Jenner’s book is filled with charming and quaint characters. They are typical fictional English creations who are endearing in their own way. Throw in one or two Americans and the story is complete. What binds all these disparate people together is their devotion to Jane Austen. Not only do they read and reread Austen’s books, but they enjoy nothing better than talking about the author and her characters.

World War II is over and the world is moving on. Chawton is the small village where Austen lived and wrote. The locals, plus a few outsiders including an American actress, decide they want to create a museum in tribute to their beloved author. This may sound like a simple project but there are roadblocks that they must overcome.

To readers who are familiar with Austen’s books, many of Jenner’s characters are reminiscent of the very ones created by Austen. There is the long-suffering spinster who turned away a chance at love because of a domineering father, the rejected lover, an older man who is intrigued by an effervescent younger woman and the typical banter that brings to mind Emma and Knightly or Elizabeth and Darcy.

It isn’t necessary that one love Austen to read this book but to those familiar with the author’s writing, this will certainly have great appeal. The reference to the cottage in Chawton has personal significance since I have visited there myself and enjoyed walking in Austen’s footsteps. Jenner lovingly approaches Austen and her novels through a new and winning set of characters who will remind readers of some of Austen’s well-known figures. A wonderful story with memorable characters and an homage to a fabulous classic author who has impacted so many over the years.

Calling all jane Austen fans! Jane Austen herself would love this novel, written in her style, that takes a look at the people in the small town where she wrote her last three books. Widows, widowers, a famous movie star and other local characters come together to try to pay homage to Jane and save her legacy in their village. Just what I needed in these very strange and scary times.

This lovely novel by debut author Natalie Jenner imagines how a group of people who cherish the works of Jane Austen find each other and propose a special society to honor the beloved author in the small village of Chawton, Hampshire.

Any group couldn’t be as diverse in personality and circumstance than the ones who gather right after World War II. There’s a bachelor farmer, a country doctor, a respected solicitor, a young widowed teacher, a high school dropout, an Austen descendent from the Knight family, a Sotheby’s representative, and an American movie star. While some of the group have known each other since childhood, others meet serendipitously through their appreciation of Jane Austen’s works.

This is a life-affirming novel that is quiet and hopeful and pays great tribute to an author and her works with many quotable sentences and paragraphs about the power of literature. It is set apart from many Austen adaptations by its time period, plot, and cast and reminds me of one of my favorite novels about readers, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Highly recommended, especially during these discomforting times.

If you love Jane Austen you will find kindred spirits among the members of the Jane Austen Society. If you don’t know much about Jane Austen you will still find yourself among friends in this book. Each character starts out the book dealing with their own tragedy alone and in secrecy. It takes a common love to bring these characters together where they learn the power of community and figure out that life is better when you support one another.

On par with my adoration of reading books is my adoration of reading books about books. Books that talk about the classics, shed light on subjects I have or have not before thought or discussed, and are full of characters who share my same love of literature. This is one such book.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this, grasping the different characters in different places on the same timeline. I suppose I read too many books that jump around in time that finding one that just jumps around in place seemed odd to me. But there were a lot of characters to keep track of and that sometimes felt overwhelming.

This was clearly written to carry the same or similar air as an Austen book; the characters all yearning for love but making infuriating choices and ignoring things that were right in front of them. By bringing all these characters together in one society, it's almost as if you are seeing Austen's own characters coming together, each with their own similar representation in this book.

That said, I didn't find the character's backstories all that intriguing. I loved how they came together and their discussions about Austen, but I didn't necessarily care all that much for their personal interactions or story arcs. I found these parts dragged.

At it's core, this book celebrates what is so beautiful about books; the conversations and bonds they create between people of all ages and stages of life who seem to have absolutely nothing else in common. Bringing together a motley crew in tribute to Austen's life, well what isn't to love about that and how does one not relate to it?

I have no doubt this book will find many ideal readers. Alas, I am not among them. It was a bit ponderous and low energy for my tastes — but I can certainly imagine customers to whom it might appeal.

This book is a love letter to Jane Austen and her works. I loved the parallels between Jane’s books and some of the characters, for example Frances & Andres’s history being like “Persuasion”. I did get a little bored with Mimi’s aging Hollywood actress storyline. Other than that, I enjoyed the book. I think it would have been a different experience if I had not read Jane’s books, as there are a lot of references to the books and characters. Having read her books though, I was able to understand all the references

ARC provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Oh my goodness, this book was so wonderful! While it took me a bit to get into the swing of it, once I did it was such a fun and beautifully touching read!

So what is this book about?

The world has been ravaged by two world wars in a handful of years, and the effects can be seen everywhere. In the tiny village of Chawton, England, this is no different. People's fathers, brothers, and husbands were lost, and everyone feels the deep pain. But Chawton has its own little joy, and that is a strong connection to author Jane Austen. In this little town, we see the lives of multiple villagers come together through their love of her works. From a small town doctor, a young pregnant widow, a recluse heiress, a lonely farmer, a young maid, and even a Hollywood actress, the likes of Jane Austen fans are vast and varied. As we follow these ordinary people's lives post-WWII, we see how loving Austen's works helps them heal, and how they find friendship and love amongst the company of the new Jane Austen Society, created to preserve her legacy.

This book is told in alternating POVs between multiple characters, giving life and breadth to all of their stories as well as their own particular love for Jane Austen's works. It is the unique, well-developed stories that make this book as amazing as it is, and what's even better is seeing these stories come together so beautifully by the end of the book.

What I found to be particularly charming was each characters' journey and relationship with Austen's works, as each character has favorite works, related to different characters, and had different struggles that the books helped them through. The small debates and discussions and debates between the characters about the intricacies of Austen's works was very in-depth. If anyone knows anything about these books, it was these characters (and by extension, the author!), so much so that I felt I was learning as much as I would in an English Literature class, but in a fun way!

Each character in this story was so well developed, and their stories were amazingly deep. The author wrote such amazing, strong and sassy women that Austen would surely appreciate, as well as romantic, if albeit hard-headed and unaware of their affections, men that fit right into her repertoire as well. One of my favorite characters was Adeline. A headstrong teacher hellbent on teaching all women's literature in this tiny village, she absolutely embodies the feminism that the 1940s was sorely missing. Even as she went through such tragedy throughout the book, her whip-smart humor and sass rivaled Elizabeth Bennett at many times. In fact, so many of these characters had an Austen character that they were similar to, a touch that added such a sincere and unique aspect to this book.

At the end of the day, this book was about post-war trauma, love, and the power that books have to heal us and bring us together. In a time such as this, this book was a healing balm to my soul. Would 10/10 recommend for all readers!

I have said this possibly a million times, but I love historical novels. I really like Jane Austen and I was intrigued by the idea of people coming together--bonded over their love of books!!--to save Austen's legacy and estate. But this book was not quite what I anticipated, and I already know I'm in the minority.

I really struggled to get past the first few chapters, and I likewise struggled to identify with the characters. The writing and characters themselves felt very flat, and I couldn't for the life of me feel invested in their problems. At a point, it also felt like there were two competing narratives: there was the small town with the schoolteacher and the doctor, and the big American movie star. And honestly, only one really interested me.

As characters bonded over their love of Jane Austen--you know, the whole fun part of the book I was looking forward to--they sounded so . . . pretentious. Listen. I was an English major. I argued obscure points of literature for four years, analyzing and interpreting small lines of text. I probably still do it without realizing. But I don't want to *read* a novel of characters competing to be the biggest intellectual. I wanted to smack every character when they started spouting their interpretation of Emma or Pride and Prejudice.

Sigh. It's definitely a matter of personal taste, but this is a hard pass from me.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy to read and review!

I really enjoyed this charming multi point-of-view story about different characters who were brought together first by Jane Austen's literary work, but that'st just the surface of their connection. Mostly centered in the town where Jane Austen lived, the likable characters come together to create a Jane Austen society when her home and legacy are threatened, but in forming their group, they become a support system for each other. A doctor, a widow, a movie star, and others might not seem to have a lot in common, but themes of loss and healing, growth and change bind them together.

The love of literature and the power it has to bring people together are explored in this lovely read set just after World War 2 in a small English village where Jane Austen once lived. Villagers and a Hollywood actress combine efforts to save the home where she lived and thus the village. Also, themselves along the way.

Where are my fellow Jane Austen fans? This book is perfect for you!

Summary

In the mid-twentieth century, a farmer in the small English town of Chawton decides he would like to preserve Jane Austen's memory in a way more tangible than a statue or a plaque. An unlikely group of people—a doctor, a school teacher, a house girl, a movie star, and a few others—join him to form The Jane Austen Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Jane's legacy.

Review

The Jane Austen Society is a wonderful read, especially for Austen fans. It's heartwarming to see this group of people bond over their love for an author and eventually their love for each other. The book displays what community means and how people can help each other through their struggles and victories.

I loved this book for the characters but also for the setting. Jenner gives a glimpse into village life in England after WWII, and her writing paints such a lovely picture of Chawton and the surrounding countryside. We get to see how both world wars have affected the characters and what their lives look like in the aftermath.

The narrative is also written quite like an Austen novel, which adds even more appeal for Austen fans. The story involves class differences, marriage plots, and inheritance struggles. And, of course, what would an Austen novel be without some swoon-worthy romance? This book does not disappoint.

The only reason I didn't give the book five stars is that I felt it ended too abruptly. I just want more of these characters.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication Date: May 26, 2020

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGally for the ARC!

It’s just after WWII and eight lives are on a collision course in Natalie Jenner’s THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY. Readers and lovers of the works of Austen are in for a rare treat as they become immersed in the lives of the well-developed and intriguing members of the FIRST Jane Austen Society.

Among the diverse cast of characters are a movie star, a farmer, a maid, a doctor, and a young widow just to name a few. While all are from different walks of life and possess varying levels of wealth, they are all intent on purchasing and preserving a cottage in the town of Chawton, England where their beloved and prolific Jane spent her final years.

Love, lies, intrigue, selfish motives and long suppressed desires are exposed as the eight band together in their love of all things Austen in an attempt to fulfill their dream of preserving Austen’s legacy for future generations. While in pursuit of their ultimate goal the group engages in discussion of the work revealing to not only the characters in the narrative, but to the reader as well, the clever way in which Jane disclosed the trials and tribulations of her own life through her writings.

Aficionados of the Austen novels will not only fall in love with Natalie Jenner’s group of characters but with Ms. Jenner’s light, magical touch as she allows you to see, to feel and to think.

"The Jane Austen Society" is a must read for lover's of all things Austen, and fans of historical fiction. The story is set in the English countryside, in the small village of Chawton. Austen fans will recognize this village as the final home of the great author, where she revised, and wrote her novels. We follow the lives of a farmer, a doctor, a spinster, a lawyer, a widow, a teenager, and a movie star whose lives become intertwined because of their love of Jane Austen's novels. Despite loneliness, tragedy, and the aftermath of both World Wars, this group bans together to save the Chawton Cottage and ensure that is rightfully remembered for years to come. This is based on the real Jane Austen Society that still operates to this day.

That there might be a place where people were not constantly competing against each other for their very sustenance, but were instead helping each other survive through war and injury and poverty and pain, seemed as much something out of a Jane Austen novel as anything else she could have hoped to find.~from The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

Natalie Jenner's The Jane Austen Society delighted this Janite reader!

The village of Chawton after the war is filled with diverse, lonely individuals.

Frances Knight no longer leaves the grounds of the Knight estate. Her father is dying upstairs but still rules with an iron fist.

Adam Berwick's dream of university was ended with the deaths of his brothers during the war, leaving him his mother's soul support. She presses him to find a suitable wife, but love eludes him, and if found, would be dangerous.

Dr. Gray is not coping with the early loss of his beloved wife, even to the point of self-medicating. Adeline Lewis is pregnant and widowed, her childhood sweetheart killed in the war.

And even the visiting Hollywood star, a fading beauty, wonders about the unreliability of her fiance and the future of her career.

Bookended by the two worst wars the world had ever seen, they were ironically the survivors, yet it was beyond him what they were surviving for. ~from The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

A character talks to another about Jane Austen, and then another pair open up about the books that inspire them. Books and reading and Jane Austen feed their souls. Friendship--and love-- blossoms on what had been thought barren ground.

Their readings are insightful and deep, some even surprising this old reader of Austen. Huh. Why didn't I think of that? It's all delivered through the action and dialogue and a part of the characters opening up to each other.

The idea of saving Austen's legacy gives them a goal and brings something positive and hopeful into their lives. They become a community bound by a common love.

The love stories are inspired by Austen's novels, the quarreling pair who resist their mutual attraction, the couple past their prime rekindling a love squashed by their separation of class.

Reading this book during a COVID-19 lockdown was balm for the soul. These war-wounded people who discover reasons to go on are inspiring.

They turn to books for healing, to "disappear into fictional worlds of others' making," "hoping to find some answers." As we do today, isolated in our homes and searching for community, turn to books.

Books are bridges. In Jenner's story, they bring solace and community and wholeness.

I was given a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I quite enjoyed this book! It was a fun story with nice nods to Jane Austen both in style and substance. It kept you interested throughout with a plot that kept you wondering throughout. A wonderful summer read!

Jane Austen Legacy

In the small town in England where Jane Austen lived and wrote her books, a group of Jane Austen fans form a society to keep her legacy alive. The propose to purchase books and the cottage she lived in to keep as an attraction for Jane Austen fans that visit their small English town.

First there is a young farm boy, Adam Berwick then he recruits Doctor Benjamin Gray who recruits the young widow Adeline Grover. Adeline then recruited Eva Stone who recruited Frances Knight. The lawyer Andrew Forrester was recruited next. The last to be recruited were Yardley Sinclair an auction dealer and Mimi Harrison a movie star. The made for quite an assortment of diverse people for the Jane Austen Society.

Old relationships are rekindled, new relationships grow, and secrets are revealed in this story built around the works of Jane Austen. It has an amazingly happy ending...several of them actually.

It was a delightful book to read, I really enjoyed reading it and I think you will as well. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Natalie Jenner, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and advance copy of the book for an honest review.

So many of us love Jane Austen. Her books are classics and her stories have found their way to the movie screen so many times that her characters now feel like old friends. If you are a fan, there is so much to enjoy in The Jane Austen Society.

Set in Chawton, the Hampshire village where Austen lived out her short life, a group of lonely and sad people come together in 1945 to transform a cottage on Austen’s brother’s family estate into a museum as a tribute to the author’s legacy. The people who come together form the heart of this touching story. We meet a doctor who is grieving over the loss of his wife. He serves the entire village yet who is helping him? A Hollywood actress is a huge fan of Jane Austen. While a huge star, she knows that she is aging and younger actresses will soon replace her. The daughter of the owner of the estate has given up her life to care for her father, who cruelly sabotaged any hope for love and happiness. A farmer who had to give up his dreams of college when his brothers were killed in the war. An incredibly smart 16-year girl who works at the estate. A young English teacher who has faced a series of losses. A lawyer handling the estate’s affairs and a man from Sotheby’s who is entranced by all things Austen.

Throughout the book, many favorite Austen characters are referenced and parallels are drawn to the members of the group and their own lives. Author Natalie Jenner, in an impressive debut, paints a perfect picture of the setting. You can fully envision the surroundings of Chawton. Enjoy.

A clever novel set in the late 1940s, with characters of all walks of life, who entered with their own life experience and tragedies, to form a society that brought them together. In Austen fashion, there was angst and romance, and so many references to her works that it made you want to reread them as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this charming story, its plot, characters, and a nod to the literary and historical life of Chawton, UK.

As a fan of Jane Austen, I love to read about anything Austen-related, so I was excited to check out The Jane Austen Society. Though it took me a while to get lost in the story, in the end I found that I truly enjoyed this read. It had an unexpected depth to it. The personal, inner challenges the characters faced were well-crafted and well-written, relevant to the story-era and poignant for today.
If I had a complaint, it would be that the villains weren't quite as villainous as they could have been; or maybe that the stumbling blocks thrown out by the villains were too easily defeated. The tension would start to build and the suddenly it was no big deal.
But I loved how the author had the characters adoring Austen's stories, while their lives mirrored those great tales. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, I would definitely recommend you read Natalie Jenner's The Jane Austen Society. It was a lovely homage to the classics.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital copy of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own.