Jane Austen is one of my all-time favorite authors so I was incredibly excited to read this book. I was intrigued when the story began in the village where Jane Austen lived her life. The first few characters that were introduced were very endearing, especially Dr. Gray and Adeline. I didn’t particularly care for the parts with Mimi, the Hollywood actress. I didn’t feel connected to her at all. The story is definitely a slow burn, there were times that I got bored with the story and wondered where it was even going.

The thing that I loved about this book though was when they were all sharing their experiences with Jane Austen’s novels and their thoughts on them all. It always fascinates me to see how people read things differently and have different insights.

Overall this book was good but didn’t quite grab my attention like I had hoped it would.

3 Stars

I enjoyed the book and it was a nice read for lovers of Jane Austen, but some plot lines including a jarring scene of assault seemed unnecessary to the overall outcome of the book. I thought the characters were well written and I enjoyed the ending too :)

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner is a delightful English yarn, an antidote to today’s troubled times. Chawton is a quaint village where Jane Austen lived with her family one hundred and fifty years ago. There are few family members left and the property is in danger of being sold to a golf course consortium. A small group of citizens, an odd bunch at that, take on the difficult task of maintaining the estate, along with the memory of the renowned author. Thus is formed the Jane Austen Society. The group consists of a teacher, a bachelor lawyer, a widowed country doctor, a quiet farmer, an actress, a servant and the last living relative of the Austen family. Everyone is devoted to the Austen legacy and will use their skills and their love of the novels to ensure the continuity of the heritage. This will not be an easy endeavour. The novel is beautifully written. If you are looking for a little escape, spend a few hours in Chawton with Jane Austen and her protectors. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Jane Austen, so I was excited to read this one. I ended up giving up at about 30%. There were too many perspectives. I was so bored with the plot. I didn't really care to see where the story-line was going to end up.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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In a small town of Chawton is where Jane Austen spent the last years of her life and her estate now risks being left to the last of her family members. An eclectic group of people from around town who all share a love for Austen’s novels find themselves forming the Jane Austen Society to attempt to preserve her memory before it’s too late. ⁣
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This is such a charming book. It’s English charm was definitely what I needed in this time. The characters are so pure and loveable but also with a lot of depth and loss in their lives which makes the story deeper. At first I got a little confused trying to remember who each character was but by the end I loved how many main characters there were. The author even works some of her own Jane Austen storylines in there (wink, wink). Overall this was a quick read for me but it was so cozy and charming and made me want to go pick up more Jane Austen novels. ⁣

Based on the description, I thought I would love this book. I was surprised when I thought it was just OK. I just didn't really connect with any of the characters, and the story felt a bit flat to me.

This was such a fun, heartwarming read! I'm a big Jane Austen fan, so the premise of this was intriguing to me. I very much enjoyed the plot, and all the issues that the group faced in putting together their idea. I also liked the variety of people involved in the society, from the America movie star to all the villagers from different walks of life. I particularly appreciated the ending, and that the author chose to go with a more realistic and human ending as opposed to the "easy way out" that she could have done.

I think any fan of Austen will enjoy this! It had me looking up artifacts and elements of her life that I had forgotten. It also really makes me want to do a Jane Austen tour of England, something I've wanted to do for many years. Highly Recommended!

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”

Oops, my bad! I volunteered to review the ARC of this book because Pride and Prejudice was one of my first and favourite English classics. I was hoping to rekindle that magical discovery of clever words, charming characters, and the fanciful feel of romance.

Sadly, I started and stopped, started and stopped, many times during my reading of this book over the course of three quarters of this year. Even being locked up during a pandemic couldn’t stimulate some passion for getting to know Mimi, Adeline, Evie, Adam, Andrew, Frances, Yardley, and Dr. Gray: a varied group of Jane Austenites from both sides of the Atlantic, who come together to form a Jane Austen book club and preservation society. They hail from very disparate backgrounds but share one thing in common: they love rereading Austen over and over again, sometimes covering her entire collected works over one single season.

Some of the pitfalls that inhibited my interest included a slow start to the plot, an incoherent skipping around of time and place during the initial establishment of the cast, and alas, frequent references to the cleverness of Jane Austen’s portrayal of her romantic characters that I was too “intolerably stupid” to understand.

These references would presumably strike a chord with readers who are familiar with the full body of Austen’s work. But, while one doesn’t need to know the history of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in order to read War and Peace, one would definitely benefit from being as well versed in the Austenian repertoire as the fictional characters of The Jane Austen Society.

I found the main characters very dull, although some of them are meant to pay homage to Austen’s original characters. The progress was plodding. I needed to forcefully compel myself to complete this book because it just doesn’t seem right to review a DNF. (What if the ending was salvageable?) By a third of the way through, I knew I was in deep trouble. The basic premise was now established but the length seemed interminable and the end so far, far out of reach. I’m elevating this review to 2 stars because of its conveyed good intentions in honouring the Austen legacy, both in writing style and in content and conclusion.

A group of very different individuals—fans of Jane Austen, come together to keep the memory of the famous author alive. Together, they form the Jane Austen Society.

Interlaced with Austen quotes throughout, this charming book weaves a delightful story about standing up for what you believe in, truly living life and yes, even maybe a bit about love.

As a Janeite, I thoroughly adored this lovely pearl of a novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the read of Natalie Jenner’s, The Jane Austen Society.

Opinions expressed are my own.

I had high hopes for this book that were not realized. I love the idea but the execution fell flat for me. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and those that I did connect with I didn’t really care about the end result. I think the writing was easy to read and it could have been a great book if I had connected to the characters and plot. I found that I never spent enough time with each character to care about them. I know the book was about the society but I didn’t care about the society as individuals. I know this book has worked for many others but it did not work for me.


I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"The Jane Austen Society" is a charming yet bittersweet story about a group of people who come together to preserve Jane Austen’s legacy.

This group of unlikely people are all suffering through their own personal tragedies and loneliness. Coming together, they form wonderful bonds of friendship and romance. Secrets are revealed, and hearts are healed.

Some of my favorite parts of the story are when the characters would discuss Austen’s work. They would also spend time thinking about, say Darcy or Elizabeth, and comparing themselves to those amazing characters. There is always something to learn from Jane’s work. And I loved all the quotes throughout the book!

There was so much to like about the characters in "The Jane Austen Society". I always pictured Spencer Tracy as Dr. Gray. I loved Adam. He was a quiet man and a deep thinker. When he spoke, they realized there was much more to Adam than they knew. Evie was also a favorite of mine! And there were many times I wanted to shake Frances Knight. Lol. I’ve only named a few, but really, they are all dear characters.

I have to admit I had a hard time getting into the story. Maybe it was because I have been in a major reading slump. There was also a lot of sadness at the beginning of the story, and I just wasn’t in the mood for that. The second half was much better as they all came together to save as much of Jane’s legacy as possible.

I think "The Jane Austen Society" would make a fabulous movie as well!

FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC of the story from the publisher for my honest review.

I thought this was a fun and well-written book, and it inspired me to go re-read all of Jane Austen's books. I can see this book being geared towards those who truly appreciate Austen and the classics. Sweet storyline and well-developed characters

I ended up not being able to finish this book. I did however check out the audiobook version from my library and am currently loving the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This book has many similarities to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society so if you enjoyed that book I think you would enjoy this book also. The story takes place in England after WWII and involves a group of neighbors who bond over their love of Jane Austen and their desire to maintain a legacy for her in their village. This book does have some language but it is not pervasive. Also, there is some sexual content but nothing graphic except for one scene that I wish had been edited out. This book hit all the right notes for me because it is historical fiction, takes place in England, the characters are readers, and there is some romance. Be prepared to want to re-read Jane Austen's books after you finish this one!

For Jane Austen fans everywhere! It always helps to be familiar with the classics referred to in books like this. The author did a good job of weaving in varying time periods.

I loved this book!! Great story!! Love Jane austen books!! Received this book from St. Martin's press from netgally!!

In the small village of Chawton, England, shortly after the end of World War II, a number of inhabitants find themselves coming together over the shared love of Jane Austen’s writing. And it just so happens that Chawton was the last place Jane Austen lived.

A middle-aged doctor has been widowed for some time and finds himself lonely and staring down some demons. He has a fine friendship with a young woman who grew up in town and taught at the school briefly before getting married, then being widowed herself soon after, thanks to the war. An American actress visits a decade before, just to see the little place Austen called home, and ends up going back to Chawton later on with her fiancé. A man whose father and brothers died years earlier has been quietly doing work around the village but also quietly savoring Austen’s works. The middle-aged and single only child of the man who owns the Great House is a fan as well, and she even has the blood of Jane’s oldest brother in her veins, and the cottage Jane lived in at the end of her life is part of the estate.

As each deals with heartache or losses of some kind, they are buoyed by their many hours spent immersed in the words of the talented writer. And one comes up with an idea: to create a place, a museum of sorts, a destination for pilgrimages, for others who love those words just as much. There are definitely obstacles, but as they work through those toward their shared goal, many pieces will fall into place, even more than they might have planned.

The Jane Austen Society is a pleasant visit to postwar England, to a small village where people all know each other and look out for each other. It is certainly a love letter to Jane Austen, among many other books that seek to do honor to that writer who has made many laugh, weep, and fall in love with her wonderful characters. This novel itself, of course, though it walks in those exalted shoes, doesn’t have the graceful and confident gait of the one it pays homage to: indeed, it is tolerable, but not captivating enough to tempt me to reread it. A light and enjoyable read, though I’ll forget about it soon enough.

If you're a fan of Jane Austen then this book is for you! If you aren't, then it might not be as interesting to you. The story takes place throughout both WWI and WWII and the author does a fantastic job of placing the reader in England during this time period.

The story is about a group of eight people who are brought together by their love of Jane Austen. It's loaded with reference's to Austen's work and is for the most part an uplifting, pleasurable to read story. I'm not typically the biggest fan of historical fiction, but I enjoyed this one!

Sweet and imaginative story. I am glad to have read it. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to read it.

I am a big fan of Jane Austen—so I usually avoid these sorts of books, which to me are co-opting Austen’s talent and fame to sell mostly mediocre novels. But “The Jane Austen Society” by Natalie Jenner had a few things going for it: good pre-publication notices and a World War II and immediate post war English setting that is catnip to me. I’m glad I made the exception and read this one; because the story of how multiple people—each struggling with his or her own problems (the death of a spouse, disinheritance, and isolation, to name a few)—come together to preserve Jane Austen’s home in Chawton is a charming treat for Austen lovers. One caveat: “The Jane Austen Society” will be much more enjoyable if you’ve read Austen’s six complete novels, as the characters frequently reference the books (and specific plot lines) in their conversations; it’s also fun to predict what will happen to various characters and couples based on their similarities to Austen’s own characters. (But do give it a complete pass if you, like Mark Twain, inexplicably “want to dig [Austen] up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.”)

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.