The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

From the publisher: Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable. One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen. Now it's home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen's legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve Jane Austen's home and legacy. These people could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.

I am a huge fan of Jane Austen so of course the premise of this novel appealed to me. Although there is a real Jane Austen Society this book does not tell its story. Author Jenner uses the formation of the Society as a device to introduce us to an eclectic group of characters of her own making. The author uses real places and things connected to Austen, but the people and the events in her novel are entirely fictional. Each has inner challenges, and each brings unique gifts to the Society.

The book had a slow and rocky start for me, but once I got to know the characters I became interested in their stories. Through their shared love of Jane Austen, they find strength and love (not all romantic) and a place in their small village. Despite the setting and time period, Jenner even manages to include a same sex couple in the small circle of friends. This is a debut novel, and I stumbled over a few odd sentences and passages, especially near the beginning. On the whole, however, it is a very assured debut.

I did find it odd that the Society members divide into two camps – Team Lizzie and Team Emma. What about Elinor and Anne? Humph. But there’s a lot here to touch any true Janeite. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction set in post-WWII England as well.

I read an advance reader copy of The Jane Austen Society. It will be published in May 2020 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library.

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

First Impressions is another work of fiction that sucked me in through promises of Oxford and Jane Austen. It’s a literary mystery and perfectly readable but not great. (It is certainly no Possession, although it’s better than Pioneer Girl.)

One very annoying thing is that Sophie, the librarian/researcher/bibliophile main character, is a thief. Another one! (The main character of Pioneer Girl is also a researcher and thief.) You can’t solve a literary mystery without stealing? Without stealing from an Oxford library? I hope she loses her Oxford library card in perpetuity!

(The declaration new readers must agree to before being granted access to Oxford’s Bodleian Library, which I had to declare in 2005 when I took a continuing education course at Oxford, reads as follows: “I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, nor to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein, any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.”)

When the hot stud Wilson (who is after the same book Sophie is seeking) takes her to The Randolph (a fancy and expensive Oxford hotel), he admits she’s not the first women he’d brought there and “Somehow the fact that he had been here with other girls only made her want him more.” (p. 236). Ugh, really? Not a very good judge of character, our Sophie.

Also this happens, when Sophie hears some shocking news (p. 140):

“He rang off, but Sophie didn’t know it. She had fallen to the floor in a faint.”

Seriously? People do faint, I realize that, but how often do people really faint when they hear bad news, especially plucky and daring heroines like Sophie? I didn’t buy it.

The mystery is actually a fairly interesting one, and I enjoyed the made-up parts about Jane Austen as well as the factual information, but on the whole this was only an okay read for me because Sophie is not very likeable. Also, there is a romance (*SPOILER*) but the heroine spends way too little time with the good guy and too much time with the bad guy.

For die-heard Austen fans who also love literary mysteries and don’t mind heroines who need rescuing from their own foolish behavior. First Impressions can be found in the adult fiction section under the author's last name.

Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith

Emma by Alexander McCall Smith is a “modern retelling” of Jane Austen’s classic novel. It is part of the Austen Project, which pairs six contemporary authors with Jane Austen’s six complete works. Joanna Trollope reimagined Sense & Sensibility, and Val McDermid reworked Northanger Abbey. Emma is the third project book to be finished. 

Emma is my fourth favorite novel by Jane Austen but the first Austen Project book I’ve read. Emma is fairly unlikeable for most of the original novel, and she is in McCall Smith’s version as well. McCall Smith captures the overall feel of the original quite well. It is set in today’s England but retains Austen’s gentle and refined tone from 1815 Regency England. Emma interferes, matchmaking with abandon, creating one successful pairing but upsetting others. The characters from Emma are all here – fretful Mr. Woodhouse, wise Miss Taylor, secretive Frank Churchill, talkative Miss Bates. And of course, Mr. Knightley – the perfect gentleman.

Reading this version of Emma felt both familiar and unfamiliar. I disagreed with a few of McCall Smith’s modern plot points (like Emma wanting to paint Harriet Smith in the nude), but spending time with his version was definitely like visiting with an old friend. If you are looking for a novel that fondly reminds you of how much you love Jane Austen, I recommend McCall Smith’s Emma. If you are purist who can’t imagine her characters in modern times or the hands of another writer, I recommend rereading Austen instead.

I read an advance reader copy of Emma. It is scheduled to be published in April 2015.

Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud

Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star is yet another modern day retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Darcy is the lead singer for the popular rock band Slurry. Band members include his good friend Charles Bingley and his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam. In need of an opening act, they book the girl band Long Borne Suffering, with musicians Elizabeth Bennett, her sister Jane, and their friend Charlotte Lucas.

The book started out very well. The author found ways to bring in many familiar characters and situations from Pride and Prejudice, but the story is also original and funny. However, the novelty wore off after a couple hundred pages. The book is over 400 pages long and would have been much better if it had been closer to 300. Still, overall I enjoyed reading it.

If you like revisiting the characters of Jane Austen and are looking for something to read, I recommend Fitzwilliam Darcy Rock Star. However, be warned that although this romance is inspired by the works of Jane Austen, it is not written in the style of Jane Austen. There is plenty of sex and liberal use of the F word.

Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange

I enjoyed Captain Wentworth's Diary a great deal. It is a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion from Captain Wentworth's point of view. The language and the plot developments matched Jane Austen's style perfectly. Real passages from Persuasion were inserted appropriately. I will definitely be reading some of the author's other Diary books written from the viewpoint of Austen heroes.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen and are on the lookout for similar books, I recommend Captain Wentworth's Diary.