Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Rupert Graves does a great job narrating this story!

Its 1865, and two sisters in Massachusetts contact Jane Austen's last living sibling in England, begging for information about his late sister. Unbeknownst to the sisters, two brothers in Philadelphia are also searching for information and they contact Sir Francis Austen. the 2 sets of siblings find themselves on a boat headed for England.

There are 2 main themes: the work of Jane Austen through book club meetings of the judges in Boston and the women's rights movement. The pacing was too slow for me and the "they all lived happily ever" ending was a disappointment. I do love Jane Austen but felt this story just fell flat.

Natalie Jenner’s AUSTEN AT SEA was a delightful story. It had the same charm as Jenner’s earlier books, but the at sea aspect added an element of charm that her other books did not have. I wasn’t a fan of the narrator for this story - not because of the narration but because the narrator’s voice did not align with what I was expecting.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an audioARC.

Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner
Narrated by Rupert Graves

This is the fourth book I've read/heard by Natalie Jenner and all four of them have had a connection to Jane Austen. The books also will allow us to meet or hear about famous people of all sorts. With each book I have looked up people and places that I want to know more about. That's one of the things I love about historical fiction, it makes me want to know more.

It's 1865 and Jane Austen's last surviving sibling, Sir Francis Austen, is near the end of his life. He still misses his two late wives, his siblings, and his children and grandchildren who have gone before him. He's had a long successful and adventure filled life and has some things he wants to pass on those who will protect what he has been protecting for so many years. It's through his letter writing friendships with two sisters and two brothers that Francis sees a chance for some matchmaking and passing on that which is important to him and to his late sister, Jane.

Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson are in their 20s and they've had blessed lives for women of their times. They've also had to deal with all the many restrictions that society puts upon women although their father, Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice William Stevenson, has been very lenient and generous with his daughters for the times and his station in life. Now the women have a chance to break the shackles of their existence in Boston by accepting Sir Francis's invitation to visit him.

Nicholas & Haslett Nelson have both survived the Civil War, not entirely without injury. They run their Philadelphia family book store which buys and sells rare books and have been corresponding with Sir Francis about something he wants to show the brothers. They, too, book passage on the same ship as Charlotte and Henrietta, to visit Sir Francis. although the four won't know each other until after the ship sets sell.

We get to meet and/or hear about real people although the author makes up much of what is in this story. There is a slice of life chance to spend time with Louisa May Alcott, we get to spend time with Bostonian politicians and bigwigs while they debate which book they plan to discuss next (kind of their own buddy read group, which made me laugh). The trip across the ocean is a busy one and then many of the new friends who met on the ship will scatter once the voyage is over.

But, also, many of these lives with cross again and again and Sir Francis has a hand in some of what goes on even if his plans don't go the way he had hoped. If you enjoy reading about authors of the classics and some famous people of old, including getting to see how savvy women back then were doing all they could to gain the freedoms they deserved, there is much to enjoy in this book.

I followed the audiobook closely with the ebook, because there are so many people and places I wanted to research. The audiobook is narrated by Rupert Graves and my experience with him has mostly been in movies and shows that have dealt with classics so after getting used to the idea that a man was narrating the book, I began to feel he was a good choice for the story. We learn that plays of the time were sometimes performed by one person and that's how I see the narration of this story, with Rupert Graves putting on a auditory play for us as he narrates this story.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the audio and ebook ARCs.

Austen at Sea follows two sisters, devoted Jane Austen fans, as they challenge the restraints around them as women and embark on a journey that changes the course of their lives. This book has so many elements that I love, but it fell incredibly flat to me. I found the story to be quite dull and, unfortunately, didn’t really care about any of the characters. It did not catch my attention and I had to force myself to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook Austen at Sea.

Harriet and Charlotte long for adventure and more autonomy over their lives. But it’s 1865 and they don’t have much of either. Until reading their beloved Jane Austen novels leads to an overseas adventure-and more trouble than they bargained for.

This was another delightful story in the Austen series.

I loved Natalie Jenner's 'The Jane Austen Society' and was excited to listed to an early copy of 'Austen at Sea'. Both stand-alone books provide interesting characters, appreciation for classic fiction, and unexpected romantic attachments. Though the author seems to have a consistent style of storytelling, I found the plot fresh. As expected, with Louisa May Alcott as a character, women’s rights are a strong discussion point throughout the novel. Though I enjoy reading about strong female characters, I do not prefer the way they were presented here.

If you enjoy reading about bold women from classic fiction, then I recommend this audiobook to you. Natalie Jenner weaves together different plotlines and characters' perspectives into a heartwarming story overall. I was surprised to have a male narrator for the audiobook at first, but Rupert Graves has a great reading voice. Although, it was somewhat hard to distinguish all the characters’ dialogue by listening versus reading from the page.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Natalie Jenner clearly loves Jane Austen’s works. This title, along with The Jane Austen Society, make that abundantly clear.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth so it is an auspicious time for the publication of Austen at Sea with one of its characters being Austen’s brother Francis and another his daughter, Fanny.

The story opens in the 1860s in America. Two sisters, nicknamed Harry and Charlie, live with their father, a state justice; their mother is deceased. Harry and Charlie want more independence than is easily on offer. They definitely challenge the powers that be.

Harry and Charlie’s father loves Austen fiction as did their mother and as do they. He even has a book club with other justices in which they discuss Austen’s works (see the opening scene of the novel).

The conceit of the book is that Harry and Charlie reach out to Admiral Austen who invites them and two brothers from Philadelphia to visit him in Portsmouth. At 91, the Admiral is thinking about his sister’s legacy and ephemera. While the two young women are fans, the young men, in addition, own a bookshop, and have an American first edition of Emma.

The Admiral thinks that it will be fun to put these four together. He has dreams of romance (is this like in Emma when she play matchmaker?) hoping that he is forming two couples. Read the book to see what happens in this regard as well as with the Austen memorabilia .

These four and others, including Louisa May Alcott, share a passage to England. It was enjoyable to see Alcott (and her love of Dickens) in these pages.

I very much enjoyed this novel. It offered me a lovely escape. The pace, characterizations and story all kept my attention.

Highly recommended to those who love Austen and/or historical fiction.

Note that reading the author’s afterword will clearly show a reader how much Austen means to her. I hope that Jenner’s Austen themed novels will continue.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

A NOTE ON THE AUDIO BOOK: (with thanks for this title):

The narrator (male) gave life to the story and its characters. I enjoyed going back and forth between the text and audio versions and was sorry to come to the end. Those who are looking for a good listen of a good book, cannot go wrong with this audio book.

Overall a fun read, especially for Jane Austen fans. The novel really captures the charm and sharp social commentary of Austen’s work. The characters are engaging, the romance is well-paced, and the historical details feel immersive without being overwhelming. It’s a fun and clever homage to Austen’s storytelling style, making it a great choice for those who love period drama.