3 stars

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This is a good, quiet historical fiction that follows the stories of several people in a small English town just after the Second World War that are drawn together by their love of Jane Austen novels.

Jane Austen's final home was in the small English town of Chawton. Years later it's the home of a few distant relatives living on a diminishing estate. Several town people struggling with grief for different reasons join forces in an effort to preserve Austen's legacy and home. Through their love of her novels, and the inspiration they draw from them, they slowly begin to heal.

I also love Jane Austen novels and wanted to like this book, but it left me feeling just "meh". I'm glad I read it, but I won't remember much about it in a couple weeks. It was well-written, but didn't inspire me enough to get too invested in any of the characters. Despite the various tragedies that had befallen the characters, their pain seemed periphery to the story and wasn't as impactful as it could be.

It's an overall good book, but just not too memorable.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Jane Austen! This book had a lot of delightful Jane Austen stuff in it but the plot and characters fell a little short for me. The book started out a little too slow and not a lot happened until the end when suddenly there was a lot of plot stuffed in.

I've read a few Jane Austen books in my lifetime but certainly not all of them and I certainly don't consider myself a huge fan. Nonetheless, once I get past the character introductions (and the character interactions), which were a bit slow going for me, and got into the formation and meeting of the Jane Austen Society members, I really enjoyed this short novel. It makes me want to read more Austen, for one thing.

This book takes place mainly in the mid-1940's in the small village of Chawton. A number of villagers and a few others form the Jane Austen Society to preserve Austen’s former home. While there is much talk about Austen novels and Austen characters, I suspect this book and its characters would appeal even to others, like me, who don't think of themselves as Jane Austen fans.

I would recommend it. People, like me who loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, would likely love this one.

The Jane Austen Society is historical fiction set in post-war England, in the small town of Chawton. The main estate of the village has been in the Knight family for generations, and centuries earlier, became the home of Jane Austen’s brother and Jane herself.

But after World War II, the last remaining members of the Knight family are Frances Knight, a woman in her 40s who never leaves her home, and her ailing, elderly, unpleasant father. With Mr. Knight’s demise looming, the future of the estate is at risk — and if the estate passes out of the family hands, so too will the priceless objects and books that once belonged to Jane Austen.

The characters of the book all seem to have some sort of special connection to Jane Austen, her fiction, and her memory. Through their love of her fiction, the various characters find common ground, and ultimately band together to find a way to save the cottage that was once Jane’s home and to preserve the books that were an important part of her life.

As these people form the Jane Austen Society, we get to know them as individuals as well. There’s the widowed doctor who may be ready for love again, the young war bride who suffers unimaginable loss, the local farmer who never got to pursue his dreams of higher learning, and the teen-aged girl whose passion for Austen leads to some truly amazing discoveries.

And then there’s the outsider, a Hollywood star whose love for Jane Austen and her admiration of the author’s works and life inspire her to imagine a different sort of career and life for herself, other than being a property of the studios who want to make money off of her beauty — but only until she ages out of starlet status.

I enjoyed The Jane Austen Society and its characters, but I can’t say that I felt particularly invested. The story develops slowly, and it was only at around the midpoint that I started to feel any sort of excitement building.

This is a quiet sort of story, and it’s lovely to see how these very different group of people, all suffering and struggling to recover from loss after the war, find new purpose and connection through their love of literature. I really enjoyed all of their conversations about the meaning they find in Austen’s works, which characters they most relate to, and how the characters’ actions help them understand elements of their own life.

I wished for something more, somehow. It’s a sweet book, but just lacked a real oomph as far as I was concerned. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It was a nice read, and I didn’t mind it a bit, but I also couldn’t quite care very strongly about the stakes or how the various personal entanglements would all work out.

The Jane Austen Society is a good choice for fans of historical fiction, and of course, for fans of Jane Austen! And after reading this book, I’m feeling the need to go reread a little Austen myself… maybe Persuasion or Mansfield Park this time around?

I was very excited to receive an e galley of this title; I knew that I wanted to read this book from the moment that I learned of its existence. 

I have been reading a number of Jane Austen related works lately including Emma and The Other Bennett Sister.  Furthermore, this book looked like it would appeal to those who enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies Choir, Dear Mrs. Bird and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, all of which I read and enjoyed.  So...did the book live up to my hopes?


Yes, it did!


This novel tells the stories of a number of characters who were impacted by WWI and are living in the 1930s when the story begins.  The characters either live in Chawton or spend time there.  As savvy readers know, Jane Austen lived in this village. 


Each of the main characters has a compelling back story and all have struggled in some way.  Characters include a farmer, an actress, a very smart domestic worker, the owner of a home with ties to the Austens, a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher and more.  Each is beautifully portrayed and is multi-dimensional. 


The characters are brought together through their love of Austen.  One of the pleasures of this book was the observations on Austen's works and the influence  and impact of her novels on the protagonists.  Another delight in the book is the way in which the village comes to life.


This book is not filled with the kinds of actions that one finds in thrillers.  Rather, it is a novel that takes its time.  Readers will find that they are amply rewarded for staying with this gently paced novel.  I recommend it highly.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.  Note that this is Ms. Jenner's first novel; I sincerely hope that it will not be her last!

I am pretty much always down to read a book that has something to do with Jane Austen, so I was very excited to receive an early copy of The Jane Austen Society. This book follows an unlikely group of people (a handyman, servant, war widow, and American actress to name a few) who come together because of their deep love for Jane Austen. Most of them live in the town where Jane Austen lived and wrote her novels, so they create The Jane Austen Society to help preserve her legacy.

I loved getting to know the characters in this book and thought they each had an interesting and unique storyline. As a fellow Austen-lover, I really enjoyed their many discussions about the author and her novels. My only complaint is that the pacing felt a little off- the beginning dragged for me, the middle was good, but then the ending felt rushed. However, this was a charming novel, great for fans of Jane Austen and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Just after the end of WWII in the small village of Chawton, England, a small group of villagers decide to honor one of their past residents by creating the Jane Austen Society. Their dream is to restore the small cottage that resides on the Knight estate where Jane Austen once lived and possibly wrote her final novel. Through their love for Jane Austen this disparate group finds solace, love, and hope.

The publisher has compared this novel to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and I definitely see the similarities, although this book stays locked in the post war era. The other similarity is the encapsulated feel of living in a small village, knowing the same people through your entire lives, and having those same people know (or think they know) everything about you. The characters in the Jane Austen Society had quite a few surprises in store not just for the reader, but for each other as well!

There were quite a few stories that ran parallel to the main plot as each character is introduced. Frances Knight, the direct descendant of Jane Austen, who’s home was once Jane’s, is one of the most important. As Frances’ story progresses we see her unmasked. What we and the other villagers see as frailty becomes a quiet strength. On the flip side we see a strong opinionated Adeline reveal a quiet uncertainty in the face of re-starting her life after the death of her unborn child. The contrasts between the characters gave the conflict within their own storylines more impact. This tool was actually used more than once, and quite effectively!

As I read their love for Jane Austen’s novels, and those plots, I realized again how books make such a difference in people’s lives. We each see something of ourselves in the characters we’re reading and these characters saw themselves in Darcy, Elizabeth Bennett, and Emma, just as much as I saw pieces of myself in the characters in The Jane Austen Society. Not only does it bring comfort during difficult times but we see our own past errors in some fictional characters which makes us root for them even more.

The Jane Austen Society quietly snuck up on me. I immediately loved the post WWII era, but it took a little more time for me to find my way with one or two of the characters in this novel. Once I was mid-way through the novel I settled into the plot and enjoyed each moment as it was revealed. If you have the patience to invest yourself in this quietly moving novel, I think you’ll reap the rewards of feeling satisfied at the end of this well written book, and who knows, you may see yourself in one or two of these characters as well! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I liked this book! The characters reminded me a lot of Downton Abbey. I couldn't help but picture Evie as Daisy from Downton Abbey.

I liked how the book told the story of the characters each chapter and then started interlacing their stories until we finally get a group of Jane Austen lovers that form a society.

The end ties up the story nicely and left a smile on my face. I love a book that wraps everything up and you know what each character is left doing and feeling!

I loved the setting of this book, and the characters were charming. This was a light, carefree read that is perfect for this summer. I especially found the insights into Jane Austen’s writing interesting. It made me want to read more of her books.

This is a fun, engaging book set within a book club. The characters are unique and the interactions interesting. I love the references to classic Jane Austen work, although you can enjoy this book without having read all of Jane Austen's work.
Very fun book that I felt as though I could envision the characters while I read.
Definitely recommend.
4/5
#TheJaneAustenSociety #Netgalley #StMartinsPress

Books about books, readers and literary societies have always held a special place in my heart. So naturally when I saw the title of this book I was immediately intrigued and the comparison to one of my all time favourites, Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society made me all the more interested in reading it. As a consequence of all these factors, I had a lot of expectations when I started it. But the post world war setting coupled with the gloomy rainy weather outside cast a sombre hue over the first part of the book. It made me melancholy and I almost gave up on reading the rest at present but luckily Libro.fm gifted me with an advanced audiobook version and I shifted to listening to the book instead. Richard Armitage’s narration helped in dissolving some of the gloom.
The literary references started popping in more often soon after and I began to feel like I was part of a book club discussing Jane Austen’s novels. It made me want to go reread all of her novels immediately and I soon found myself relating to the many bookworms this book introduced me to.
The second half picks up pace and I got so invested in these characters and their lives that I was unable to stop listening to the audiobook to even go to the loo. I was hooked to the story and finished the book in a matter of hours.
This was such a satisfying read for me as a bookworm as well as a fan of Jane Austen, the author. It made me want to go research her entire life in depth and revisit all her novels to see what the characters were referring to when they mentioned their thoughts on her various works in this book.
I would highly highly recommend this book to fans of books about readers and especially to Jane Austen fans
Rating: 4.5 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Libro.fm for the advanced copies in exchange for a honest review

The Jane Austen Society was a book I looked so forward to reading! It was compared to many of my favorite novels and I love Austen as a writer. I was sure this was going to be a winner. The beginning of the novel captured my interest and I moved right along loving how Adam became an avid reader and began thinking about life and the deeper meaning of the books. Then things went downhill.
I liked the characters well enough but had trouble with the whole Hollywood connection. It did not seem to fit. Mimi was already an Austen fan-why make her reappear as a movie star? Why not an academic if she was so intelligent?
In mimicking Austen’s stories, the author failed to make the characters come alive in the same way. She lost the humor and their liveliness. To me they were just flat. The ending was so predictable, but I am a person who must finish the book in the hopes there might be a surprise. There wasn’t.
Thanks Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this novel.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This book was an easy read. You get pulled in by the characters right away. The conflict was frustrating sometimes throughout the book, but the ending did a nice job of tying up the loose ends. All in all it was a good book.

Any lover of Jane Austen or small towns will enjoy this book. Through a mutual love of Jane Austen, eight very different people are drawn together to save Jane's legacy. The book starts out a little slow, but I was soon drawn in. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I really liked this book. It is well written and like a Jane Austen novel took me away from my every day troubles. I love how the characters in the book discussed various characters from her book and quoted many lines. It gave me even a deeper appreciation for her works. I also love how the characters' interactions with each increased their growth. I really like this book.

The Jane Austen Society was a complete delight. Lately, Jane Austen retellings have become immensely popular, but this is not one. Instead it is a story of a group of villagers in Chawton, where Austen lived, who turn to reading and rereading Austen when they face life´s tragedies and joys. They come together to form the Jane Austen Society to save her home. Told during post World War 2 times, it is a soothing read with truly delightful characters.

Calling all fans of Jane Austen, England, and quaint small-town stories! This book was practically written for you. I’ve seen so many wonderful reviews for this book, and while it fell short for me as you’ll see here in a second, please don’t let that deter you from picking it up. I can definitely see the reason behind all the love this one has received.

So let’s get to my thoughts, shall we? First of all, I adored the Jane Austen book chat and love that was woven as one of the main elements throughout this story. It was just so fun! Oh how I would love to meet up with this group of quirky characters and chat with them! It all left me ready for a deep-dive into all things Austen.

Secondly, those characters that I mentioned above... I so enjoyed their uniqueness and realness, and their journey of finding friendship amidst and doing life with one another, flaws and troubles and all. They all had something different to offer and were so lovely to come alongside and get to know! Also, the tight-knit feel to their little village of Chawton was delightful and I loved the sense of place we got with how picturesque it was.

Sadly here’s where my overall enjoyment of this one slowed though. I felt the story took a long time to take off, being introduced to so many characters and their lives and trying to figure out how it all connected and the direction it was headed... to finally see it all come together way too late in the story in my opinion, and then for it to just kind of abruptly end. The pacing felt off and bugged me, and by nature being a slow-burn story, I needed more “oomph” here to keep me invested. Besides walking away appreciating the things mentioned above and themes like the power of books, friendship and supporting one another through life’s trials, and simply a whole lot of love for Jane Austen, I just didn’t get much out of it.

I guess I’ve realized since finishing this one that it was the writing and storytelling style here that just didn’t quite fit me as a reader. But it could be a perfect fit for you!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy.

I recently finished reading Emma by Jane Austen and it has become my favourite by this great author. I read Emma in preparation for reading this highly anticipated book by Natalie Jenner: The Jane Austen Society. The story takes place between 1932 and 1946 in the town of Chawton, Hampshire where Jane Austen spent ten years of her life and wrote her last three novels. A group of eclectic Austen’s book lovers unites to create a museum to honour Ms. Austen and save the great library from the Great House where Ms. Austen lived part of her life. The characters are all wonderful and lovable. I was fascinated by the lives of these relatable characters and how they all work together for a greater cause. Natalie Jenner’s writing is superb and provides a feel-good sentiment towards this extraordinary group of people. This is a must-read for all Austen lovers.

Jenner was born in England but was raised in Toronto. Her love for Jane Austen shines through this, her first novel. The story is set in Chawton England, where Austen once lived and wrote. Set in 1945 -1947 the plot involves a small cast of fictional Jane Austen fans who form a society to try and save the cottage where she worked and some of her books etc. The small group have all undergone some loss; a war widow, a widower, a man who lost his two brother to the war, a movie star losing her looks and her career, etc. This is a real treat for Austen fans, but a fun light story for anyone who likes historical fiction.

The Jane Austen Society is Natalie Jenner's debut novel which is coming out on May 26th here in the US. As a huge fan of Jane Austen, I tend to be interested in anything that has her name in the title or has anything to do with her characters.

This is a historical fiction novel set in Chawton, England, in the 1940s. Chawton is where Jane and her sister Cassandra finally settled after their brother Edward inherited a large estate of the Knights family (the family was a distant relation to the Austens and adopted Edward as they themselves were childless). We follow several different characters in the book: a country doctor, a schoolteacher, a scullery maid, a farmer, and even a Hollywood star. All of them share one love: Jane Austen's novels.

The author uses the omniscient voice so even though we follow different characters at different times and the perspective changes, the narrative is always in the third person. I personally prefer this style of writing. The story flows smoother and I don't get distracted by different "voices".

As one can discern from the title, the characters eventually band together to form the Jane Austen Society designed to preserve the place where Jane Austen spent the last 10 years of her life. Throughout the novel, each of the characters deals with their own personal struggles and tragedies, and somehow reading Austen helps them cope with loss and pain, and pulls them back to joy and life. Through this new project of establishing a society, all of them acquire an additional purpose and drive, and I loved watching the many transformations the characters go through.

I ended up really enjoying this book. In fact, I think it might become a favorite. Every year, I review 12-20 galleys of upcoming novels. This is one of those rare occasions, when I am planning to buy a finished copy for my library, and will definitely read it again. There something cozy and nostalgic about the setting in rural England. There are also multiple references to Austen's characters, which is always a plus for an Austen fan. 5 out of 5 stars. What a delightful read!

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com