What a treat it was to read this book! I loved the main characters and the way they learned to overcome their own challenges. I love that the story not only celebrates the work of Jane Austen, but also the power books have to bring people together.

The history of the Jane Austen Society (real places, no real people) is set in the post-WWII English village of Chawtonwhere Austen had lived for several years. Besides a descendant of Austen there are several other people from the village, a doctor, a teacher, a young serving girl with ambitions or a farmer with whom the story starts and ends. They and some others, amongst them a Hollywood actress, get together to preserve Austen´s work and keep her memory.

Each one of them has his/her own story, feelings, experiences of loss and sadness, but they stay together, help each other and are united by their love for Austen. A satisfying ending is a new start for all of them and the Society.

Very well written, the stories of the founders developed and entangled with each other and with Austen, whose characters they´re regularely discussing.

This is the only point I didn´t find so good, that the discussion was superficial - mostly dealing with "Lizzy or Emma?", perhaps due to an adaptation to the readers who don´t know Austen that well. This part should either have been extended or left anyway.

On the whole very enjoyable, also for non-lovers of Austen.

Thanks for NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a charming, heartwarming story set in an English village featuring several characters regarding their love of Jane Austen and forming the Jane Austen Society to preserve a large collection of books found in the former estate of Jane Austen and making part of the estate a museum to preserve the memory of all things Jane Austen. It's also about love, betrayal, loss, and hope. I was enamored by their devotion of Jane Austen books. This is an enjoyable read set just after the second world war. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

For some reason, 3 stars seems like I'm low-balling this book, but, according to the Goodreads star sytem, 3 stars is "liked it" so this would be accurate for how I felt about this book. I wouldn't say that I really liked it or that I loved it, but I also didn't hate it. Primarily for me, it felt slow to get going. I had to start reading this book several times before I could really get in to it. Honestly, I thought about giving it up at one point, but it wasn't so bad once I finally got in to it. I guess the plot and the characters just didn't hook me. As the reader, you watch the unfolding of some of the tragic backstories to each of the founding members of the Jane Austen Society so I did feel like, for me, there was at least some connection with the characters.

I was originally drawn to this book because the cover felt inviting, I adore Jane Austen novels, and it was recommended for people who liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society as well as Jane Austen. I did really like the references to Jane Austen and her novels. I also enjoyed how the characters were trying to persevere the legacy she left for their little English town where she wrote some of her books. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but I do feel like it's a very niche type of book and it wasn't exactly my type of book. However, that's not to say it couldn't be someone else's type of book.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Really enjoyable! I love anything set in England & Jane Austen. A moving story about a group of people who come together to preserve Austen's legacy & home. And how they come together.

The Jane Austen Society
A Novel
by Natalie Jenner

St. Martin's Press

General Fiction (Adult) ,
Historical Fiction
Pub Date 26 May 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Jane Austen Society through St. Martin's Press and Netgalley:




Immediately following the Second World War, a Unique but like minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable in the small English Village of Chawton.




A century and a half prior Clawton had been the final home of Jane Austen, and was now the home of a few of Jane Austen's distance relatives, and there diminishing estates.  With the threatening of the last of Jane Austen's legacies threatened, this group of disparate individuals come together to save the house, and what is left with legacies.  This group of people include a laborer,  a young widower, a doctor, and a movie star amongst others.   The group of people couldn't be more different, but they are United in there works, and words of Austen. 


Each member of the group endures there own quiet struggle with loss and trauma.  Some of this loss and trauma deal with the most recent world war, and others are from the past.


The Jane Austen Society is a powerfully moving novel  that deals with the big and small tragedies and triumphs in life, as well as exploring the humanity that is found in us.



I give The Jane Austen Society five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, a young girl, a farm worker, a Hollywood actress, and a relative of Jane Austen come together in this book to form the Jane Austin Society, so they can preserve the location and some of the artifacts of Austen's last home in Chawton, England. Each character is struggling with loss or grief of some sort. They are also loners in their own way, either through choice or circumstance.

You do not have to be a fan of Jane Austen to love and appreciate this story, but with all the references to her books and characters, it would help. I couldn't help but feel some of the characters in this book had "pride and prejudices" of their own, in terms of their perceptions of others and their inability to express their true feelings. I could easily see this book becoming a book club favourite! #NetGalley #TheJaneAustenSociety

I receieved an ARC of this book in exchange for honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this read - it was lighthearted, the characters were realistic and loveable and the writing was excellent. This was an easy to read but very enjoyable novel!

”We love Jane Austen because her characters, as sparkling as they are, are no better and no worse than us. They’re so eminently, so completely human.”
--
A quaint story about Jane Austen's quaint little town, where a group of literature lovers try to restore her memory and historical past in her previous home.
More than anything, this is a love-letter to Austen’s wonderful books. It is clearly very well-researched, imbued with her writing style, and told in such a way that it makes you want to read and reread her works.
When it comes to the plot and the characters, unfortunately, I had a bit of difficulty. I felt that the plot was very slow, and the characters a little bit too lacking in nuance. Although it handles subjects of trauma, loss, and pain fairly well, it was a little difficult for me to connect to any of the characters, and hence, really care for them. I mean, what are the odds that these Austen lovers can all quote her works from memory, and only ever have conversations about her books?

Overall, it was a sweet story, filled with a true love of all things Austen and that small-town charm.

I read this book in two days and absolutely loved it! Great characters, engaging plot with lots of fun references for Jane Austen fans, and a beautiful setting. I’m usually a little skeptical about books like this, but it did not disappoint!

I enjoyed The Jane Austen Society. I chose it because its description reminded me a bit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which I enjoyed as well. This novel takes place in a charming small town in England just after World War II. The characters are endearing, and the novel frequently references the writing and life of Jane Austen so it helps if you are familiar with her works. I recommend this for people who enjoy British novels or those that are Jane Austen fans!

A tale about the residents of the village where the ancestral home of Jane Austin stood. The very unique people and their lives as well as how their lives intertwine was compelling. I enjoyed the Austin tie-ins as well as the characters and the town, which really came to life. It reminded me in some ways of the Guernsey Potato Peel Society as it drew on small village life and literature.

Round up to 3.5, not quite a 4. A charming, pleasant read that had a gracious feeling to it, given current events.

Despite not having read Jane Austen (I know, I know....) the premise of the book sounded so good, I had to request this. I was right, the premise *was* good, but it would have been better if I’d read at least some Jane Austen.

I also dinged this a bit because it took so long to get into. I was at the 35% mark before I felt we were really cooking along, and rather going where I anticipated. I can think of a few friends I would recommend this to - but I wouldn’t buy it for them, if that makes sense..

Quickly I realized this book is not for me.I had a really tough time following this story. I did not connect with the characters or the story line for that matter. I see I’m in the minority so maybe it’s just me? Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this complimentary book. All opinions expressed are my own.

As a YA I am more into the older YA/ New Adult genre of novels, but I was happily surprised by how much I liked this novel! I have already pre-ordered a physical copy for myself, my mom and my baba!

Cute cute cute! Loved this story! It takes place in the tiny village where Jane Austen lived at the end of her life. It follows the lives of villagers who find camaraderie in the works of Jane Austen and end up banding together to preserve her legacy. I loved the characters.

Set in Chawton, England, shortly after World War II. Jane Austen lived in Chawton, England and wrote while living there. There is a mixed bag of characters - an American actress, a doctor, a lawyer, a teenage girl, a teacher, a shy farm worker, and a descendant of Jane's. They all have one thing in common: they love Jane Austen. Working together against great odds, they form The Jane Austen Society. Much of the book is small town, conversations, gossip, the doctor who knows everyone and everything, the lawyer who failed at romance, the housekeepers who know even more and know when to tell and when to keep quiet.

Throughout the book, we find snippets of quotes from Jane Austen books, and how those relate to the people in this village many years later.

This was a lovely story. I wish it were not fictional because I loved the characters and their interactions throughout the story.

The author developed each character so fully that I felt I knew them all personally and loved them as if they were my neighbors and friends. Because of this precision to character development the reader is 40% into the book before the plot of establishing the Jane Austen Society is introduced.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good clean romance whether they are Jane Austen fans or not. But Jane Austen fans don’t fret; their is plenty of JA quotes for reminiscing those stories as well.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review

It starts off a little slow but before you know it you are drawn into the little town of Chawton and all its residents. Multiple storylines are going on but it is very easy to follow and keep track of everyone. It was beautifully written and fans of Austen will truly enjoy.

The Jane Austen Society is a very sweet and cozy book—a perfect read for an Austen fan. I loved reading about how literature brings people together in all sorts of ways. And I loved all the literary references to Austen’s books. But this is not tremendously thoughtful literature itself—just a light treat for a rainy day.