the jane austen society

3 stars

This is a good, quiet historical fiction that follows the stories of several people in a small English town just after the Second World War that are drawn together by their love of Jane Austen novels.

Jane Austen’s final home was in the small English town of Chawton. Years later it’s the home of a few distant relatives living on a diminishing estate. Several town people struggling with grief for different reasons join forces in an effort to preserve Austen’s legacy and home. Through their love of her novels, and the inspiration they draw from them, they slowly begin to heal.

I also love Jane Austen novels and wanted to like this book, but it left me feeling just “meh”. I’m glad I read it, but I won’t remember much about it in a couple weeks. It was well-written, but didn’t inspire me enough to get too invested in any of the characters. Despite the various tragedies that had befallen the characters, their pain seemed periphery to the story and wasn’t as impactful as it could be.

It’s an overall good book, but just not too memorable.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.