With archetypes from the lonely widow to the glamorous movie star present in the story, there were plenty of characters for me to get invested in and seeing how the characters drew together around their love for Austen was a meaningful part of the story. The book has a calm feel over all I liked how the characters were allowed the space to be introduced, leave the story, and then reappear in connections to one another. Jenner’s book opens with chapters introducing each of the central characters, setting up relationships between the members of the small town of Chawton and quietly revealing how their past traumas have shaped their relationships to each other. Sprinkled with quotes from Austen’s works, this charming story takes a fictional look at the legacy of one of England’s best known authors. With Austen’s family estate crumbling, the group decides that it is their duty to preserve what they can of their beloved author’s home and share the joy of her work with others. In Natalie Jenner’s debut novel, The Jane Austen Society, a group including a film star, her wealthy fiance, a country doctor, and a farm boy all are drawn together to preserve Austen’s legacy and home. Not much is known about Austen’s personal life, since her family destroyed many of her letters and personal items after her death.
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