The Jane Austen Society - Natalie Jenner ⭐⭐⭐
Just after the Second World War ... an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.

I love good Austentatious material - although I have to admit to being pretty well beyond the saturation point for WWII historical fiction.

This is a nice read – I liked it, but didn’t love it. I could sort of see what the author was trying to do in creating an Austen-type novel in the 20th century – and it worked to an extent. It got more captivating in the last third of the book which flowed easily but until then I did not get engrossed in the storytelling like I wanted it to and therefore it took me a long time to finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an impartial and honest review.

there was so little keeping the story going, idk what the point of this book was. truly felt like the author didn't get anywhere beyond "a society for people who all want to preserve jane austen's legacy."

I’m not typically a historical fiction reader, I’ve always loved Jane Austen so I was drawn to read the book. It was a decent read that I read over the course of a few days. It kept my attention but it didn’t completely suck me in. That being said, I still enjoyed the book. The story is about a group of very different people from very different backgrounds. However, they band together to save Jane’s home in Chawton and preserve the novelists legacy. Together, they create the Jane Austen Society.

I absolutely loved this book. Beautifully written and extremely heartfelt. One you definitely want to have on your shelves for a re-read. Highly recommend.

This is a must read for any Jane Austen fans. I loved the story of the village and the villagers. Such a fun bunch of Society members. Just loved this book.

So I admit it took me a while to get to this one, but I finally have. I am not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. The characters were compelling and the setting was fascinating. Now I admit I cannot read Jane Austen, I have read her, but it is always a slog for me and I can't seem to retain the story lines in my head. But I also know she is beloved. And I loved this book. It is fiction, but there is a real Jane Austen Society in Chasten, which this loosely based on I am sure. It was throughly enjoyable read, and I wish I had not waited so long to read it.

I know I’ve read Jane Austin when I was young but I certainly don’t remember the stories. It’s wonderful that she’s had such an impact on so many readers. I may need to go back and revisit some of her work.

This is what I would describe as a quiet little story. It just moves along at a slow pace, meandering here and there as the characters come together. A special read for those Austen fans out there, to be sure.

Title: The Jane Austen Society
Author: Natalie Jenner
Release Date: May 26th, 2020
Page Count: 315
Format: Audiobook
Start Date: February 24th, 2023
Finish Date: February 24th, 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I won an ARC of this book from Goodreads awhile back. Sadly, I lost my copy. I was really excited to read the book, so I purchased it in audiobook. There were parts that were a little weird to me, but I enjoyed the creativity behind it all. The story takes place during the WW2 era. I enjoyed this book so much that I know that I will be reading it again. I'd love to buy a physical copy of this book as well. I hope that I can find other people who read this book as well. I think there's an adaptation for this book, but I'm not fully sure on that.

Set in the last village that was Jane Austin’s home, a group of vastly different people come together to preserve her home and find new direction in their lives. A laborer, a widow, an actress, doctor and others believe Jane’s home is worth saving. Bound by her words they will move heaven and earth and any other bureaucratic nonsense that gets in their way. It’s uplifting and smile worthy. Happy reading

I am glad I gave this book a second chance. I started reading it and found the very beginning to be a bit slow, but then the pandemic hit, so I put it down. I wasn't able to read anything for fun for a few months. However, I picked it back up and loved it! I appreciated the subtle parallels to Austen’s characters in this fictionalized account of Chawton residents forming the Jane Austen Society in the 1940s. As I lifelong lover of Jane Austen's works, I liked how Natalie Jenner wove a strong around characters developing unlikely friendships around Austen’s books.

Just decided not to finish it up. I'm not in the mood for a non-Christian read, and this would require some discernment which I don't have the brain power for at the moment. Maybe I'll come back later, but I'm not sure I will give that this book is ... well, just not to my taste for the moment.

I picked up this book initially because of the title, because I have read through Jane Austen numerous times over the years, and generally find them to be enjoyable. Then, after reading the synopsis, it gave me vibes similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and a little bit the “Jane Austen Book Club” movie.

Historical fiction is not one of my main focuses when I read; a majority of what I pick up tends to be fantasy, but I do like picking up other genres when the story sounds interesting to me, and I loved Guernsey (the book WAY more than the movie).

This book was a little slow to get into, because there were so many characters to get introduced to, but there was still enough going for it to where I was interested by all these characters and seeing how their stories and their lives began to weave together. It wasn’t a fully cozy story, and there were some difficult moments to read through. Even more than that, there were some moments when the story would drag a bit.

It is a bit of a lower stakes book, all really focused on the small town of Chawton and a group of people who bond over Jane Austen and a desire to preserve her home. This book is a very character focused tale, so if you’re looking for something with a big or complex plot, this probably isn’t the book for you.

But I do like character driven stories, and find that plot can be a tiny bit weaker so long as there are characters I am invested in enough to keep reading.

Overall though, despite me having read this book….oh goodness, I just looked it up on Goodreads…I read this in May 2020, so more than two years ago. Now I feel even worse about taking so long to get a review up. Overall I did find it to be a good book.

RATING: 3/5 STARS

I love Jane Austen, but unfortunately couldn't bring myself to be excited about this one. It blends in with other post-WW2 fiction I've read. But if you like the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and multi-POV stories you may enjoy this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner in exchange for an honest review. It published May 26, 2020.
First of all, Richard Armitage narrates the audiobook, do with that what you will! I have to say, I think you really need to have read, understood, and loved Austen books in order the appreciate and catch the nuances in this book. I've not read much Austen, (I planned to before reading this, to be honest, never got around to it...), so I think I missed a lot of little things that to the voracious Austen-lover, would strike lots of happy notes.
So if you love Austen, I bet you'll love this. If not, this is a sweet historical fiction book that you'll feel a little confused about!

As a huge Jane Austen fan, there is nothing I love more than a Jane inspired book. Post WWII, 8 very different people from all walks of life gather to form the Jane Austen Society in Chawton, where Jane spent the last 8 years of her life. They want to save the house where she wrote the last 3 of her books. Such a great cast of characters, that even if you aren't a fan of Austen, you'll still love the book.

I am willing to admit that...I've never read a single Austen novel. This book made me want to change that, so I'm going to look into at least one of them. This was a cozy read that gave my brain a hug similar to when I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

This was such a delightful and inspiring read! I’ve added Chawton to my bucket list of places I want to go.
Villagers in Chowton, hometown of Jane Austen, gather together and create a society to protect her family home. They develop unlikely friendships and have ups and downs along the way.
Quite delightful.

A charming book! A diverse cast of characters is united by their love of Austen's novels and their desire to preserve her legacy in their home village of Chawton. It made me want to re-read all of Austen's novels as soon as possible!