Book Review: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

Author: Natalie Jenner

Title: The Jane Austen Society

Series: Jane Austen Society #1

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Published: May 26, 2020

Where I got It: My Shelf (Gift)

Summary: 

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:

I love Jane Austen and a lot of her books, so I've been excited to check this out. 

It is just after WWII, and an unusual but like-minded group of people team up to protect Jane Austen's legacy. Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, but, sadly, it is a diminishing estate that needs work to preserve. 

I am feeling tired, so we'll divide and conquer this review (it's been a min since we used this format!):

The Good

- I liked our array of characters. They were different and interesting. 

- Loved how the author brought this time period and town alive. 

- Some nice banter between some of the characters

- Liked the splash of 'Persuasion'. Literally my fave of JA's works. 

The Bad and the Ugly

- Some areas seemed to drag on and on. I would catch my attention slipping sometimes. 

- It took me eons to finish this guy. I would walk away from it for a couple of days and forget about it. I would have to go back and reread the last page or two just to remember what had just happened. 

- Some spots were….I hate to use this word…..dull. 

Conclusion

Maybe I should try the audio version of this story. Richard Armitage does a rendition and I lovvvveeeeee his voice. So...yeah. Maybe I'll try this again. I wanted to love this, but didn't. It was just alright. Some good banter and interesting characters. But some areas? Dull. 

2 stars from me.