𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞-𝐀𝐑𝐂 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣
In a small English town, grieving and slowly recovering from the Second World War, a group of unlikely individuals band together. Their one commonality? A love of Jane Austen and desire to create an organization that will preserve artifacts and create a memorial in her honor. ⁣
⁣
This was a very unique story; cute and quaint. I loved the back story of each character and it was interesting how they all came together. Each character had a different story line, which helped to add variety to the plot. However, to truly enjoy this story, I think you must be a Jane Austen fan. The more avid, the more enjoyable the story will be for you. I’ve read a few classic Austen stories, but don’t remember them thoroughly. I wasn’t able to really connect with this book and their discussions of the Austen storylines as I would have liked to. This is a must read for all Austen fans, for sure. ⁣

⁣

¹1The story takes place in Chawton. Hampshire, the village of Jane Austen. It blends historical facts weaving conversations about the Jane Austen Society, her books and eight fictional characters. There is genteel romance and descriptions throughout of the village.

Entertaining book.

5+ stars

This is an amazingly perfect story!

It's mostly set immediately following World War II in Chawton, England. As anyone familiar with Jane Austen's life story is aware, this is the sleepy rural village where the author resided during the last years of her life.

There's no single protagonist; there are eight. Six are residents of Chawton. They bear emotional wounds and find comfort escaping into Jane Austen's stories. The reader gradually gets to know them all (albeit some more than others):

Dr. Gray, a discreet country doctor, eases everyone else's pains but is helpless in the face of his own.
Adelaide Lewis Grover, formerly the village schoolteacher, suffers a succession of devastating personal losses.
Adam Berwick, a simple farmer, lost two brothers in World War I, and the perennial bachelor is cursed with a termagant for a mother.
Frances Knight is agoraphobic, and she's the last of the family line that traces back to Jane Austen's brother (Edward Austen Knight). Her father, James Knight, is openly dismissive of her.
Andrew Forrester, Mr. Knight's solicitor, is torn between his professional responsibility to his client and his disgust for the old man's attitude toward Frances.
Evie Stone, a young woman whose intellect is wasted in her menial job as a maid in the Knight estate, takes inspiration from Jane Austen's humble origin and yearns to make her own mark in the world.
Mimi Harrison is a successful American actress lost in the shallow competitiveness of Hollywood. Her girlhood obsession with Jane Austen becomes the means by which a rich entrepreneur (Jack Leonard) wins her heart.
Yardley Sinclair, an estate sale expert of Sotheby's in London, is especially interested in items directly associated with Jane Austen.

The gentle pacing of the novel matches the leisurely pace of life in this little village. As the story begins, it's hard to imagine how the lives of these disparate characters will intersect. But things slowly progress, and three of them establish The Jane Austen Society when it appears that crochety Mr. Knight will die soon, hoping to preserve artifacts related to the author's life. Over time, the others are invited to join. They encounter more obstacles than expected, and the storyline moves in some very surprising directions.

The characters change as a result of, first, reading Jane Austen on their own; second, finding someone else who also loves her books; and third, working with other Austen-lovers on a project that has personal meaning to them.

Several insightful discussions the characters have about Jane Austen's books are integrated into the storyline. They're little nuggets of book club-ish reflections that make the characters feel real, confirm how much they love her work, and provide the reader with some food for thought.

Jane Austen storylines clearly influence some subplots. Persuasion seems the most apparent to me. Two of the characters are inspired by Sense and Sensibility and another by Pride and Prejudice's narrow-minded Mr. Collins. I can see elements of both Pride and Prejudice and Emma in another couple's relationship. These parallels and echoes suggest the universality of Austen's stories in ordinary lives.

In keeping with the rest of the book's understated tone, none of the romance is presented in a dramatic or passionate fashion. In fact, the reader doesn't learn about many of the pairings until the Epilogue, which is set one year later. (There is one sexual attack, but the scene is delicately worded and the victim pushes off her attacker.)

This is a moving, richly layered novel. The author does a wonderful job of starting with surface introductions to the characters that's misleadingly bland, and then returns to each character to dive just a little deeper, and then deeper, and deeper. It moves from character study into a surprisingly tense stuggle for the future of Jane Austen's legacy and the futures of the characters themselves.

What a tour de force! Every Austen-lover should read this!

A perfect combination of history and fiction with an endearing cast of characters, THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY is a lovely and thoroughly enjoyable read. It is not a book to be rushed but instead savored, like the books of Jane Austen herself. The writing is poetic and the descriptions of both places and characters filled with emotion and depth.

If you are a Jane Austen fan you will find much satisfaction in the number of times the author pays homage to her books and her legacy. But that doesn’t mean you have to be an Austen fan to enjoy it. This wonderful debut novel stands apart from the history it refers to with a strong plot and clear stakes that keep the reader invested to the very end.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

The Jane Austen Society explores the power of community to help us heal from our individual traumas and losses. A heartwarming story of second chances.

Recommended for lovers of Jane Austen, WWII fiction, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

This is one of those books that you can’t rush, it’s not filled with fast action, mystery or intrigue, but what it does have is lots of love, some heartache, caring for each other and a whole bunch of characters that loved Jane Austen’s books. The writing is done very well and you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. I loved the way the author built each character’s part and how they were all brought together for one cause, to save Jane Austen’s estate and works.
My favorites were Dr. Gray and Adeline, they created a special connection and I enjoyed their banter. It’s been many years since I’ve read any of Ms. Austen’s books but they are referenced so many times in here, you can certainly remember them. This was a very enjoyable laid-back read.
I was allowed an ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my honest unbiased review. This one earns 4 stars.

This book is a sweet hat-tip to Jane Austen. The community of Chawton works together to preserve Jane Austen's heritage and legacy by creating a Jane Austen Society. This is a slow-moving, character-driven story that is a cozy read. The characters are so gentle and kind to each other that it is reminiscent of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Recommended for fans of Jane Austen, of course.

Love, love, loved The Jane Austen Society! Comforting and uplifting, such a welcome respite from the challenges in the world today. The characters were vivid and likable, the plot is engaging, the writing is captivating. There are, obviously, many references to Jane Austen and her work, but I'm certain you will enjoy this even if you don't consider yourself a huge Austen fan. Thrilled to see what Natalie Jenner does next.

Most sincere thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Having visited the Jane Austen house in Chowton...twice... I was so excited to read this book. My last visit was this past July, and I had a lot more time than the first visit. I explored the town and had tea right across the street. I think each fan should make the pilgrimage. This was a delightful book with great characters. I saw myself back in Chowton easily with the vivid pictures painted in the book. I could just see the characters there. Wonderful!

Jane Austen fans living in Chawton, Hampshire, after WWII band together to form a literary society in honor of the author and to preserve the books in the library of her brother’s estate.

This book made me want to go back and reread the Austen books I have read and read the ones I haven’t!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A sweet story for Jane Austen fans. It seemed like the author's love letter to Austen--she used the characters' conversations about Austen's books to convey her own thoughts about them. The story itself was a little bit contrived and predictable, but reminiscent of Austen's plots and enjoyable for the diehard fan.

The members of The Jane Austen Society sound "like a band of misfits with negligible expertise and no head for business: a country doctor, an old maid, a schoolmarm, a bachelor farmer, a fey auctioneer, a conflict-adverse solicitor, a scullery maid, and one Hollywood movie star." What draws them all together is their love of Jane Austen and her works. Their expressed purpose is to acquire and preserve a cottage, said to have once been the site of her work on these novels.

Their stumbling and their successes and their interactions are the stuff of this most delightful novel.

I read this EARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. pub date 05/26/20

This warm and luscious novel about a number of people who share the love of all things Jane Austen, and who have only this in common is woven around their own feelings their own lives problems. This is a wonderful story of devoted fans of Jane Austen who, after about 150 years of her death, through shared love, start The Jane Austen Society, because at that time everything wonderful is society driven. I loved this story and the stories of these devoted fans. Thank you #NetGalley#StMartinsPress#TheJaneAustenSociety

As a long time Jane Austen fan this book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the characters, but more than that I enjoyed the insights the characters had of Jane Austen’s characters. This book has made me want to reread all of Austen's novels.

I absolutely adored this book! I read it in one day! This book fills you with the warm comfort of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society with the ambiance of a quaint English cottage that was home to one of the most famous writers.

We follow neighbours in the town of Chawton before, during and after World War II. While they have all know each other in some capacity, there has never been a true and deep connection between the residents of Chawton.

Old Man knight is dying and he is a grumpy, sexist fellow who does not think his daughter, Frances Knight can keep the property, once home to Jane herself, managed. He also despises the tourists who come and would not want to to become a shrine to the late author.

Dr. Gray, Adeline Grover, Adam Berwick (a farm hand on the property), Andrew Forrester (the estate lawyer), Evie Stone (a servant in the house), Yardley Sinclair (an auctioneer), Mimi Harrison (an actress), and Miss Frances Knight are all inducted into The Jane Austen Society in an effort to save the property from becoming part of a golf course (could you imagine!).

All of the characters are unique and we get to learn their story and their connection to the authoress which I really liked. I love when an unlikely group of people are all connected in some way that they would have never been before. I was infatuated with the relationship of Dr. Gray and Adeline Grover and I was itching to see what would happen with those two.

This is a book I will be venturing back to from time to time, when I am in need of a wholesome, cherished read about one of my favourite authors. I've travelled to Chawton before and as I was reading this book I was taken back to the quiet roads and the brick manor. I knew exactly the courtyard they were describing and the different building on the property. I only wish I had this book back when I had visited so that I could go across the road to the tea shop and read it while looking at the house. I guess this means I will have to go back!

This book started out much better than I was expecting. I loved the setting and I found the characters varied and interesting. As a Jane Austen fan, I loved all the references to her work and her life, although the references did start to feel a little repetitive after awhile. My biggest complaint about this book, and the thing that dropped my rating from a 4- to a 3-star read is that the ending felt very rushed. Things that had been slowly building through the whole book came to abrupt and, ultimately, unsatisfying conclusions. The ending also felt more artificial and cheesy than the rest of the book. If you’re a Jane Austen fan, I think you’ll find plenty to enjoy in this novel, but if not, I don’t think it would be an enjoyable read for you.

I am a huge Jane Austen fan and when I saw this title I knew immediately I needed to read it! I am so glad I did. The novel is delightful, set primarily in the 1940's in the charming village where Austen lived, and centers on a diverse group of villagers who love her works and come together to form a "society" to preserve her memory. I particularly love how the author includes so many references to Austen's novels - so many quotes and character references - this is so endearing to an Austen fan! Highly recommend!!

A delightful read. Loved the sweet storyline, the charming characters and the lovely writing. I will definitely pick up this author's books again.

"The Jane Austen Society" was a surprisingly interesting novel. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I thought I would. I loved the plot and the characters.

Exquisite!

"They" say that imitation is the deepest form of flattery. Yes, indeed it is, as you will observe when you read this lovely story. I am not a romance fan, so this is truly high praise. The interesting characters and their mutual love for both Jane Austen, as a person, and her body of work draws them together in a quest to create a memorial of some type in tribute to her work and her talent.

As they share their passion for the writings and characters set in Austen's time (late 1700's to early 1800's), they see themselves more clearly and one another. Love is in the air Austen style!

For those of you, who "don't do romance", I promise this isn't today's romance. It isn't trashy or full of sexually steamy flirtations and sex scenes. This is a story of wanting and needing to be loved and loving others to the point of wanting what is best for them, even if it isn't for you. It is about understanding what makes another person spark and appreciating their unique traits rather than their superfluous characteristics that others use to define them.

The writing was glorious. We observed each key player in their environs with great interest as they spoke or acted out of their motivations. Ms. Jenner is supremely talented in creating a scene and people that you can see as if you were spying on them! As we observe the leaves falling, and a quiet walk along a path, we sense the inhibitions and the words not spoken by each unfulfilled heart. Be patient, dear reader for in Austen style, you will be rewarded.

Even if romance isn't your thing, perhaps this delightful story can bring a smile to your face.