The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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.

Review: Set in the small English village of Chawton right after the end of World War II, this book follows a small group of similar minded people who come together for the love of Jane Austen. One hundred and fifty years before the setting of this book, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen. Now, in the late 1940s, her legacy is under threat. The unlikely group form a society to try to preserve the final estate and library associated with the Austen family, all while struggling to overcome their own personal losses and trauma. 

I liked so many of the characters in this! The widowed Dr. Gray who is devoted to his small-town practice. Young Adeline Lewis, tragically widowed during the war. The spinster Frances Knight, kept from marrying by her cruel father. Mimi Harrison, the beautiful movie star who loves Jane Austen. I also liked how Austen is weaved in throughout the novel in different ways. The spinster who lives in the family estate descended from Austen's brother. The movie star who loves to star in Austen films. The dedicated readers who reread her books every year and love to discuss them. 

This was really cute and endearing and I did like a lot of the characters and the Jane Austen tie but something about it fell a little flat for me. I did love the way the author concluded the characters' individual stories. 

Stars: 3.5