The Jane Austen Society: A Novel by Natalie Jenner

    My mom is the reason I read The Jane Austen Society when I did.  Well, really it was Richard Armitage.  Every month I pick up this free magazine from the library called The Book Page.  I go through and mark which books I think are interesting so I can try them at a later date.  One month, a while back, one of those books was The Jane Austen Society.

    It was listed in the audiobook section, and I didn’t pay much attention to who the reader was.  Then my mom asked me about the Richard Armitage book.  I had no idea how I could have missed a book by one of my favorite actors.

    Well, it turns out the book my mom was talking about was The Jane Austen Society.  Mr. Armitage did not write the book, but he read for the audiobook.  Still, I knew I had to read this book sooner rather than later.

    World War II has ended, and the small English village of Chawton is trying to figure out what to do with their Jane Austen history.  You see, Chawton is the one-time home of novelist Jane Austen.  Some people love and respect this historical aspect of where they live, while others hate it.

    One person, James Edward Knight, hates the legacy so much he disinherits his daughter, Frances, over it.  He does this because he hears a group of villagers want to create a Jane Austen museum on his land, as it is where Ms. Austen lived.  Mr. Knight does not want any such honor to be created after his death, which could be at any moment.  To ensure this, he disinherits Frances.

    The disinheritance is just one item from the long list of terrible things Mr. Knight has done to his daughter.  Through the years he has also foiled any attempts she made to fall in love and marry.  Now she is older and unlikely to marry.  So, of course, Mr. Knight blames Frances for not marrying and producing an heir.

    One of the men Mr. Knight drove away is his current lawyer, Andrew Forrester.  It broke Andrew’s heart when Frances ended things with him.  He decided he would never speak to Frances again, but his love never died.  That is why it devastates him so much when Mr. Knight tells him his new plans against Frances in his will.

    The thing is, Mr. Knight makes this decision before Frances even knows about the museum.  It is a plan created by three villagers: Adam Berwick, Adeline Grover, and Dr. Benjamin Gray.  These three people all love Jane Austen and her works.  Their love is to the point they create The Jane Austen Society, in hopes of putting together a place in the village where Ms. Austen can be honored.

    Not long after the initial creation of the society, five more members join: Andrew Forrester, Evie Stone, Mimi Harrison, Yardley Sinclair, and Frances Knight herself.  Together this group works together to create a museum before all chance of doing so is lost.

    While everyone in the society comes together in the common goal of creating a museum, the society also makes a difference in other aspects of their lives. 

    Adam is a farmer known for living on his own and being by himself.  Frances is rarely seen out of the house.  Even when there are celebrations in the village, Frances stays away.  For both Adam and Frances, the society helps bring them out of their shyness and seclusion. 

    Dr. Gray and Adeline use the society to work through their grief.  Dr. Gray has long mourned his wife, while Adeline recently lost her husband and unborn child.

    Evie is able to challenge her mind with the society.  Something she appreciates as she had to leave school to help support her family.

    Andrew is able to be around the woman he loves.

    And American actress Mimi uses the society as something to concentrate on.  Something other than her fading film career.

    Yardley is the only member who doesn’t have a direct emotional benefit to the society.  He works at Sotheby’s and benefits when items found in the library of the Chawton Great House (Frances’ old home) are put up for auction to help fund the society’s plans.  Yardley is happy to help with this, not just because of what his job is, but because he is an admirer of Ms. Austen and wants to see her items together (such as in a museum) as much as possible.

    While everyone pretty much ended the book happy, I’m still a little dissatisfied with the ending.  There was one big thing I really wanted to have happen that didn’t.  I won’t say what it was, but it certainly would have given Mr. Knight a good comeuppance, even though he is dead.

    Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.  It didn’t take me long to read because after each chapter I wanted to go on to the next.  Chapter after chapter, I didn’t want to put the book down.  So I just kept on reading. 

Gateway to the Future/Artwork by Kate Dorsey