This book was fun to read for an Austen fan. I loved how the stories from authors who wrote books based off of Jane Austen or did retellings was the entire book. Highly recommend!

This is a really interesting collection for anyone who loves Austen's work. It's both a fascinating exploration of what makes her so beloved as an author, but also why her novels, written more than 200 years ago, remain relevant and popular with readers of all ages to this day.

From the classic film adaptations to modern takes like 'Clueless', a reimagining of 'Emma', Jane Austen continues to be part of pop culture, appealing to a wide range of audiences for a great number of reasons. What makes this anthology especially engaging is the variety of voices it includes. Collecting art, interviews, essays, and poems from different writers and artists, each reflecting on their interpretation of Austen’s work and how it has inspired them. This book offers an intriguing way to revisit her novels, and perhaps even to approach them from a new angle, understanding a little better what makes them timeless.

I loved that this was a mixture of different types of art and was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed about Jane Austen. Each concept was everything that I was looking for and was glad everything flowed together and loved that it wasn't just short stories, it really brought Jane Austen to life.

This diverse collection of essays, fiction, criticism, and poetry shows the wide ranging impact of Jane Austen over 250 years.

Austen readers who are always looking for new stories will enjoy the fiction contributions. Julia Miller imagines Georgiana Darcy’s revenge in “Pistols at Dawn”. In “Charlotte”, Talulah Riley imagines Lizzie Bennet visiting her old friend who begins the story with “no female friendship exists without an element of rivalry.” Natalie Jenner’s “The Completion Competition” is set at Chawton Cottage in 1817, when an ailing Jane was writing Sanditon, watching the world pass by her window.

Hers had been a life, in fact, full of beginnings–new homes, new potential suitors to meet, new books to write. But the climax had never come, after all. For that, she had to write her books. from The Completion Competition by Natalie Jenner

Other contributions offer insight into Austen’s work and life. I particularly enjoyed “Jane Austen and the Gothic Novel” by Ellen Cheshire; “She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music”, an interview with Gillian Dooley and Jennie Batchelor; and “Mansfield Park” by Julia Quinn.

Katherine Reay, whose fiction is inspired by Austen, writes about “My Good Friend Jane.” April de Angelis imagines a “Meeting with Jane,” interviewing Jane, who only raises an eyebrow and “sits, inscrutable.”

The collection includes contributions by authors I have read, including Natalie Jenner who wrote The Jane Austen Society and Jane at Sea; Janet Todd who wrote the memoir Living with Austen; Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney who wrote A Secret Sisterhood; and Jennie Batchelor, author of Jane Austen Embroidery, who wrote the Introduction.

Between the chapters there are wonderful illustrations by Hugh Thompson, Austen quotations, portraits of Jane, and poems including poetry by Sara Teasdale and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

There is something for every Austenite.

As Jennie Batchelor notes in the Introduction, “We all encounter Austen differently from the position of where and when we read her. How we read her changes as the world changes around us. And it is perhaps above all this relentless change that keeps us going back to Jane Austen.”

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

Encounters with Jane Austen: Celebrating 250 Years offers a heartfelt, multifaceted tribute to Austen’s legacy—one that is both respectful and imaginative. Its blend of scholarship, creativity, and personal reflection makes it a rich companion for Austen readers and enthusiasts of literary heritage alike.
Expect to be moved by thoughtful essays, intrigued by imaginative retellings, and inspired by the wide-ranging ways in which Austen continues to shape our understanding of storytelling, femininity, and social observation—even centuries later.

Notable contributions include:
“Mansfield Park” by Julia Quinn—an imaginative engagement with one of Austen’s novels.
Fictional and poetic reinterpretations like “Georgiana Darcy – Pistols at Dawn” by Julia Miller and “Three of Diamonds” by Stephanie Lyttle.
Essays such as “A Role Model for Women’s Solidarity” by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney.
Cultural explorations like “Austen’s Onscreen Evolution” by Jen Francis.
Reflections on creative memories, e.g., “Meeting with Jane” by April de Angelis.
A compelling inclusion is an exclusive interview with sculptor Martin Jennings about the upcoming bronze statue of Jane Austen to be unveiled at Winchester Cathedral on 16 October.

As a literature major, this anthology was such a joy to read, and I can’t recommend it enough to fellow lit majors and Austen lovers alike. It beautifully commemorates the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth with a mix of short stories, essays, interviews, poetry, and illustrations. What I loved most is how it brought together both contemporary voices and classic works, showing just how timeless and influential Austen’s legacy continues to be.

The introduction by Professor Jennie Batchelor gave a solid, engaging overview of Austen’s life and work, setting the perfect tone for the rest of the book. From there, I found it fascinating to see so many different perspectives—Julia Quinn’s contribution as the author of Bridgerton was a standout for me, alongside the thoughtful pieces by Charlie Lovett and Natalie Jenner. The inclusion of poetry from Pulitzer Prize winners Edna St. Vincent Millay and Sara Teasdale added an extra layer of richness and depth.

I also really enjoyed the exclusive interview with Martin Jennings about the making of the new bronze Austen sculpture. It gave the book a sense of being connected to present-day literary history, not just looking back at Austen’s influence but also at how we continue to honor her today.

Overall, this anthology feels celebratory, warm, and very thoughtfully put together. It’s academic in value but also accessible and entertaining, thanks to the humor, illustrations, and Austen’s own witty quotes sprinkled throughout. For me, it was a perfect blend of scholarship and enjoyment.

If you’re a lit major, a longtime Jane Austen admirer, or even just curious about her impact on literature and culture, I think this is a must-read.

I always liked Jane Austen books, but they were never life changing for me. Encounters With Jane gave me a new insight into how much her stories touched people. I also love how everyone has a very specific favorite Little Women film. The short timeline of Jane's life also showed me that I knew nothing about her life.

From it's fairly unassuming cover, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I did find was lots of different media all expressing their passion for the author. It was a delight to read.

I enjoyed reading about the different aspects to Jane Austen's life that the authors had chosen. It felt very well rounded and made me want to research further into what the individual authors had found.

It was fascinating to read the quotes from her books, the interviews with people who had produced plays, made a sculpture, written poems and written books, and to read extracts from novels, all with their origins coming from Jane Austen and her life.

There weren't chapters as such, it was just the different media sitting side by side.

There was a slight pattern throughout the book; a quote from one of Jane Austen's books, a sketch illustration with another quote from Jane Austen's books underneath and then some form of media in the shape of either a poem, interview or book extract.

There was a good flow between the different media and I was kept engaged throughout. I read it in a couple of sittings which is rare for me.

Instead of feeling 'bitty' it all came together rather well and made the book feel whole. I felt that we had looked at a large range of things to do with Jane Austen, things that I hadn't considered or known about.

Overall I thought that it was a fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

I recently spent a semester reading all six of Jane Austen's major novels so was intrigued by and delighted to have the opportunity to read this title. Many authors have contributed. Among my favorites are Katherine Reay, Charlie Lovett, Natalie Jenner, Julia Quinn, and Janet Todd.

There are different encounters here. Some are critical looks at the novels, as for example, when Julia Quinn writes on Mansfield Park. Charlie Lovett includes the beginning of his own Austen themed novel. These are just two of many examples.

It is easy to recommend this title to those who love Jane Austen. There is much to enjoy here.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aurora Metro Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Sometimes, nothing else will do but for everyone to bring their own favorite dish to share in honor of a grand event. In this case, what sort of dish would talented authors bring to celebrate 250 years of another talented author, but a writing piece tribute? Editor Cheryl Robson curated a diverse collection of writing for Jane Austen-loving readers to sample and savor, including work from heavy hitters like Bridgerton author Julia Quinn, actor and writer Talulah Riley, bestselling authors Charlie Lovett and Natalie Jenner, and two Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Sara Teasdale.

Encounters with Jane Austen opens with Jennie Batchelor's introduction. This is a love letter to fandom, to the life of Jane, and to her legacy, before introducing readers to what they can expect throughout the book. This is followed by thirty essays, stories, poems, chapter samples, interviews, and photos.

First out of the gate was author Katherine Reay, sharing an essay, “My Good Friend.” Essays make up a large bulk of the anthology, covering a fascinating array of topics. I was particularly taken with “A Role Model for Women’s Solidarity” by Emily Midonkawa and Emma Sweeney, “A Slow Burn Love Story” by Katie Lunsden, who worked at the Jane Austen Center, and “Jane and the Gothic Novel” by Ellen Chesire.

Interviews with Jane Austen sculptor Martin Jennings and with Gillian Dooley and Jennie Batchelor on “She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music” captivated me.

Of the handful of short stories, all resonated in their different spaces. Natalie Jenner played at my heartstrings with “The Completion Competition,” Julia Miller had me chuckling with "Georgiana Darcy, Pistols at Dawn,” and Talulah Riley shocked my bloomers off with her modern sequel, “Charlotte.”

There were nearly a dozen poems of varying styles. I feel the least qualified to discuss poetry, but a couple resonated well for me, like Untitled by Karenjit Sandhu and Buried Love by Sara Teasdale.

What a rousing good way to celebrate Jane Austen's birthday year from the comforts of one's own armchair. Encounters with familiar names, but many who were not. A stretching of

the literary muscles into writing styles and topics that cover the gamut. A truly enriching

encounter with Jane Austen!

“We all encounter Austen differently and from the position of where and when we read her. How we read her changes as the world changes around us. And it is perhaps above all this relentless change that keeps us going back to Jane Austen. She knew that every life was a series of events – some planned, many not. She knew that life was messy and that human relationships bear the weight of the world. Who better, then, to help us navigate that life than Britain’s best-loved novelist?”
– Jennie Batchelor, Introduction

Across two and a half centuries, Jane Austen’s legacy continues to resonate through this vibrant collection of essays, fiction, criticism, and poetry. How have encounters with Jane influenced people’s lives?
Katherine Reay read Jane Austen during a critical time in her life and changed her career from businesswoman to novelist. Rudyard Kipling turned to Austen’s works to bring comfort to his family as they grieved the loss of their son during World War I. Katie Lumsden found friendship around the world through a shared love of Austen, writing:

“One of the great joys of being a Jane Austen fan is that there are so many other Jane Austen fans.”

Poets, BookTubers, novelists, sculptors, theatre directors, and screen adaptation critics all share their personal encounters with Austen in this book.

Why is Jane such a universally beloved author?
I especially loved the quote by Jen Francis in Austen’s Onscreen Evolution:

“Though Jane Austen wrote about a very particular world – white, upper-middle-class Regency England – her stories have long since outgrown those narrow lanes. Across continents and cultures, her themes of love, family, class, and societal pressure have proven universal. In fact, the very things that seem most ‘British’ about Austen – the rigid social hierarchy, the silent judgments at dinner parties, the coded language of romance – are easily recognisable in many parts of the world.”

I read this book during my UK trip last week, a few pages each day, and felt so close to Jane. I’ve only read two of her novels so far – am I eligible to call myself a Janeite?

Are you a Janeite?

Book: Encounters with Jane Austen: Celebrating 250 Years
Edited by: Jennie Batchelor (Introduction), Julia Quinn, and others
Publication Date: October 15, 2025
Thank you to Aurora Metro Books @aurora_metro, Supernova Books, and NetGalley for this eARC.

This is a really lovely tribute to Jane Austen to celebrate 250 years since her birth. There is a great range of writing, including poetry, short stories and articles, by some incredibly talented people. I particularly enjoyed Katie Lumsden’s discussion of what Jane means to her. I also loved Ellen Cheshire’s thoughts on the gothic elements across Austen’s novels. And Natalie Jenner’s moving reimagining of Jane in her final days, writing Sanditon, was beautifully written and very special. A fascinating anthology.

Encounters with Jane Austen is, first and foremost, an invitation—to think, to feel, and to write about what Jane Austen means to each of us. The editors have brought together a delightful mixture of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, interspersed with carefully chosen quotations from Austen herself. This alternation of genres works remarkably well, offering a dynamic reading experience that mirrors the variety and liveliness of Austen’s own world.

Personally, I found myself most drawn to the non-fiction pieces and interviews. They give a sense of intimacy and genuine engagement with Austen’s legacy. Still, it was great fun to read the fictional contributions too, especially from authors such as Natalie Jenner and Janet Todd, whose previous works I’ve admired.

That said, not every fictional experiment succeeds equally. Julia Quinn - writer of Bridgerton - slagging off Fanny Price, for instance, was not quite my cup of tea. No one, it seems, likes Fanny Price—at least that’s what one contributor claims. Well, I do. In fact, I think she’s Austen’s most rock ’n’ roll heroine. She’s supposed to be grateful, obedient, and silent—even when it goes against her very nature—but she persists anyway. I wouldn’t call her punk; she cares far too much for that. Yet she’s a trooper, facing moral and emotional challenges most heroines would crumble under. In mean: how can anyone say Mansfield Park is boring?

That’s why I was genuinely pleased to see Kate Lumsden come out as a fellow Fanny Price admirer—it restores the balance to the book.

Other highlights include Ellora Sutton’s reflections on walking, which beautifully capture the meditative quality of Austen’s landscapes. And I found it amusing—and oddly moving—to realize that, like one of the contributors, I once found Mr. Woodhouse charming, only to see him now as a source of quiet oppression: the cause of his daughter’s loneliness and the mental load she bears far too young.

Encounters with Jane Austen is a lively, heartfelt, and thought-provoking collection. It reminds us that Austen’s heroines—and her readers—are still evolving, still wrestling with what it means to live, think, and persist in a world that too often underestimates them. Jennie Bachelor did a great job. I loved her talk in Bath earlier this year about the The Lady's Magazine and I loved her work again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aurora Metro Books | Supernova Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

"Encounters with Jane Austen" brings together essays, interviews, fiction, and poetry centered around the lasting influence of Austen’s work. Jennie Batchelor’s foreword lays out the shape of Jane’s life and family history while grounding the collection in its historical moment. Across thirty contributors, the volume moves fluidly between mediums and perspectives: essays on modern stage and screen adaptations, creative pieces reimagining Austen’s characters in contemporary settings, and interviews exploring the music woven through her life and fiction, including one with the sculptor commissioned to honor her 250th birthday (I believe the statue is up by the time of this review~).

For me, this is loving proof that Jane's influence is still going strong in 2025. It makes me so happy and honestly I really enjoyed this little collection. I only docked a point mainly because I struggled with some of the fiction in it, but that's just me!

I would recommend this for any Austen lover :)