Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Libro.fm for gifting me a review audio copy of The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner.

It took me about a third of the book to really get into it, and start to care about the characters. There are quite a lot of characters and the first chapters of the book are spent introducing them. There is a famous Hollywood actress, a farmer, a former schoolteacher, a spinster descendant of Jane Austen, a housemaid, a lawyer, an appraiser from Sotheby’s, and the village doctor.

Once I wrapped my head around them all and they started to interact more I became quite invested. I mean, how could you not adore characters that love Jane Austen as much as you do (possibly even more)?!

The book is set just after WWII, and while some of our characters have grown up with each other, others cross paths quite fortuitously. Much like an Austen novel, the characters are each working through challenges of their own, grief, independence, lost love, turmoil, and family. Through the course of the story you get to watch them discover themselves, open their eyes to the joy and love that is right in front of them and ultimately get a happy ending.

In short, I enjoyed this book immensely, and it has got me craving a re-read of all of Austen’s novels.

The audiobook is narrated by Richard Armitage who does a wonderful job with all of the different characters. I’ve listened to a few audiobooks lately, which were read by a male narrator, who did a great job with the male parts but an awful job with the female ones. This was not the case with Armitage, who carries the story so well you can completely immerse yourself without being distracted by odd-sounding characters. Definitely grab yourself a copy of the audiobook by clicking the button below, or if you’d prefer a physical copy, click here.

Synopsis:

Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England's finest novelists. Now it's home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen's legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen's home and her legacy. These people—a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others—could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.

A powerful and moving novel that explores the tragedies and triumphs of life, both large and small, and the universal humanity in us all, The Jane Austen Society is destined to resonate with readers for years to come.