Natalie Jenner Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Natalie Jenner
Natalie Jenner is a Historical fiction writer best known for debut novel The Jane Austen Society. This book is a fictional telling of a society going by the same name set up in the 1940s in Chawton. It is in this small village that Austen wrote and edited most of her work. This England-born writer holds an English Literature degree from the University of Toronto. She also holds a law degree and has been in the Legal industry for decades. Jenner currently lives in Oakville, Ontario, where she manages the Archetype Books bookstore while taking care of her family and rescue dogs.

The Jane Austen Society
The Jane Austen Society is a story centered around renowned author Jane Austen. While she died over 150 years ago, Austen still features among the most excellent novelists in England. Austen’s final home was in Chawton, and here, a group of her fans gathers in an attempt to preserve the author’s legacy. Among these people is a young widow, a laborer, a movie star, and a doctor, to mention but a few. While these people come from all walks of life, their love for Austen’s word and works have brought them together. Each of them is also struggling with trauma, loss, and other distant tragedies, but they unite to form the Jane Austen Society.

The war has just ended, and most people are recovering from their losses. A wind of change is blowing, and those who are lucky to be alive are keen to make the best out of their time. Get ready to meet four families in a country village where everyone knows their neighbor’s business. Luckily, the cast here forms a society that talks about nothing by Jane Austen and her work. This society views this as the best way to honor a writer whose work reminds us of the importance of reading, compassion, and love. The author spends the first few chapters introducing all the twelve characters in this story before delving into their feelings about Austen’s work.

The most outstanding thing about this book is its insightful and light-hearted analysis of Austen’s novels. The characters here discuss the author’s work and share what they think about the cast in Austen’s stories. It is fun reading Adam’s thoughts about Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice or the chat between the local school teacher and the town doctor about Emma. Jenner does a step further and makes direct correlations with Austen’s characters, direct quotes but in different contexts. All the fun is in finding these characters and quotes and finding how they appeared in Austen’s work.
Another outstanding feature is the cast made up of characters that sound so real. Their differences make each of them unique, and their struggles will make you identify better with them. As the characters’ lives and backgrounds unfold, stories of deaths, wars, and disagreements are brought to life. There is also some love and romance element, and it is fun trying to guess who will end up with the other. One of the characters spends a night trying to come up with a coupling list. With eight major characters and enough minors in the house, a lot is going on in these pages. All of the characters live in Chawton, so issues like disagreements with neighbors and the town gossip are also something they all understand. Notable characters include the American movie star and his fiancée, a Jane Austen descendant, and the doctor.

This story comes with enough mysteries and secrets, just like most of Austen’s works. If you have read any of Austen’s books, it is easy to see that this plotline could have come from her quill. There is a lot under the surface if you do a little digging and allow the author to peel the layers of the story slowly. The truths are revealed in bits, and we get to see the motivations behind each character. Humor is part of the dialogue, and Jenner, just like Austen, pays a lot of attention to detail.

This is a work of fiction that has little to do with Jane Austen Society that was formed in the 1940s. The story brilliantly tells itself, and it is incredible how the unlikely cast finds a common interest in Jane Austen. That said, it is easy to see that the author is a Jane Austen fan, and there is a lot she knows about her books, characters, and writing style. Still, Jenner manages to tell this story in a unique voice bringing a fresh twist to some of Austen’s most memorable characters.

The Chawton setting gives this story an edge. While everything else is fiction, it is no secret that Jane Austen lived in Chawton Cottage that is now known as Jane Austen’s House, where she could trek to her brother’s house now known as Chawton House. The author transports the reader back to the 1940s, to the same walks, library, and chairs she enjoyed during her lifetime. Jane Austen lived in Chawton village for the last eight years of her life, and the Jane Austen’s museum was established in the same village in 1946. This novel covers the early 1930s to mid-1940s, a time when women were defying the notion that they could only shine in the kitchen. The author does a great job of painting a perfect picture of this time and the simple pleasures that people enjoyed then.
The Jane Austen Society is a fiction story that has nothing to do with the English author. However, if you are a Jane Austen fan, there is a lot you are going to love about this book. Even if you have not read any of her books or don’t like fiction stories, this book will be worth your time. If you are looking for a feel-good story, this is the book for you. Let the author transport you back to simpler times where people went to war, and people found joy in the most basic life pleasures. It is easy to fall in love with most of the characters here as they open up about their feelings on Austen’s work.