Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner
Publication Date: May 6th 2025 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio
Pages: 336
Audio Book Length: 11hrs 11 mins
Narrator: Rupert Graves
Source: Publishers
Rating: ★★★★
My
Thoughts:
Henrietta and Charlotte Stevenson, daughters of Supreme
Court Justice Stevenson are disheartened by the barriers women faced in 1865. Their
father was a loving, progressive man, but stifling in his affections as he strived
to keep them safe after losing his wife tragically.
The sisters strike up a correspondence with beloved author Jane
Austen’s brother, Sir Francis Austen, who has survived her, but is very old. At
ninety-one, who knows how long he has left, so when they receive an invitation to
come visit, the sisters jump at the chance. They book a passage and set sail without
the knowledge or consent of their father, and they embark on a trip that leaves
a lasting mark on Henrietta and Charlotte’s life.
I was captivated by Henrietta and Charlotte’s journey! Both
sisters had a zest for learning and life, forwarding women’s rights, but they also
had matters of the heart to contend with. My emotions were all over the place
with everything that went on: relationships and ambitions, and the actions of
others played into the story. The visit with Sir Francis Austen was
bittersweet.
There was a lot that transpired, and the ending centered on
Henrietta’s choices and the repercussions with a showdown in court!
I loved both sisters and was invested in their HEAs! There
were a lot of interesting characters, friends made, and side stories, as well.
I alternately read and listened to the audio of the story
and can recommend either version. Rupert Graves did a fine job acting out all
the characters, so each felt distinct and their emotions came through loud and clear.
4 Stars
Book Description:
Two pairs of siblings, devotees of Jane
Austen, find their lives transformed by a visit to England and Sir
Francis Austen, her last surviving brother and keeper of a
long-suppressed, secret legacy.
In Boston, 1865, Charlotte
and Henrietta Stevenson, daughters of a Massachusetts Supreme Court
Justice, have accomplished as much as women are allowed in those days.
Chafing against those restrictions and inspired by the works of Jane
Austen, they start a secret correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, her
last surviving brother, now in his nineties. He sends them an original
letter from his sister and invites them to come visit him in England.
In
Philadelphia, Nicholas & Haslett Nelson—bachelor brothers, veterans
of the recent Civil War, and rare book dealers—are also in
correspondence with Sir Francis Austen, who lures them, too, to England,
with the promise of a never-before-seen, rare Austen artifact to be
evaluated.
The Stevenson sisters sneak away without a chaperone
to sail to England. On their ship are the Nelson brothers, writer Louisa
May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason—wealthy daughter of a Pennsylvania state
senator with her eye on the Nelsons—and, a would-be last-minute
chaperone to the Stevenson sisters, Justice Thomas Nash.
It's a
voyage and trip that will dramatically change each of their lives in
ways that are unforeseen, with the transformative spirit of the love of
literature and that of Jane Austen herself.
About the author:
Natalie Jenner is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY and BLOOMSBURY GIRLS, which have been translated in over twenty languages worldwide. Natalie's third novel, EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, releases on May 14, 2024. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer and career coach and once owned an independent bookstore in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs.
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