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More than 200 years after Jane Austen’s death, her novels are still read and reread and adapted today. Fans still dream of traveling to the author’s home, to walk through the village that inspired their favorite literary works. And in The Jane Austen Society by author Natalie Jenner, a group of locals work to honor the author’s memory.
The story visits the English village of Chawton after the Second World War. More than a hundred years earlier, novelist Jane Austen and her family lived and worked in the small town. Tourists still show up to travel in the beloved author’s footsteps—much to the dismay of many of the town’s residents. But now, with the last male heir of the Knight family on his deathbed, the last remaining memories of the author are in danger. So a group of fans of Austen’s work joins together to try to save the legacy that still remains.
Set in the quaint village that inspired Austen’s novels—a village where not a whole lot has changed since her time—The Jane Austen Society will charm readers while introducing this varied cast of characters who are all struggling in their own way with loss and heartbreak.
The diversity of the characters speaks to the surprisingly wide appeal of Austen’s work—but also to the power of literature to connect people and change lives. Though many may associate Austen with lonely female literary types, there’s so much in her novels that speaks to a wider range of readers. Here, it’s the aging worker who lives with his controlling mother. It’s the widowed doctor who’s struggling to keep going. It’s the young girl who’s working for the Knights to support herself and her family. It’s the teacher who’s mourning her husband and child. It’s even the American movie star who’s convinced her producer fiancé to adapt one of her favorite Austen novels for the screen.
Written with both humor and affection, the story follows the characters as they work together to save the legacy of the author who has meant so much to them. And as they strive to find a way to turn Austen’s former home into a museum, they find new passion, new drive, new friendships, and even new happiness.
Sometimes bittersweet but always charming, The Jane Austen Society allows readers to settle into the lives of the characters and join them in their journey. Though fans of Austen’s novels will enjoy the references to the author and her work, it’s so much more than that: it’s a sweet, easy-going story about working through grief and finding new strength and motivation.
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