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The Jane Austen Society

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The Jane Austen Society

By: Natalie Jenner
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

The international bestseller.

Only a few months after the end of the Second World War, a new battle is beginning in the little village of Chawton. Once the final home of Jane Austen, the Chawton estate is dwindling and the last piece of Austen's heritage is at risk of being sold to the highest bidder....

Drawn together by their love of her novels, eight very different people - from a local farmer to a glamorous film star - must unite to attempt something remarkable. As new friendships form and the griefs of the past begin to fade, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society and to save the beloved novelist's home and legacy. But can her words change all their lives in return?

A heartbreaking and uplifting novel of hope, loss and love. Perfect for fans of Miss Austen by Gill Hornby and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer

©2019 Natalie Jenner (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group 20th Century Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Love, Dating & Attraction Relationships Feel-Good Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"A wonderful book, a wonderful read." (Karen Joy Fowler, best-selling author of The Jane Austen Book Club)

"A charming and memorable debut, which reminds us of the power of books to unite and heal." (Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris)
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The book which is about the forming of a Jane Austen group just after WWII, describes how the 8 people involved set about acquiring Chawton Cottage where JA lived with her family for some years and how they make an attempt to turn it into a museum.

So, what did I think? Well, first of all, I had to get my head around the fact that the characters and the story-line are fictional. Yes, the cottage was acquired just after the war but not by these imaginary characters and not in this way. I kept wanting to google-check things but, in the end, I just sat back and enjoyed it for what it is. I did wonder, however, if this was doing a disservice to the people who actually did set up the museum because I'm sure that many readers will assume that it is all true and give these fictional characters the credit for what must have been, historically, a great achievement. The story moves at a slow, leisurely pace and the first half deals with the main characters and their pasts and what made them decide to get involved in this venture. This might not suit some people but I enjoyed the way that the book took its time. Other listeners will be expecting a 'romance' and, although several are involved, they are only really touched upon and are not the main thrust of the story-line. If anything, the book is more about grief and how different characters deal with it. It is also, of course, about Austen, and the love of JA is what binds the 8 disparate characters together: a doctor, a solicitor, an auctioneer, a farmer, a Hollywood film star, one of the Knight family, a teacher and a servant girl. You can read this without knowing anything about JA but I did enjoy the discussions that the characters have about her and her books. The author also creates at least some of these 8 protagonists in the image of characters from her books and it was fun to spot whom they represented. There was a bit more activity in the second half of the book once the society has been set up and there were also a couple of twists to the story. The ending is a satisfying one.

It is NJ's first novel and I was impressed. It is well-written with only a couple of minor Americanisms. She was born in the UK but emigrated to Canada as a child and I was amazed at how 'English' the story was: she has captured the atmosphere of a small English village, the characters and their turns of phrase as well as any British writer. Well done, that girl!

Richard Armitage's reading was, of course, as marvellous as ever. His women are perfect and I forgot I was listening to a man, and his various accents - posh, local yokel, Scottish, American and Birmingham - all sounded good to me. He must be one of the best audio readers out there and would make a great Dr Gray in any film of this novel.

Interesting and enjoyable

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I loved this book. I found this quote below very interesting and relevant which explains why every time I read any of Jane Austen's books or books about her and her family life, I find my inner peace & comfort.
'During the Great War, shell-shocked soldiers had been encouraged to read Jane Austen in particular—Kipling had coped with the loss of his soldier son by reading her books aloud to his family each night—Winston Churchill had recently used them to get through the Second World War.'

Beautiful read

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I love Jane Austin, and this book had brought them to life in a way that I had never read before. It was so easy to listen to and I enjoyed everything about it. I want to listen to it again right now!
Richard Armitage is so easy to listen to and has that type of voice that draws you in. His talents with his voices allowed me to picture each character with great pleasure.
Thank you sir

Absolutely wonderful

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perfect bedtime listening . A tonic to listen to pure human interactions without violence but full of intrigue and interest. Just like reading Jane Austen I suppose. All enhanced by the varied and dulcet tones of Mr Armitage. He's one of the few male narrators who can do justice to female characters which is surprising as he has such a naturally deep voice.

A gentle delight

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I listened to the audio book and I have to say it is one of the best novels that I have heard. The characters, their back stories and motivations are very well written. I found myself cheering for the Jane Austen Society and how it evolved from a love of the novels and the characters written so well by Jane. Highly recommended.

A brilliant novel

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