enjoyed most of the characters but there were a few that were despicable but that is to be expected because not everyone can be nice. However, those characters gave the story a little more depth and gave you someone to root against as events unfolded.
There are parts of the book that I’m disappointed by some actions of several of the characters. While some I sort of understood in the grand scheme of life, a different choice would have resulted in a different outcome for the society. While reading the book, I felt like I knew some of the characters better than others. There were some that I wanted to know more about, such as Mimi. I felt like the surface was just scratched in her case and there was more to understand about her character.
I will admit that I haven’t read any Jane Austen books that I recall but now I am intrigued and maybe one day I’ll pick up one of her books to see if I can unearth the same sort of observations as others have over time.
We give this book 3 1/2 paws.
Prepare to meet ‘three or four families in a country village’ who embrace their passion and form a literary society in honor of an author whose enduring appeal, after 200 years, reminds us of what should be paramount in our lives: compassion, love, and reading!! The Jane Austen Society is an uplifting tribute to its inspiration and the nobility of the human spirit. Natalie Jenner could be the next Helen Simonson.
Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society is an extremely impressive debut novel populated with fully-developed, nuanced characters that resonate with the kind of humanity that made Ms. Austen’s stories so universal and timeless.
Natalie Jenner’s lovely debut novel, The Jane Austen Society, is a charming, yet bittersweet tale about the power of literature ― the beloved Jane Austen in particular ― to heal and elevate the human spirit in the aftermath of World War II.
This was such a treat to read. I have wanted to visit Chawton for years and I still need to go there but reading about it was incredible. I found the beginning a bit slow to warm to the characters but then it was heartwarming and beautiful.
Enjoyable visit to the small English village of Chawton, Jane Austen’s home turf and last home, in the 1940s. The 8 main characters are mostly lifelong Chawton residents who are true fans of the author’s works. So much so, that they come together to form a society whose purpose is to preserve the Austen (actually Knight) family home, artifacts, and her legacy. Besides this common bond, they are different from one another, and one comes to know their concerns, sorrows, and unfulfilled dreams. A savvy Austen fan will see some parallels between some of the relationships in this book and Austen’s works. As the story progresses, the characters’ bonds grow, and the end finds resolution for many.
This story had unexpected dark elements, some might call them trauma triggers, that I didn’t enjoy. The realistic characters, their interactions, and the satisfactory conclusion earned this book 4 stars from me. As the story itself says about Austen’s characters, it is “about unreal people with very real flaws.” And the way they discussed Austen’s works was appealing to my Austen-loving heart. One protagonist says it best: “We love Jane Austen because her characters, as sparkling as they are, are no better and no worse than us. They’re so eminently, so completely, human.”
Jane Austen fans, get yourself a big cuppa, get cozy, and prepare to lose yourself in the goings on of the small town of Chawton circa mid-to-late 1940s. I loved this sweet, twisting tale of eight very different people whose lives intertwine over their love of Jane Austen. On one level, this is a quiet book but–like Austen’s–their are hidden depths: an exploration of loss and grief, second chances, and found family. Historical fiction at its best!
5 Stars. A lovely, leisurely story about a group of Jane Austen fans during the years after WWII. These characters have been hurt by life and are searching for something to fill their hearts. As they discuss Austen’s stories, philosophy of life, and how to keep the Austen legacy alive, they find what they’re looking for. And it doesn’t hurt that Richard Armitage is the voice artist who relates the story!
A lovely story, but with a couple of caveats for Christian/conservative readers.
I enjoyed this story a lot. A fictional tale about the beginning of the Jane Austen Society, I loved seeing how the lives of all the different characters intertwined, as they found a purpose greater than themselves, that helped them overcome past trauma and other challenges in their lives. The writing style, characters, and story are all very well done.
That said, for my Christian/conservative readers, there are a couple of content alerts you might want to be aware of. There is one mild rape/sex scene, which, although not extremely detailed, definitely had a bit more info than I would have preferred, and certainly enough to have made me uncomfortable before I was married and more familiar with the…erm…general mechanics.
There are other extramarital sexual relationships in the story, including a homosexual one. But all except that one rape scene happen pretty much “off-screen” and are mostly just implied (in the case of the homosexual relationship, entirely just implied).
So if any of that sounds like something that would make you uncomfortable, you might want to skip this one. However, I definitely still enjoyed the rest of the book. And as long as you are ok with this level of adult content, I’m sure you will too. It truly is a lovely story!
Such an intriguing, cozy world! The characters were so beautifully drawn, you can’t help falling in love with them.
This was our November pick for the #canlit read. I think after reading this, we’ve decided we shall be calling ourselves the #readcanlistsociety
It took me about 50 pages or so to really get into it, but it is an amazing novel!
It’s so hard to believe that this is Natalie Jenners debut novel!! Phenomenal writing and great world building!
I personally have not read a Jane Austen novel, but after reading this, I have to! The characters made you want to read them!
The group of characters are a odd bunch, but bring the book to life!
You can tell Ms . Jenner put a lot of thought and research into the book. So much amazing and beautiful history.
It is a book about people that are hurting, struggling, suffering from loss and their love for Jane Austen brings them together in a beautiful way.
I can’t wait to read the future books by Natalie.
If you love the aroma of old books, if you love Jane Austen books, if you love English villages and the characters in them, you’ll especially relish this book. One caveat: There’s a vulgar scene in one chapter involving Hollywood types. In fact, the Americans were the worst characters in the books. The others (except for three minor characters whose reactions seemed too strong) were compelling and so was the story, even for those who haven’t read Jane Austen. I read her books long ago, and enjoyed the aroma of those old books as I read this charming story.
A most enjoyable read. Having been a Jane Austen fan forever, it was a joy to read. It made the village of Chawton come alive for me.