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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.
What are you reading this week? (5/1/2025)
Have you ever reached out to Natalie Jenner (Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls, Austen at Sea) - she is very responsive on Instagram!
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What are you reading this week? (04/24/2025)
Reading Austen by the Sea by Natalie Jenner. Loved her previous Austen related novel, this one is out May 6.
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"Every page will induce readers to undertake further investigations. Janeites will be enthralled, and all readers will appreciate this richly dimensional historical outing." ―Booklist (starred review)
"A rushed and emotionally flat story." —Kirkus Reviews
"Austen at Sea is a delightful novel and a brilliant tribute to pioneering writers like Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott. Jenner's irrepressible heroines stand shoulder to shoulder with Elizabeth Bennet and Jo March, women fighting to find love and meaning in a world that often refuses to acknowledge their humanity." ―Elizabeth Gonzalez James, author of The Bullet Swallower
"A poignant and insightful story about two sisters on a transatlantic crossing making a bid for independence and finding love and personal freedom. Jenner brings Louisa May Alcott to vibrant life with her vivid cast of lovers and book lovers caught up in the struggle for women's rights and literary legacy. Alcott and Austen fans, rejoice!" ―Virginia Kantra, New York Times bestselling author of Meg & Jo and Beth & Amy
This information about Austen at Sea was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Sarah Sims
Natalie Jenner is the author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. A Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel, The Jane Austen Society was a USA Today and #1 national bestseller, and has been sold for translation in twenty countries. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer, career coach and, most recently, an independent bookstore owner in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs. Visit her website to learn more.
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