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The Jane Austen Society

The Jane Austen Society

  • Downloads：1770
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-20 08:52:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Natalie Jenner
  • ISBN：1250797179
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Summary

* INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER *

"This novel delivers sweet， smart escapism。" —People

"Fans of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society… A charming and memorable debut， which reminds us of the universal language of literature and the power of books to unite and heal。" —Pam Jenoff， New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris

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， Natalie Jenner's The Jane Austen Society is destined to resonate with readers for years to come。

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Reviews

Jenny ，

Another grocery store purchase that was exactly what I expected from the cover; a mashup of two of my fave themes: J。A。 and WWII England。

Thaís Braga ，

Sometimes I get the impression that people claim to be Jane Austen fans， but have only read Pride and Prejudice。 Emma， ​​at best。 The merit of the book is that it has Austen's universe in the background。 The end！ For a story that is set between wars， the dialogues and characters are so unrealistic （like from a Y&A book） that seems forced to put those people in that universe。 I stick with Austen herself for a good time leisure。 Sometimes I get the impression that people claim to be Jane Austen fans， but have only read Pride and Prejudice。 Emma， ​​at best。 The merit of the book is that it has Austen's universe in the background。 The end！ For a story that is set between wars， the dialogues and characters are so unrealistic （like from a Y&A book） that seems forced to put those people in that universe。 I stick with Austen herself for a good time leisure。 。。。more

Bobby-Kimberly Beason ，

A treat for those who love Jane Austin！

Megan ，

I found this book very slow to start and even when things picked up I just couldn't get that into it。 The story line was also very predictable。 Maybe of I were a big Jane Austen fan I would have felt differently。 I found this book very slow to start and even when things picked up I just couldn't get that into it。 The story line was also very predictable。 Maybe of I were a big Jane Austen fan I would have felt differently。 。。。more

Becky ，

I love all things Jane Austen， so I was a disappointed that this book never fully grabbed my interest。 I tried to like it more than I actually did。

Allison ，

3。5 stars; I found most of this to be a bit of a slough because most of the people were so damaged and depressed。 It wasn’t all bad and had a good ending， but overall was a bit too sad to be called great by me

Lacey ，

This was my first audiobook that I completed start to finish！ I loved the readers voice and I loved the story-4。5 stars！

Beverly Duckworth ，

If you love Jane Austen you will love this book。 The book is based on true facts but the characters are fictional。

Julie ，

A group of unlikely characters come together for their love of Jane Austen books and in the end work to preserve her house and many of the Austen artifacts。 The book shows the power of words， relationships， and honesty。

Lena ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The idea behind the plot was fun and the story was at times entertaining， but in the end， this book wasn’t my favorite。 It was in the 2-3 stars range for me， but between the poor writing and a generally predictable plot， my rating lands right around 2。5 stars。 The parts I listened to on audiobook were more enjoyable because I didn’t notice the writing style as much， and the narrator was good。The writing was filled with cliches， cheesy dialogue （and often unrealistic to the era）， redundant phrase The idea behind the plot was fun and the story was at times entertaining， but in the end， this book wasn’t my favorite。 It was in the 2-3 stars range for me， but between the poor writing and a generally predictable plot， my rating lands right around 2。5 stars。 The parts I listened to on audiobook were more enjoyable because I didn’t notice the writing style as much， and the narrator was good。The writing was filled with cliches， cheesy dialogue （and often unrealistic to the era）， redundant phrases and descriptions， unnecessary law jargon and lots of telling （not showing）。 I found myself rolling my eyes at the description choices and conversations more than once。The author also tried much too hard to fit modern morals into this book， which felt forced and unrealistic。 There were also some inappropriate， incredibly awkward parts which didn’t need to be there at all （a sexual assault， sexual scenes， etc）。Overall， this book felt like a dirty Hallmark movie that I would opt out of watching。 。。。more

Lisa Rawlings ，

I liked it but didn’t love it。 The characters were individually not that impressive， but I did like how they came together as a group。 （Which was the point of the book。） I kept feeling like something was missing but can’t put my finger on what。 I did love all of the Austen references and the love the characters had for her books。 I get loving an author’s books so much that the characters are real to you！

Sadie ，

I really enjoyed this book， but I will say that you must be familiar with Jane Austen's novels to fully appreciate the writing， the characters， and the storylines。 It is a slow-paced novel and there are some abrupt changes in time and scenes that made it confusing for a minute。 I really liked the discussions of the different novels and how the lives of the characters and the characters themselves are reminiscent of Jane Austen's characters and storylines。 I enjoyed that aspect of the book the mo I really enjoyed this book， but I will say that you must be familiar with Jane Austen's novels to fully appreciate the writing， the characters， and the storylines。 It is a slow-paced novel and there are some abrupt changes in time and scenes that made it confusing for a minute。 I really liked the discussions of the different novels and how the lives of the characters and the characters themselves are reminiscent of Jane Austen's characters and storylines。 I enjoyed that aspect of the book the most。 There are a few problems with the writing but not enough to bother me for long。 。。。more

Jenny Stewart ，

I rounded up from a 3。5 on this book。 It worked very hard to make itself read like Jane Austen to the point of feeling， at times， contrived。 The last part of the book was well-written and encouraged the reader to finish。 It finished in Jane Austen fashion。

Jill Tait ，

A book about community and friendship and a common love of reading - I enjoyed it。

Rosemarie ，

what a delightful book ， heartfelt Charactors， Lovely story。

Iona Turner ，

Not as good as I hoped。 My main complaint is that the story was set in the 40s， but there was a lot of more modern speech patterns， which I found detracted from the atmosphere。

Alexandra Harrington ，

I wish I could give it 2。5 stars。 I just had a hard time getting into it。

Agne ，

In the end， the book was alright， but it had this "gleam" from the start。 The kind where you know that the situations will be mildly sticky but ultimately conquered and that some characters are about to pair up romantically。 It lowers the stakes too much。 Some characters were flat / perfect / evil etc。 Everyone's love for Jane Austen also seemed more like a plot device， not very genuine or believable for me。 The quest was pretty cool on the whole， though， and the setting was the best part probab In the end， the book was alright， but it had this "gleam" from the start。 The kind where you know that the situations will be mildly sticky but ultimately conquered and that some characters are about to pair up romantically。 It lowers the stakes too much。 Some characters were flat / perfect / evil etc。 Everyone's love for Jane Austen also seemed more like a plot device， not very genuine or believable for me。 The quest was pretty cool on the whole， though， and the setting was the best part probably。 The thing in the plot that bugged me the most:（view spoiler）[So at one point， a solution is offered to basically everyone's problems。 They don't take it because it's a bit emotionally distressing or sth， thereby condemning quite a lot of what they believed in。 Absolute bs。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Amber ，

3。5 stars。 I liked the story and characters。 Love Jane Austen and learning more about her life。

Suzy S ，

This book was like taking a Sunday drive in the country。 Pleasant， a good way to spend a calm afternoon， but nothing special。 Characters are all nice， but I didn’t connect with any of them。 Nice premise and decent writing， but it was just missing energy or passion or something for me。

Melissa Macalister ，

This book was just OK for me。 I’m not an avid Austen fan， but have read a couple of her works。 To me it was really hard to get into unless you’re deeply familiar with the characters and/or Austen’s life。

Chelsea ，

i got through about 45%， i really gave it a go。 but this was so f-ing boring。 you know that famous one-star review of “pride & prejudice” that’s something along the lines of “just a bunch of people going to each other’s houses”， and for p&p it’s true but in a hilarious way？ this is true but in a terrible way。

Elizabeth ，

There were a number of things about this novel that I appreciated。 I knew Jane Austen's popularity and genius was slow to be recognized， but I never considered that her legacy might actually have been largely lost if not for the Jane Austen Society。 I love that this story brings to life what it might have been like to work against the odds to preserve her legacy at Chawton。 I'm not sure how much of this story is true， but reading the book has made me curious to look into the real history。I also There were a number of things about this novel that I appreciated。 I knew Jane Austen's popularity and genius was slow to be recognized， but I never considered that her legacy might actually have been largely lost if not for the Jane Austen Society。 I love that this story brings to life what it might have been like to work against the odds to preserve her legacy at Chawton。 I'm not sure how much of this story is true， but reading the book has made me curious to look into the real history。I also love that reading Jane Austen brings together some unlikely characters who might seem to have nothing in common， but become profoundly connected to each other over the course of the story。 It's a good play on the original title of Pride & Prejudice （First Impressions）。 Indeed， the most unlikely character is the one to originally propose the idea for the Society。It was clever， too， how the characters parallel Jane Austen's characters， though not always strictly one-to-one。 For example， Frances Knight， a descendent of Jane Austen's who lives at Chawton Great House， could be both Anne Elliot and Fanny Price。 Andrew Forrester is certainly Wentworth-like。 Other characters， like Dr。 Grey， seemed more based on a single character。 Jack Leonard is， perhaps， a composite of all the male villains， though I think of him more as Henry Crawford since there is a window in the novel where he could have been redeemed and isn't。 The more I reflect on the novel， the more I think Frances Knight is my favorite character。 Like Fanny Price and Anne Elliot， she is so easy to dismiss because she is dutiful almost to a fault， quiet， retiring， unmarried and in her 40s， etc。 The novel does a good job of championing characters who fly under the radar and yet are strong， resilient， and wise in their own ways。 Adam Berrick is very much like this too。 I loved Adam's character， but I was disappointed in his storyline towards the end。 There was something that was revealed about him that distracted from what I perceive to be his redemptive arc。 There was a part at the end involving Adam that I found confusing， too。 Perhaps that was because I was listening on audio and didn't pick up the nuance of the situation as well as if I had been reading。Richard Armitage is a wonderful narrator。 His American accents are so natural。 I kept trying to catch how he made the switch so seamlessly and then I'd get distracted from the story and have to go back。I see that another favorite character of mine， Evie Stone， appears in Natalie Jenner's next novel。 I'm looking forward to that。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Such pure delight！ Next to rereading Austen， this kind of book is the best thing for an Austen lover。 I usually prefer to read with my eyes but decided to listen to this one， and I was extremely pleased by Richard Armitage's narration。 He does a masterful job of performing different voices and accents， making it much easier to keep all the characters straight。 Such pure delight！ Next to rereading Austen， this kind of book is the best thing for an Austen lover。 I usually prefer to read with my eyes but decided to listen to this one， and I was extremely pleased by Richard Armitage's narration。 He does a masterful job of performing different voices and accents， making it much easier to keep all the characters straight。 。。。more

Carol Douglas ，

This is a good Austen-type novel set in post-World War II England。 There are several Austen-type characters who love each oher but won't say so。 And there are some malicious characters who make life difficult for the good characters。The story is set in Chawton， where Jane's brother Edward， who was adopted by wealthy relatives， the Knights， lived。 Jane sometimes stayed there and her mother and her sister were buried in the graveyard。 There are questions about what will happen to Knights' old prop This is a good Austen-type novel set in post-World War II England。 There are several Austen-type characters who love each oher but won't say so。 And there are some malicious characters who make life difficult for the good characters。The story is set in Chawton， where Jane's brother Edward， who was adopted by wealthy relatives， the Knights， lived。 Jane sometimes stayed there and her mother and her sister were buried in the graveyard。 There are questions about what will happen to Knights' old property。 A Hollywood actress who loves Austen plays a part in the book， as does a producer who thinks the most interesting character in Austen's books is Willoughby。 Characters are so obsessed with Austen's books that some read only those books over and over， and more of the characters can quote chapter and verse from Austen and complete each other's quotations。 I found the book enjoyable and well written， though I was annoyed that the author put in quite a few neologisms that were not used in the immediate post-war years， such as "I can relate to that。" 。。。more

Christina Tansey ，

This book gives you are the warm and cozy feelings， told from several different perspectives it’s an adorable story that helps transport you across the world into a small little village。 Travel back to post-WWII Chawton England to the village where Jane Austen and family once walked the streets a century earlier。 There to meet endearing local residents caught up in a village drama Jane Austen could have written。 Sprinkle in lots of delightful references to Jane’s characters in her 6 beloved book This book gives you are the warm and cozy feelings， told from several different perspectives it’s an adorable story that helps transport you across the world into a small little village。 Travel back to post-WWII Chawton England to the village where Jane Austen and family once walked the streets a century earlier。 There to meet endearing local residents caught up in a village drama Jane Austen could have written。 Sprinkle in lots of delightful references to Jane’s characters in her 6 beloved books and you have the makings of a wonderful story to enjoy over tea。 Not a challenging book， but well-written and plotted and endearing in it’s portrayals of small village life。 Think Cranford but in early 20th century。 。。。more

Summer ，

Maybe I’m alone in this complaint but at times I was disoriented by the characters ages。 The way some of them were talked about put a picture in my head of an elderly person only to discover they’re somewhere in their forties and even once their age had been plainly stated there were still these double-takes where I was like， wait， why are they talking about this person as if they’re at the end of their life when their chronological age said otherwise。 I realize life expectancy was different the Maybe I’m alone in this complaint but at times I was disoriented by the characters ages。 The way some of them were talked about put a picture in my head of an elderly person only to discover they’re somewhere in their forties and even once their age had been plainly stated there were still these double-takes where I was like， wait， why are they talking about this person as if they’re at the end of their life when their chronological age said otherwise。 I realize life expectancy was different then than now and we now also look at forty in younger terms than ever before， still， I’d imagine even in the 1940’s there would have been a glaring difference between a forty year old and a senior citizen on their deathbed and I wish that difference had been more apparent here， I mean， the way everyone discusses Frances you’d think she’s so over the hill that it’s a wonder her father would even be alive。 The age thing also made an already large age gap in one romance feel gargantuan and for me picturing a young woman with basically her grandpa doused any possibility of being a fan of that pairing （in actuality he’s not grandpa age he’s just talked about like he is， still， he’s twenty or so years older， old enough to have been her doctor when she was a kid which I found uncomfortable）。 One other romance was clearly headed towards a dead end from the beginning while two other romances happen more off the page than on， particularly the LGBTQ one， so I really didn’t find myself all that invested in that aspect of the book。 I did like Evie Stone to the point where I wished her life outside of her job had been explored further on the page， the pleasure she took in cataloging the library was wonderfully nerdy and assertive and I wanted more of her in the story。In addition to Evie， most of these three stars are due to the love with which Jane Austen and her books are discussed throughout this story。 The engagement I failed to feel elsewhere in the book was always present in those conversations where the characters passionately dissected Jane’s characters。 If you don’t have many fellow readers in your life， eavesdropping on those literary discussions is very enjoyable。 。。。more

Juliene ，

Slow stay character development， then it wrapped all the loose ends up uber quick。 Not sure if the author lost patience with her own story？ Somewhat disappointing。

Gena ，

Highly recommend if you're a Jane Austen fan。 Highly recommend if you're a Jane Austen fan。 。。。more

Tara Mickela ，

The spoken， written and implied connections to JA novels were fun and sweet intertwining with a lovely story。 JA fans have a top 10 spin off here。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Jane Austen Society

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Jane Austen Society&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Jane Austen Society&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0