The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

                                                           

 Title: The Jane Austen Society

Author: Natalie Jenner

Genre: Historical Fiction 

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. - Back Cover

My Thoughts

My own love for Jane Austen's novels often draws me to novels about her or her writing (see my review of Jane of Austin). By the same token, I am always worried it won't do her justice or try to imitate her work and end up making me angry. I walk delicately on the tightrope between reading all Austen-related fiction and reading none. I'm really glad that I decided to pick this one up.

The characters come together due to their love of reading Austen. Each of them comes to read her work for different reasons, but they all continue to re-read them finding minutiae to discuss in the relationships Austen creates. In its own right, the novel has complex and compelling relationships, while also following an Austen-like pattern. Those of you who have read Austen know what that means for how the story ends. 

This book was a breath of fresh air from all of the novels set in WWII that I have read lately, and I would recommend it to any Jane Austen fans without hesitation.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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