Liked the Austen reference; a big cast of characters so can get confusing. Enjoyed learning more about the time period, great details.

Very much for Jane Austen fans. Jenner packs a lot into this tale of the Stevenson sisters and the Nelson brothers, all of whom have been invited to visit Jane's brother in the UK and so take a ship which also sees Louisa May Alcott as a passenger. Oh, and members of the Massachussetts Supreme Court, of which the Stevenson's father is a member, regularly discuss Austen's work. Their father, btw, is not happy about Charlie and Henry traveling to the UK and so races with his colleague Nash to the dock-and Nash hops on board the steam boat. Turns out, you will discover, that Henry's father was correct to be concerned but the trip over involves the women staging a play among other things. This morphs into an intriguing look at the rights of women in this period, especially the differences between women in the US and the UK. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While I think there might be one too many plot lines or elements, it's still a good read.

Austen at Sea is quite literally a literary delight. Natalie Jenner has such a meticulous way of incorporating all the classics and their distinctive characters and scenes. I love the way so many different personalities and interests are blended in this story. In one sense, it feels like modern meets old, even though the modern presented here is the mid 1800s. Jane Austen’s remaining brother is in his 90s and wants to see her beloved legacy not just preserved, but cherished. He orchestrates the gathering of an eclectic group who have a love of all things literary in common. The story takes places in multiple parts and with many characters. Please know, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, and while this is truly a pleasure, it is important that you pay attention. If you have the written version, the list of characters in the beginning may end up very helpful as you try to keep everyone straight. While this is not a fast-paced story, it is engaging and keeps moving forward leaving the reader wanting to know the next steps. It is a celebration of Austen and other great classic authors while you get to fully immerse yourself in a literary adventure.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Continuing with her love of Austen, Natalie Jenner turns her pen to America and the tale of two sets of siblings: Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson and Nicholas and Haslett Nelson. All four are much enamored of Jane Austen and correspond with Jane Austen's surviving brother, Sir Francis Austen. They journey to England to meet him and come into contact with other literary greats and, in a feat worthy of Austen, love is found.

I really enjoyed this novel and the spirit in which it was written. The characters are well developed and I enjoyed the thought of Francis Austen holding the few remaining secrets of his sister. A really lovely read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the copy of the book.
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Read if you like: Jane Austen, character driven stories, themes around feminism
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The book follows two Austen loving sisters, Henrietta and Charlotte, as they travel to England to meet with Jane Austen's 91 year old brother, Sir Francis, and they get to travel around and see some important sites where Jane lived and wrote. I loved how the book centered around Jane Austen's novels and the themes found in her books.
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The book focuses on the themes of family and gender, but we also get some romance built into the story as well. There are discussions of marriage during the late 19th century and how women did not have rights when they married. The beginning felt a little slow but overall I loved the book!

Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson have accomplished as much as they can as women in 1865. They have been corresponding with Sir Frances Austen, Jane Austen's brother, who is in his 90s, and he has invited them to England. Nicholas and Haslett Nelson are brothers who are rare book dealers and have also been invited to England by Sir Francis Austen.

The sisters sneak away to sail to England without a chaperone. The Nelson brothers, Louisa May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason, and Justice Thomas Nash are all on the ship with the sisters. This is just the beginning of the story.

We follow the characters at sea and in England, where the sisters find themselves navigating more than just Jane Austen. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at a group of justices who have weekly meetings to discuss Austen's works.

Why Jackie loves it

I love the fact that the book was inspired by actual correspondence between Admiral Sir Frances Austen and two Boston sisters, as well as two Philadelphia book dealers. The book is a wonderful tribute to Jane Austen. I also loved "meeting" Louisa May Alcott before she became a famous writer. I loved the Audio version of this book as well. #gifted

Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025

In 1865, in post-Civil War Boston, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, sisters and daughters of a Supreme Court Justice, write a letter to Jane Austen’s last surviving brother, Sir Francis Austen. When he replies with an invitation to visit him in England, they set sail on a voyage that will change their lives forever.

Natalie Jenner once again reveals her deep love for classic literature, paying homage to Austen, Louisa May Alcott (a character in the novel), and Charles Dickens. Readers who love books about books will not be disappointed.

Jenner also continues to excel in writing ensemble novels, with excellent characterization and shifting points of view done with skill and precision. Austen at Sea is a love letter to Austen and an engaging story, full of unexpected turns, brilliant characters, sweet love stories, and an ending that feels right out of a Frank Capra movie. So, so good.

Overall Rating: 5
Romance Rating: 5

3.5 stars rounded up

I really wanted to love this book but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I had to force myself to listen to the audiobook each day. I wasn't invested or connected to the characters. It felt a tad too long for me. I did enjoy the narrator's voice. I kept hoping with each passing chapter that I would want to listen to it. But it never did catch my fancy. Finally after weeks I finished it and that in itself felt like quite an accomplishment.

3.5

I chose this book not for Jane Austen, but because Louisa May Alcott is in it. This book takes place in 1865. Two sisters from Boston have been corresponding with Jane Austen's brother. They take a ship across the ocean to see him. Even though Jane wanted everything of hers burned, he has some items and he wants them to go to a good home. Also corresponding with him are two brothers from Philidelphia who own a bookstore. He wants to play matchmaker as his sister did in her books so he invites them all to come see him and take the same ship. Also happening in this book, which was fun, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has a Jane Austen book club in the summer recess. So some chapters are them discussing her books. I enjoyed it overall. The time on the ship was a little long for me, even though I loved LMA being there. So lots of nods to Jane Austen and I think any fan will enjoy the book.

-"I have not had children myself, but I should think parental love was about their happiness, not yours. Frankly, I should think that the entire point of bringing them into the world."

-How he loved these moments: the eternal puzzle that was his brilliant sister.

-What if a mural on a wall, a book by Dickens, a song in the air, were all that truly bound us, far more than society or religion or law-or even blood?

-It always came too late, such understanding. Only with crisis did we achieve clarity.

Natalie Jenner is a great writer, but I feel that this one didn't live up to what I've come to expect from her. This book was not as captivating as her other books, especially her other book about the Jane Austen fan group. I'm not a fan of Jane Austen, but I enjoyed Jenner's last book about her, so I had high hopes for this one; However, it just fell short.

I have enjoyed Natalie Jenner’s books, particularly because of Jane Austen being weaved into the story. This one takes place closer to her time which makes it even more interesting. Jane’s older brother, Sir Francis Austen and Louisa May Alcott have important roles in this fictional work. The fictional characters are wonderful too, especially Harriet and Charlotte. This is a quiet book chock full of meaningful, important themes.

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner is my third book by this author. The title is slightly deceptive. I thought that it was a book about Jane herself. However, it is about two sisters, who are die-hard fans of Jane Austen, begin a correspondence with Jane's last living sibling - Sir Francis Austen. Sometime during the correspondence Sir Francis asks the sisters to come to England. Sir Francis has in his possession many unseen objects & letters of Jane's that he is trying to put in trusted hands before his death. There are also two brothers from Philadelphia, who are booksellers who have also written to Sir. Francis. Sir Francis has invited the brothers to his home with the ulterior motive of doing a bit of match-making with the two sisters.. Upon their arrival, there are long conversations about Jane and even a visit to the home where she wrote most of her stories.

Another twist that is far from writing about Jane, is a parallel separate story and one of the underlying themes in this story are women's rights, especially the right to vote and the ability of women to have property of their own. At this point in history once a woman became married her property became her husbands. The connection to the first part of the story is something that Sir Francis has gifted one of the sisters. While this part of the story was slightly interesting, I felt that it really was a stretch to include this in the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an advanced ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you love Jane Austen, then chances are you will enjoy this. Austen at Sea. There are LOTS of characters to keep up with, but the author has a list on Goodreads and I continued to refer to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

I love everything and anything Jane Austen and this did not disappoint. I loved the characters and the developing relationships between some of them. Some of which were unexpected and I thoroughly enjoyed that.

I really enjoyed the writing style by Natalie and the way she executed the shifting points of view. I liked the timeline of the story and the fact that Louisa May Alcott made a guest appearance.

I have heard great reviews of the audiobook so I think I'm going to listen to that in the future. I really enjoyed the writing and the storyline in this book. I will definitely look for more by this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Tagline: Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a long-suppressed, secret legacy.

I loved the Jane Austen bits. I thought shining the light on a lot of political and societal issues revolving around 19th-century women in the United States and England was woven into the narrative quite well. They are, in fact, more the heart of the story than I would say the novels of Jane Austen. All those chapters where "Charlie" and "Henry's" father and the other legal minds were discussing different novels by Jane Austen were delightful. Although I would give them a good tongue wagging on their quick dismissal of Northanger Abbey. 😉 The correspondence and subsequent meeting with Francis Austen, the last surviving sibling of Jane, was great to read.

But.....


I became lost at sea. The chapters where everyone was putting on plays, and one of our characters realized she could try acting, were just not that thrilling. I have read Natalie Jenner before ( The Jane Austen Society)and deeply loved that title. But as much as I can state that the topics explored in Austen at Sea were interesting, something in the writing this time around failed to woo me.

Maybe it's just me. Check it out for yourself. There are other, much higher-rated reviews. I just happen to be an outlier this time around.







Expected Publication 06/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 21/05/25

Unfortunately, Natalie Jenner’s latest book was not as enjoyable to me as her first two Austen-related books. The premise of the book was promising; set just as the Civil War ends, two sisters and two brothers write to the surviving brother of Jane Austen, who invites them to his home in England as he decides what to do with Jane’s legacy. The book takes place in America, on a ship in the Atlantic, and in England and touches on the lives of not only Jane Austen but also Charles Dickens and Louisa May Alcott. I don’t believe having read any of these authors is absolutely necessary. Still, it would make parts of the book more enjoyable. The novel highlights women's challenges at this time as they fought for the right to vote and equal rights with men, even in their marriages.
I had a difficult time becoming invested in the story and found I kept picking up other books to read instead. Some of the legal conversations in the courtroom were just long and wordy. I wanted to know the characters better rather than read the legal statements. However, the book was interesting, and it may be that it wasn’t the right time for me to read it. I do look forward to Natalie’s future books!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This had so much potential. As a Jane Austen devotee, I was looking forward to this book. Part 1, was decent and had me hooked for the rest of the story. The two sisters corresponding with Austen’s brother was intriguing. Unfortunately, Part 2 dragged with them at sea. The title Austen at Sea would make you think certain things, but during this time they discuss Dickens with Louisa May Alcott on board. I did enjoy the few chapters with Austen’s brother. After that, the story dragged with a lot of characters and tangents. This became very convoluted. With more focus on women’s rights than anything else, I felt misled. There were a few discussions about Jane, but the majority of the book was the rights of women. There were quite a few passages where it was just unnecessary to have. This was a miss for me.

I might have liked this book if it weren’t for the plodding pace, but I gave up after chapter 7. The cover and description don’t seem to match the actual content. The book has a more masculine perspective than I expected.

And, let’s face it, I read A LOT of historical fiction. I don’t need to be told, over and over and over again, about the inequities women faced in the nineteenth century. I feel like those things should be woven into the fabric of the story, rather than conspicuously called out So, I just found this book wearying. I’m sure it’s a good book, but I’m not the target reader.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. So hear me out, if I told you that this book was a combination of Jane Austen's brother Francis in his “Emma” era and a Jane Austen book club featuring members of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, would you still read it? If I knew that going to this, it would have given me pause, but I'm glad I powered through until the end!

The other drawback was that there were so many storylines that didn't seem to connect, UNTIL I read a paragraph where the justices were arguing about Emma. One feels that there is no plot, another argues that the novel is all plot, and that every scene will mean something by the end. It was the light bulb moment for me, I just had to strap in and see where the book went, and I was not disappointed!

Read this book, it may be difficult at first, but you will thank me in the end. One final note, I must commend the meticulous historical research by the author. She has skillfully incorporated real life people, places and events into the novel, that had me googling throughout the entire read.

The narrator did a wonderful job bringing this story to life and voicing the characters. His voice fit the characters and the time period this story is set.

For me this was a unique story for the author to tell. I like the way history, women's issues and our love for Jane (as well as other classic authors) are woven together to tell this story. I enjoyed the debates about Austen's work and reading how her brother is working hard to preserve her memory. While Austen brings our characters together, her work is only part of this story.

I love the way Jenner develops her characters with depth and growth through each story; each one plays an important part. You can tell each one is created with care.

I was fortunate enough to receive an audiobook as well. Listening along with the audiobook enhanced the experience for me. I appreciated the list of characters referenced at the beginning as well and the author's note at the end.

Overall this book exceeded my expectations and will be a reread for me again very soon.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.