While I found this story a bit slow at the start, getting to know the many characters, it picked up quickly to the point where I just wanted to keep on reading. The sisters are incorrigible yet loveable, spoiled yet kind. The brothers are unique and different, not quite a fully developed as characters. Mr. Austen is a joy to learn about, find out more about, and watch him slowly come out of his shell to tell more about his famous sister, Jane.

Anyone who enjoys Jane Austen and her writing will quickly be drawn into the developing story. Each of her books is featured in the discussion of the state supreme court judges book club. Those discussion made me want to read a couple of the stories I have not read yet.

The addition of Louisa May Alcott on the voyage across the sea, where much of the intrigue of the story takes place, is quite a joy. It is a different imagining of Louisa than I personally have but a fun one, to be certain.

The characters, the situations, the love, the disappointment, the surprise, the romance, the history - there is much to find joy and enjoyment of in this wonderful story. It was well worth the time to read and the investment brought much enlightenment to my understanding of the times (1860s following the US civil war). It is a clean story that I definitely recommend.

I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Austen at Sea was a beautifully written tribute. I enjoyed learning more and really diving into the story. Natalie Jenner never disappoints in the novels she delivers and keeps the reader engaged and turning page after page. Highly recommend - loved this beautiful story.

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

This is captivating story written in a rich and vivid, manner. The dialogue has an Austen-like charm, and the characters’ emotions and motivations are beautifully portrayed. The author’s legal background adds an intriguing layer, shedding light on the legal complexities within the story in a clever and engaging way. This was a lovely book and a must-read for historical fiction fans who love Austen. I think those who are in the law field will enjoy this aspect of the book. Thank you to the author for the ARC.

Sadly, this book absolutely did not live up to my expectations. It was too tedious and I couldn't bring myself to root for the characters, which is why I ended up DNFing at around the 15% mark.

I'm a sucker for anything Austen-adjacent and that was initially what drew me in. However, these characters quickly stole my heart and I loved being a fly on the wall for their escapades. The author paints a pretty picture of the time with the freedoms the women of the novel enjoyed and then tears rips in that picture with the obvious chains on that freedom for women of the time. While I'm no historian, so I'm no judge of accuracy, I felt the politics and the fight for women's rights were interestingly included both as a side conversation and ultimately as a main idea.

The Austen book club by the judges really makes me want to read the Austen books missing from my own experience as well as delve anew into all my favorites.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. This review is my own.

This was a very interesting read, especially for a lover of Jane Austen and other classic literature. Other classic authors are also weaved into the story in a very fun way. Interesting pieces of Austen’s history and personality are weaved into the story despite it being fiction.

The story jumps in time in a way that is sometimes jarring, though they are usually explained later in the story. It is an interesting combination of romance, literary history, and drama. A good pick for lovers of historical fiction and Jane Austen.

If you are a Jane Austen fan this book is a must read for you. A tribute to Jane Austen.
I was captivated by this novel. Especially Louisa May Alcott.
A look into relationships, legacies and society.
The story follows two Boston sisters who travel on a transatlantic journey aboard the S.S. China. A voyage that changes their lives. I felt as though I was on that journey with them.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book.

. A very appropriate book from the author of The Jane Austen Society, which I absolutely adored. Its a book by an Austen lover for Austen lovers and a way to make you go deeper in the characters. Loved that supreme judges were doing a jane austen book club, more men need to read Jane Austen I love the takes on Fanny Price and might need to do a reread. It was great that Louisa May Alcott was there but she was a bit insufferable although i learned to love her, but the juxtaposition of two of the best female authors, and ones that I adore was great. Henrietta and Scott came out of nowhere and i was just not into it. I in general didnt love how most of the relationships evolved but that was a bit Austenian. Some of my favorite quotes:

freedom is not about ensuring you get everything you want, but rather becoming the best self that you can be therein lies life’s great reward for us and for those around us
knowledge acquired instead of babies, that was the draconian decision women everywhere were forced to make.But the babies grow up and leave you all the same while knowledge never does.

This is a story about two well to do sisters in 1865 Boston who bemoan the lack of women’s rights, and write fan letters to famous authors, out of boredom. They strike gold with Jane Austin’s last surviving sibling. Though elderly and living in London, he invites them to come meet him. Their father a Mass supreme court justice, is worried sick about them and send another much younger justice on the voyage to chaperone them. In the meantime he runs a Jane Austin book club with his fellow justices where they debate the characters in each book ( that was a serious WTH?? moment for me- I can’t see a group of 60 year old 1800s men willingly reading one Jane Austin book, let alone all of them.) On the sister’s boat are two young book seller( aka love interest) brother, a young girl pursing g them and Louisa May Alcott.
I really wanted to love this book, but I found it incredibly dull. The sisters are sweet, but not compelling characters for me. This was just not my cup of tea. I was DNF at 30%. If you love Jane A’s novels you may love this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Natalie Jenner’s first few books. Her last one didn’t do much for me, but it still felt like it had an underlying story that brought everything together. Austen at Sea, however, felt disjointed and had no characters that were easy for me to connect with. Sisters Harriet and Charlotte are at the center of the story, daughters of the Chief Justice of Massachusetts as the Civil War is ending. The first part of the book is them fan girling over Jane Austen and doing the nineteenth century version of celebrity stalking of her one remaining sibling while bemoaning their lack of rights as women. Thankfully Austen’s brother is more flattered than anything else and invites them to hop on a ship and come see him in England. In a matchmaking effort, he also invites two bookseller brothers that have written to him as well. The second part of the book is on the ship, where the majority of the story is about them along with Louisa May Alcott and several other acquaintances, casting and putting on a play of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. Yes, Dickens, not Austen. During this journey Harriet does a rash thing that will come back to bite her, and have every reader questioning how intelligent and concerned she really is with the rights of women. The third part is about many members of this group realizing they’re there to meet Frances Austen and then actually meeting him. During this time he bequeathes one of his sister’s letters to Harriet. Which goes into part four, which is all focused on a lawsuit brought against Harriet that bounces back and forth between England and America. Meanwhile the sisters’ father and his fellow judges (minus Nash who jumped on the ship to follow the women) read and debate Austen’s novels. Romantic entanglements come and go with unpredictable and annoying frequency. I found Harriet completely bewildering. It’s hard to describe how her choices could even make sense. It’s unfortunate because this book could have been a really good story about women’s lack of rights, especially once married. And as much as I thought it was wrong for Denham to do what he does to Harriet, she’s a smart woman that’s stupid enough to put herself in the situation. Not many likable characters and way too many tangents make the weak main storyline even harder to follow. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For a big fan of all things Austen, this was quite delightful! It was a different spin on a Jane Austen homage and I enjoyed that. The characters felt well drawn out and engaging and while the story moved a little slowly at times, I was never bored. Recommended!

This was in many ways an intriguing and imaginative book with superb characterizations, centering around widower Judge William Stevenson and his two daughters, Charlotte and Henrietta. The judge had suggested a reading circle at the Massachusetts state supreme court at which he serves, and the author discussed was Jane Austen, also a favorite of his daughters. Since the book except for the Epilogue takes place in 1865, there are periodic mentions of the American Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln.

The Stevenson sisters eventually correspond by letter with Sir Frances Austen, the late Jane’s brother, who lives in Portsdown Lodge, Hampshire., Britain, and ask if they can visit him. This is unknown to their father the judge, who would be totally opposed to such an idea. At length he pursues them to the wharf as they surreptitiously depart and pressures the younger Justice Thomas Nash to board the ship taking them to England as chaperone.

In addition, two brother booksellers of Philadelphia,, Nicholas and Haslett Nelson, also correspond with Sir Frances Austen and travel to see him on the same ship as the sisters Stevenson. Both were the first generation of American men conscripts for war; Haz skirted death and Nick took a bullet to the leg. On the ship is also the intrepid author Louisa May Alcott, who arranges for the women aboard to enact scenes from Dickens.

The novel unfolds from there with many twists and turns on both American and British shores. Some are personal and involve a marriage at sea; another involves a gift from Sir Frances Austen to Henrietta. Multiple pages are devoted to the comparative property rights of British women compared to those of American women. I found such court deliberations interesting but a bit too lengthy sometimes. Similarly the American judges’ literary discussions of Austen books sometimes were a bit too philosophical for me and I suspect most readers.

The evolution of characters was very well done, including that of Judge Stevenson as he kept company with a liberal-minded lady. Similarly, the Stevenson sisters and Judge Thomas Nash evolved, and there was a great deal revealed about women’s rights and societal change in that era.

All in all, I enjoyed the book Austen at Sea and was stunned by the Author’s note that she had written it largely during her own cancer treatment. As a cancer survivor, this fact made me appreciate the book even more.

I loved this book for so many reasons. I wanted to be right there with Charlotte & Henrietta as they went to England to meet with Jane Austen’s brother and as they ventured to Chawton and learned as much as they could about their favorite author. There’s a great cast of characters and some surprising twists, but my favorite is the five Supreme Court justices of Massachusetts discussing Jane Austen’s books!

As an avid Jane Austen reader, I was thrilled at the chance to read this book!
It transported me back to a time when I was reading Pride and Prejudice. The characters gave me a similar vibe of many of those characters. The era felt well-written and it had scenes that made me both smile and tear up.
It was very immersive of the time period, with various struggles and themes present. It moved a bit slow at times but it definitely fit the bill for an Austen themed read!

I tried really hard to get into this book but I felt the writing was daunting, the storyline too slow moving, some of the twists when they were on the ship made no sense from what I had previously gathered in the story and a lot of characters I just felt no connection to. I gave it to ~40% then DNF. I think there is definitely a certain type of reader who will enjoy this, but it isn't me!

This is a must read for every Jane Austin fan! The descriptions of Chawton , the church, and houses are spot on. Jenner channels her “inner Austin” as she writes this fascinating story of two sisters who dare to follow their dreams in a time when women are constrained. I was able to read an ARC on #Netgalley.

I loved this book from start to finish. It is 1865 and sisters Henrietta and Charlotte Stevenson, daughters of a widowed Massachusetts supreme court judge, have grown up reading Jane Austen. They read Jane Austen the way most millennials rewatch episodes of The Office. Austen’s stories provide comfort, context, and stability to their lives. When the sisters decide to write a letter to Jane’s last living sibling Admiral Francis Austen their letter sparks a friendship that sets a series of events in motion that will forever change them. This story is full of whimsy, lovable characters, intelligent dialogue, historical context, and of course Jane Austen. As an extra bonus, the sisters befriend Louisa May Alcott on their voyage across the ocean.
I was so thrilled to receive an advanced reader’s copy of this book and it did not disappoint. Lovers of Jane Austen, make sure you add this to your TBR list! If you are not familiar with Austen’s novels, you could still enjoy the story although I would be surprised if you were not convinced to read them all after finishing this book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy. 5 stars!

At a time when American publishers could print books by British authors without paying for them and the fight for women's rights, we're introduced to two sisters, Henrietta and Charlotte Stevenson. Keen fans of Austen's work, they write to Sir Francis Austen, Jane Austen's brother. At a time when women held few rights, this book elaborated on a wide range of themes, from votes for women to the property rights of both single and married women. A former lawyer, the author combines these ideas into a court case. Far from being a lot of legalese, the author makes the case interesting from a historical point of view. I appreciated reading the parts relating to Jane Austen (I was curious how she would weave this into the storyline). There were a lot of characters in this book but the plot wasn't difficult to follow. There were some nice surprises thrown in. An unusual storyline that Janeites will enjoy.

Romance, sea voyages, legal challenges, and secret letters together form the foundation of AUSTEN AT SEA. The "Austen" in the title refers to English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), though she has been dead nearly 50 years when this book begins. Her brother, Admiral of the Fleet Francis Austen (1775-1866), IS a character, as is one of Jane's nieces. But the title’s reference to the famous author is more focused on a group of Jane Austen devotees (like me).

When the book begins it’s April 1865, the final days of the American Civil War (1861-65). In Boston, adult sisters Henrietta and Charlotte Stevenson are living with their extremely protective father, widower William Stevenson, a justice who sits on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Charlotte, the younger and more outgoing sister, longs to act on the stage. Henrietta, the older and more sensible one, is eager to start a family of her own. (Their personalities sound a bit like Elinor and Marianne in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, don't they?)

At the same time, in Philadelphia, two brothers, Nicholas and Haslett Nelson, have recently resumed jointly running their family's rare book shop, following service in the Civil War. By someone's design, the two brothers wind up meeting the two sisters on a transatlantic voyage. American author Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) is also aboard, along with a number of other supporting characters including a British journalist Denham Scott and another Massachusetts Supreme Court justice, Thomas Nash. What happens in the various relationships among these players is the meat of the novel.

On the plus side, I enjoyed author Natalie Jenner’s (same person who wrote the bestselling book THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY) writing style, which reminded me of books written in the 19th century. I learned more about some of the power dynamics of the era, including the differences between how men and women were treated under the law. And as a fan of Jane Austen, I was delighted to have a chance to learn more about her private life through her brother and the author imaginings. I also enjoyed imagining myself among characters who share my love for this brilliant writer - characters who read and reread her books, who compare characters from her six novels, who quote passages in conversation, and who aspire to visit places Austen visited and touch things she touched. These felt like my people.

On the minus side, I felt there was something clunky about the plot. I started out completely engrossed but as the story progressed, my interest waned. While AUSTEN AT SEA is certainly original and unpredictable, the story came to feel a bit farfetched. Nevertheless, I recommend it, particularly for Jane Austen fans.

Let’s start with the gorgeous cover. Women attired in historically appropriate attire and in vivid colors aboard a ship’s deck. Add in the handwritten torn writing framing the book’s edges. The result? A memorable cover that aptly captures the story inside.

Wholly set aboard a ship, there were so many LMA’s references from the play within the story (hello: Little Women) to Austen ones ( nods to her greatest hits). Prose a bit highbrow so not a easy, quick read.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.