"I swear she wrote those books with a goose quill dipped in venom..."

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As an Austenophile, I adored that this story was about an eclectic group of other Austenophiles. I am a completely unlikely Austen fan and so are many of the main characters of this story. How they meet and fall in love with Jane's work is beautifully imagined. I loved their literary debates about Jane's characters and how their choices mirrored some of their own. The depth of their conversations about each small character action or writing choice was so fun to read.

Each character of the Society was either healing from the typical traumas of life in the 1940's or finding their way in a rapidly changing society. They come together to find a way to preserve as much of Jane's world as they can in the face of potentially losing it all. I adored each character equally and that all of them were fighting the stereotypes of their gender. I am not one for sunshine happy endings but the endings for each of these characters brought me so much joy.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Fascinating and beautiful, I loved this story while I was reading it.

I was however, disappointed after I read it. A little research showed that it is not historical fiction. It is simply a lovely made up story with no real truth about the formation and preservation of the Chawton House Museum.

As a reader, I believe that this is a well thought out, beautifully crafted story that deserves 5 stars. As a Jane Austen scholar, I am shocked and wanted to give it 1 star. Fans may now believe a history that is not true. It would have been so much better if the author made up a fictional regency author to write about. Instead, Jenner created a false history for the creation of the Jane Austen Society. I have so many conflicting feelings about this.

I was fortunate to receive a free ARC of this book from Netgalley. The above thoughts, insights, or recommendations are my own meek musings.

An enchanting read about a small village in Post WWII England. Chawton is where Jane Austen herself once lived, and an old estate is hosting an unknown collection of literary treasures in their library. A group of Austen loving villagers team up with an Austen obsessed Hollywood star to save the collection and preserve her legacy.

This was a lovely read!

There is a lot of love of reading and books in this novel. The characters talk all the time about the Austen books they love and about what Austen wanted to say.

First off, if you haven't read any Jane Austen, but you plan to, this book definitely contains spoilers for a number of her novels.

The Jane Austen Society is set in Chawton, England, post-WW2. Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen before her death in her early 40s. The people living in Chawton seem to feel two ways about Austen - they either love her, and the rich history of her life still being preserved by her surviving ancestors, or they tire of the constant flow of tourists flooding their quaint town to gape at the house she lived in and the parts of town she may have frequented. The last of Austen's ancestors are living on the family estate, which loses more and more money as time goes on. With the last known ancestor being female, it is unknown what will become of the estate. The Jane Austen Society is created by an unlikely group of people wanting to maintain the Austen legacy in Chawton, and preserve her library and the pieces of her life still remaining. Each of them has their own history, and their own stories for how they came to love Jane Austen and her novels, and this book follows their journey to create this museum.

I did enjoy the historical setting of this book, and loved the references to Jane Austen's life and her beautiful novels. As mentioned, if you haven't read any Jane Austen novels, there are definitely spoilers for some of her most famous literary characters. I really liked the characters introduced within this novel, and the histories of all of them that are revealed throughout. As they all learn to become friends and discovered secrets that have been hidden for years, you're really curious how it will all end up - if they'll get their museum, or if they'll see the Austen family estate sold to the highest bidder and lost to the literary culture forever. However, I found the pace somewhat slow, the legal details about forming a charitable society and estate management a little too detailed at times, and I felt like everything you were waiting for to happen with the characters was rushed into the last few chapters. I wish there was a little more excitement to the story, and the relationships between the characters explored in more depth. It would've made it harder to put this book down.

Overall, it was still an enjoyable read and I really liked the setting and the amount of research that went into Jane Austen and her life.

Thank you Natalie Jenner for the wonderful journey to Chawton, the rediscovery of Jane Austen, and the introduction to the characters of Dr. Gray, Adeline, Frances, Adam, Evie, Mimi (Mary Ann) Andrew and Yardley.

I have been googling to see the buildings, the books, the ring, and necklaces. Your description painted it clearly and I am happy with the discoveries.

The Jane Austen Society opened doors to heart felt joys and sorrows. I will miss the character but wonder about meeting them if I visit Chawton.

For lovers of Jane Austen, this book will become a favorite. A story of a group of strangers who come together based on the adoration of Jane Austen and her work. Each person has their own personal connection to the famous author, and combine to help keep her alive within the city and their personal lives.

BOOK REVIEW FOR THE OAKVILLE NEWS (613 words)

By Kate Barlow

The Jane Austen Society, by Natalie Jenner
Published by St. Martin’s Press: May 2020

We are introduced ever so gently to the tiny bucolic village of Chawton (pop: 377) in Hampshire, England. A young farmworker is snoozing atop a stone wall early one summer morning, having already completed a day’s worth of work when he is startled awake by an American voice.
This is the opening scene of The Jane Austen Society, the fictional account of how a group of Chawton villagers came together before, during and after World War II to pay tribute to their village’s most illustrious resident –– ever!
These locals, all devotees of Jane Austen’s works and from all levels of village society, decide to create an organization in her name and perhaps even save for posterity the modest cottage where Jane had once lived and written three of her novels. And, in doing so, this disparate group unknowingly help each other recover from heartache and the long years of war.
The Jane Austen Society is a gentle novel, yet it is no milquetoast but ‘a good read’ with a strong narrative drive, a tangible sense of place and an intriguing thread of ‘what happens next’. However, it does help to have at least a passing knowledge of say, Pride and Prejudice or Emma, as characters in both books are often quoted by Chawton’s band of Austen devotees.
The Jane Austen Society is author Natalie Jenner’s debut novel and she lives here in Oakville. Ms Jenner has created an engaging story about the fashioning of a society dedicated to a lauded author of the early nineteenth century. It isn’t what really happened during the formation of the real society, as Ms Jenner makes clear, but it is nice to think this is how it could have come about.
(In the interest of full disclosure I am an overseas member of The Jane Austen Society that celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, but I have yet to visit Chawton.)
Ms Jenner was born in England and came to live in Canada as a child. She attended St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, an independent all-girls school (known locally as ‘Milly’s) here in Oakville. She won the 1990 Gold Medal in English Literature at St, Michael’s College, University of Toronto. Ms Jenner then obtained a law degree, was Called to the Bar in 1995 and practised as a corporate lawyer.
Oakvillians may remember her brief foray into bookselling, as founder of Archetype Books, which she gave up due to family illness.
So, why yet another book dedicated to an English spinster who wrote just six novels during the English Regency about life among the middle class? After all, countless books have already been written about Austen and dozens of movies produced, either attempting to faithfully portray her timeless characters or poking fun at them.
Indeed, every nuance of the life and works of Jane Austen, who is said to be as beloved as William Shakespeare, must by now have been thoroughly explored.
And yet, not a year goes by without a book about, or inspired by, this incomparable writer, so enduring is her fame.
Could it be that precisely because Jane Austen’s characters are universal yet what the woman herself was really like remains something of an enigma, that the longing to learn more proves irresistible. In which case The Jane Austen Society, by Natalie Jenner, is a worthy addition and merits such well-deserved recognition as National Bestseller here in Canada and elsewhere; Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far; Goodreads Top Ten Debut Novels of the Year So Far, plus many other accolades.
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I really enjoyed this historical fiction. I read Pride and Prejudice and started Persuasion before I begin The Jane Austen Society. I have to say that I am not a huge Jane Austen fan. Nevertheless, I found this story delightful and warm. I enjoyed all the characters and their love for Jane Austen, even if I am not a fan myself. I would recommend this to my friends.

An absolute delight for fans of Jane Austen,
this is a true gem of a story.

It's elegant and beautiful, full of characters you might wish you could meet at your next Jane Austen fan club meeting. Written with sweeping and rich prose, the highly developed character's back stories are meaningful and needed because this is the type of story that cries out for more.

What truly makes this story a gem are the relatable characters that absolutely adore the writings of Ms. Austen, and make you, the reader, want to go to this Chawton. Although, unfortunately, a time machine is required.

Sumptuous with details evoking a vividness of place and time, this book is alive with Austen witticisms that fans will recognize immediately. Over and over again, the reader is reminded of Austens postumous effect on literature; on people's everyday lives, their search for belonging to someone, the half spoken thoughts and of course love.

Because it is a truth universally acknowledged that a reader in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a good book.

This is that book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin's Press and the author, Ms. Natalie Jenner, for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The Jane Austen Society". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, then you will really enjoy this book. The characters are not that well developed, but you will cheer them on as they work together to save a home in which Jane Austen had lived and written some of her novels. This is a book of fiction, yet is a wonderful tribute to Austen’s amazing ability to deliver a story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is a sweet story that takes place after WWII involving an unlikely group of people who are bound by their love of the writings of Jane Austen. With this shared passion, they decide to work together to preserve aspects of her life from when the author herself was located in Chawton, England. A definite highlight is this setting ... Chawton ... lovingly portrayed with quaint village life on display.

Firstly, all Austen lovers will fully appreciate the many references made to the original works - it’s lovely to lose yourself not only in the homage paid but also in the comparative analysis given to preferences of Pride and Prejudice over Emma for example; or, Lizzie versus Emma. It is clear to see both the love and knowledge the author has of Austen’s writing. These book discussions subtly run parallel to the events of characters' own lives in the current storyline. A clever blend and there are some passages that I could lose myself in and demanded a reread and ponder:

‘He had gone to work every day merely to survive, saving for himself a few hours every night to disappear into fictional worlds of others’ making. He was hoping to find some answers inside these books, answers for why he didn’t care about some things and cared too much about others. He had always felt different from everyone else around him, different in a way that was so essential to his being that it practically blocked everything else out, it was so huge. It was as if a whole other world were inside him, so big that he couldn't see it without somehow getting completely out of his own way.’

Bring together an eclectic group of characters - ranging from a Hollywood actress, and Sotheby’s auctioneer to the local doctor and farmer to name but a few - and it makes for entertaining reading. What they have in common is their love of Austen’s works and each, in their own way, wishes to keep her words and memories alive. Thus, they come together to form The Jane Austen Society. Multiple stories are handled well as it meanders along at a gentle country pace. You will come to care about these characters who deal with issues ranging from love to loss.

If you adore Jane Austen as I do, then this is perfect for you. It is highly character driven but very gentle in its execution - nothing great happens, it’s the exploration of the everyday with a sprinkle of romance. So put the kettle on, curl up and take a slow stroll through the streets of Chawton post WWII.

(Recommended for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)

‘... inside the pages of each and every book was a whole other world. He could disappear inside that world whenever he needed to - whenever he felt the outside world, and other people, pressing in on him - a pressure from social contact and expectations that was surely routine for everyone else, but affected him much more intensely and inexplicably. But he could also experience things from other people’s point of view and learn their lessons alongside them, and - most important to him - discover the key to living a happy life...’

This was a very enjoyable read about a disparate group who come together over their love of Jane Austen. It starts a bit slowly, between the wars, but I realized the set up in Chawton (the true site of the place Jane and sister Cassandra lived near the end of Jane's life) was necessary to the story as a whole. There's a recluse, a doctor, a farmer, a widow, a Hollywood star--characters Jane would have been proud of to call her own as they navigate the possible sale of the Knight family estate and whether a cottage can be used as a museum for their newly formed Jane Austen Society. I knew the book had done its' job when I was itching to grab my own copy of Pride and Prejudice for an umpteenth re read. We'll see what fall brings.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner was a book I was excited to read, as the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club was reading and discussing it during the month of August. It was a charming book, with likable, believable characters who share the common bond of loving the books of Jane Austen. Each character has had tragedy in their life and have been soothed by reading and rereading Austen’s novels. They find solace, and a way back to themselves, as they share the common purpose of starting the fictional Jane Austen Society in Chawton, Hampshire, home of Jane Austen. Readers will enjoy seeing some parallels between Jenner’s and Austen’s characters and circumstances. After reading, I enjoyed hearing author, Natalie Jenner, speak to our book club and provide more introspective to her story. If you get a chance to hear her speak about the book, you will enjoy it! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was an absolute delight! I love historical fiction, Jane Austen, and World War Two settings, so this checked all my boxes. If you enjoy unlikely friendship stories, you'll enjoy this sweet novel with damaged characters in a charming setting. Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher for the purpose of review.

Pack your bags, you're about to visit Clawton, England in 1940. That is the setting for the fictional group of Jane Austen lovers who find a shared friendship, love, prose, and purpose in the works of their favorite author. This eclectic group of five band together to preserve the works and the knickknacks of Jane Austen while learning a lot about themselves and those that share their Austen passion. Ms. Jenner is a fabulous storyteller. Her writing style makes you feel that you too are in England at the time the project is underway. I highly recommend this read. Thank you to the author and publisher, St. Martin's Publishing Group for the ARC.

Interesting subject that comes from the heart and captivates the reader. I love when offers offer a unique perspective.

"The Jane Austen Society" should be a delight to Jane Austen's biggest fans and readers who enjoy slower-paced character development stories. The story follows the lives of separate individuals from varied backgrounds who are ultimately by their deep love of Jane Austen's work. The primary characters include the village doctor and lawyer, the lady of the manor, the young serving girl, a farmer, a movie star, and a businessman. They are each struggling with their own challenges and are ultimately helped by their love of Jane Austen.

I admit that while I finished the book, I did not love it. I found it a bit slow for the first half, and I was expecting a World War II era story in the style of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." This story did not spend much time on the post-World War II era it is set in, and felt like it could have been set in another time period without changing much of the story. The story was also missing the drama of most novels set during this period. To reiterate, it is much more of a character development story.

It was not lost on me that the character development in this story in some ways echos Jane Austen's work. Perhaps if I had began reading the book with that expectation in mind I would have enjoyed it more. As long as other readers are true Jane Austen fans and looking for a less dramatic read, I think they will enjoy this book.

I went into this book with very high expectations which let me down. I love Jane Austen and all of her books, and I was hoping for something that brought out the atmosphere those books had. This book kind of missed the mark in being a wonderful read. It is a quick read, but it is not overly engaging or overly fascinating. The characters were okay. The plot was fine. There are patrons that I would recommend it to, but it wasn't my favorite which is why I only gave it three out of five stars.