As a longtime Austen fan, I went into this book with high hopes, but sadly it didn’t capture my attention in the way I’d anticipated.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Jane Austen's works, so it was an obvious decision for me to check out Natalie Jenner's Austen-inspired stories. In this case, both read and listened to Jenner's latest, which is set in 1865, and brings two sets of siblings together:

-The first, a pair of sisters, Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, who live in Massachusetts and who have fallen in love with Jane's work. They, in defiance of their Supreme Court Justice father, sneak away to England to meet with Jane's last living relative, the very frail Sir Francis Austen, with whom they have corresponded in secret.

-The second, a pair of brothers and rare book dealers, Nicholas and Haslett Nelson living in Philadelphia, are also enticed to travel to England to meet with Sir Francis Austen, who promises access to a rare Austen item so it can be evaluated.

On the ship voyage, the sisters meet the Nelsons, Sara-Beth Gleason (who has her eye on one of the Nelsons as a marriage prospect), Louisa May Alcott, and a last-minute addition to the party, Justice Thomas Nash, a friend and colleague to the Judge Stevenson, who has rushed on board to be the sisters' chaperone.

Sir Francis sees the arrival of the two sets of siblings as an opportunity to do a little matchmaking, even while the artifact the brothers have come to England to view causes quite the legal stir once it's no longer in Sir Francis' hands.

The story is full of conversation, stories, grief, matchmaking, romance, and an international incident. There's humour, sadness, greed, manipulation, lots of love for Jane's works, and a bit of feminism. I enjoyed this, and the audiobook, narrated by Rupert Graves, who inhabits the many characters well.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and to Macmillan Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

As a big fan of all things Jane Austen, I was very excited to listen to this story. Unfortunately, I was unimpressed. I found there were too many characters, and felt they just didn't develop.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio in return for my honest opinion.

Natalie Jenner has once again appealed to my Austen-loving heart and created a great work of fiction featuring Sir Francis Austen, Jane's last surviving brother, and his various American correspondents who come to visit him in England. Among these correspondents are two sisters who I really loved, and two brothers who are unknown to the sisters.

If you've read any other books by this author, you know that she is bursting with Jane Austen knowledge and that is on display in this book - which I loved! She also explored the character of Louisa May Alcott and I found that really fun and delightful too. Without spoiling the plot too much, this book also explored women's rights, particularly when married and it included a rare Austen object that was precious and exciting to read about.

There's some romance, some conflict, and some character growth as well. In some ways, I felt like this told a bit like an Austen book itself, maybe a la Persuasion with a nod to Emma and Sense and Sensibility? It all worked for me!!

As soon as I saw that Natalie Jenner had a new book out this year and it is a sort of prequel to The Jane Austen Society, I knew that I needed to read this book. I love that Jenner’s stories beautifully illustrate how meaningful Austen’s work can be for many of us and that people can build relationships and community around them.

This book was a slow start for me, I will admit. It took me a little bit longer to hook into the story than usual but once I did, I was fixated. Jenner’s ability to weave major themes into her books is one of her major strengths, and in this book, we explored the themes of suffrage and women’s rights- something that is more important than ever. Without her intending to, I think that Austen’s books explore these themes and it worked so well as the basis for the story.

Without spoiling anything, we also get a somewhat unexpected group discussing Austen and it was quite funny for me, a lighter moment that truly shone through for me.

As you might think, Rupert Graves’ narration was fantastic. He brought such depth to all of the characters. And on a practical note, he handled the accents superbly!

The story, Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner was a true pleasure to listen too! I would listen to the story on my way to work or during a walk outside. The story morphs into different story lines as we get to know the different characters, and there is more history of Women's Suffrage than I realized, but it was a satisfying story. The story centers around Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, the affluent daughters of a widowed judge (he has his own role in the story) and it was very interesting. The story takes on a journey overseas and introduces us to many memorable characters. I do highly recommend it. Enjoy!

I couldn't get into it, even after reading 1/4 of the book. It was so boring despite the topics that were occasionally brought up.
Marked as DNF.

After several false starts, I finished this book and felt underwhelmed. I typically love historical fiction but I found it hard to follow the plot and find the point in this tale. The two sisters, two brothers, and Austen's brother left me wanting more "Austen" at the heart of it.

This book was not what I was expecting! Starring Charlotte and Henrietta of Boston as they travel to England to meet Jane Austin’s surviving brother in an attempt to get closer to their favourite author and her legacy.

Their adventure is filled with other austenite and characters who take them on different turns as they voyage to England and home again.

I found myself surprised and the different twist and turns that their adventure takes them on and in the end I was extremely pleased with where they end up in the end.

I was also surprised by the choice of the narrator, Rupert Graves, since the major majority of the characters are female. That being said, Rupert‘s voice is excellent to listen to, and he does a great job, providing some differentiation between the characters voice work. He also has a voice that sounds appropriate to the historical setting.

Overall, I found this book to be incredibly engrossing and uplifting. An excellent historical fiction that proves the love of Jane Austen across time can unite anyone.

I enjoyed this novel, particularly the historical setting and the way Harry and Charlie were such characters of their time. I appreciated the dash of romance, the play and the courtroom drama too! My favorite part though was sitting in on the judges as they discussed all of Austen's novels. What a delightful summer they had planned. I need to track down a copy of the book in print so I can read the Author's note. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.

Austen at Sea, of course, is a book for fans of Jane Austen and readers/listeners won’t be disappointed. The novel itself reads like an Austen novel, full of wit and drama, and is peopled by characters who share attributes with those written by Jane herself. Set in 1865, the story centers around Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, the daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice, who write to Sir Francis Austen, Jane’s oldest brother, to gain insight into their favorite author. Unbeknownst to the Stevenson sisters, two brothers from Philadelphia, Nicholas and Haslett Nelson, civil war veterans and rare book dealers also write to Sir Francis about Jane’s books. Pleased at having discovered new advocates for Jane’s writings, and possibly with thoughts of matchmaking on his mind, Sir Francis invites all four young people to visit him. The Stevensons and Nelsons set sail to England. Among the many people aboard the ship are the writer Louisa May Alcott; Sara-Beth Gleason, a wealthy young socialite from Philadelphia, who has her eyes on one of the Nelson brothers; and Thomas Nash, a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice who is sent to chaperone the Stevenson sisters at the last minute. Austen at Sea’s author, Natalie Jenner deftly describes the group’s many adventures and in a unique twist, the Supreme Court Justices back in Massachusetts act as a sort of Greek chorus when, during their summer break, they gather as an informal group to discuss several of Jane Austen’s books. I listened to the audio version of this book which was wonderfully narrated by Rupert Graves. I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Interest
Thank you to #NetGalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for a fair review. #AustenatSea

While I had some problems with Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society I still gave it 4 stars. I loved her book The Bloomsbury Girls. So, naturally, when I saw this book on Net Galley in audio I requested it and was very happy to get it.

The Story
This time Natalie Jenner is taking Austen fans back to the 19th Century. Almost spinster sisters, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice [a moderate, you’ll be glad to hear] are chomping at the bit–wanting freedom. Their father lets them [“lets them”–they were adults] go to England to meet Jane Austen’s brother, But (you just knew there’d be a “but” in this set up, right?) two brothers, Civil War vets and booksellers, are also corresponding with Francis Austen and they, too, are going to see him. Did I mention these fine young men are single?

Wouldn’t you just know they’re all on the same ship? Yep! Meanwhile, to sooth the lonliness of Justice Stevenson, his Supreme Court Justices book club decides to read and analyze Jane Austen to cheer him up.

My Thoughts
I want to be nice about this. I’ve liked Jenner’s earlier books. But, honestly, I nearly stopped while they were still on the boat. Lo and behold thar blows Louisa May Alcott who takes charge of the passengers amatuer dramatics and is a big old bossy boots about it. Ugh.

Then there’s those pompas ass lawyers back in Massachuesttes regurgitating literary analysis of every Jane Austen book they read and adding women’s rights into the mix. Pompous? Insufferable. Maybe because I read John Stuart Mill and a whole lot of Feminist classics for a huge progject in college, but this story line just didn’t go well for me. I felt this novel was a “research dump” made into a story–all that cool stuff the author read about Jane Austen, the 19th century women’s rights movement, etc. all put into a story.

I did not finish this. That’s me….

Why You May Want to Read this regardless of my experience….

If you are eally an Austen zealot [I’m not–I like her just fine, but honestly? I prefer to watch her stories on film. There. I’m a heretic]. I just felt the women’s rights stuff was in response to USA politics today and my gut is full. I’m living through it all here in a dear old red state and I can’t–I just can’t with much more pontificating from EITHER side. But, if you didn’t do Women’s Studies or Feminist Studies or Political Sciene or anything similar in college and enjoy Austen you’ll probably like this just fine.

My Verdict

3.0

This one just wasn’t for me. That doesn’t make it a “bad” book.


Austen at Sea: A Novel by Natalie Jenner


I still look forward to more books from this author.


I listened to a free copy of this audio supplied by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge Austen fan, I had high expectations for this title but unfortunately, it did not hold my attention the way I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I'm not quite sure what it was about it but this didn't really keep my attention. Still a good read, just didn't wow me.

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner
I am a Jane Austen fan so Austen at Sea was a delight! Set in 1848 in both Boston and England, two sets of siblings sail to England to meet Sir Francis Austen, the only living brother of Jane Austen. Henrietta and Charlotte are the daughters of Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice William Stevenson. Haslett and Nicholas Nelson are brothers that Ken a bookshop in Philadelphia. Both have been corresponding with Austen, not realizing that they have become the object of Austen’s own matchmaking plans.
In a world where women do not have many rights, these strong female characters fight for the vote, education and to change how women are viewed in society. They are educated and thoughtful, and their society is full of literature and the search for fulfillment when most work is not an option for young ladies.
After boarding a ship to England without permission from their father, the Stevensons meet Louisa May Alcott, the Nelson brothers from Philadelphia, a reporter named Denham Scott and the wealthy Sarah Beth Gleason. Sent by Justice Stevenson, Thomas Nash attempts to chaperone the women on the voyage. This sets into motion new relationships on the trip.
Hidden letters of Jane Austen, the ties of family allegiance and the sharing of family details raise many questions as to the Austen family’s responsibility to protect their private life.
Jane Austen novels are discussed by the supreme court justices in great detail, illuminating how people of the time viewed her works, customs and the importance of her social commentary. This weaving of Jane Austen’s stories and themes into Austen at Sea shows how important Jane Austen was as an author and a social commentator who was ahead of her time.
#netgalley

One man’s string pulling brings Austen lovers together…

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice twist on Austen with fans of hers all trying to find something of meaning in their own lives after her death.

It was also interesting the fact that women's rights were so vastly different in the UK and USA. I found the whole back and forth on rights in marriage quite fascinating!

The characters were wonderful and I was sucked right in. I loved the narration and I will definitely be looking for more from this author!

4 stars

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner (audiobook narrated by Rupert Graves) swept me away—literally and emotionally—on a transatlantic voyage to 1885!

Two pairs of siblings—devoted Jane Austen admirers—set sail for England, invited by none other than Sir Francis Austen, Jane’s last surviving brother. The Stevenson sisters from Boston, chafing against societal restrictions, and the Nelson brothers from Philadelphia, book dealers and Civil War vets, are drawn into a literary mystery involving long-lost Austen letters and a secret legacy.

Also aboard? Louisa May Alcott (!), a sharp-witted heiress, and a reluctant judge-chaperone. What follows is a beautifully written, character-rich story filled with romance, legal drama, and reflections on women’s rights, literature, and the post–Civil War world.

I especially loved the courtroom scenes in both England and Massachusetts, and the way Jenner ties themes of inheritance and justice to Austen’s own work. There are so many nods to Austen and Dickens—fans will swoon over the literary references and debates woven throughout.

🎧 Rupert Graves’ narration brings each character vividly to life—witty, warm, and pitch-perfect. I felt like I was right there with them, crossing the Atlantic in search of adventure and answers.

A gorgeous tribute to classic literature, social change, and the enduring impact of great writing.

3.5 stars
The second half of the audiobook was definitely more interesting than the first half. I felt as if the first half was bogged down by a lot of names and boring details that distracted from the story. There were also times where the story seemed to jump ahead and led me to think I had missed something only to discover later that that was the author’s intent.

But I did appreciate the loving connection between Henrietta and Charlotte and their willingness to show support for each other. And maybe there was a disconnect for me since it was from the POV of women in 1865, but I really couldn’t feel connected to any of the characters in the story.

This is the third Natalie Jenner book I've read and simply put, I liked it. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as her first two books, but it was still enjoyable. Something about the plot just left me a little lacking. At times I was bored. I think one of my struggles was that I wasn't sure what the main plot point was for a long time. It also felt like I was juggling just one too many characters. Still a good read, just not one I see myself coming back to. Rupert Graves was a lovely narrator, though I would've liked to see a female narrator as well.

DNF. This was SO incredibly boring and not very well-written. I was expecting something about Jane Austen, not random people reading about Jane Austen.