Austen at Sea by Natalie Jenner

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.

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

Audiobook, 11 hours, 12 minutes

Expected publication May 6, 2025

 by St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio

3.5/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Natalie Jenner book, even though I do have her previous ones in my TBR.  Austen at Sea releases next month and I was given both the Kindle edition and the audiobook for review.

Taking place in 1865 from a couple different view points. There are the sisters who are two women ahead of their time. They have a on going correspondence with Sir Frances Austen, who just happens to be the brother of Jane Austen. Another is from the Nelson brothers, bookstore owners who also just happen to have a correspondence with Sir Austen. These four meet on a ship bound for England, along with familiar faces in history.

I will confess that I have not read much Jane Austen, actually Pride and Prejudice is my only one, though I am intrigued after reading this book. Austen at Sea is an interesting read, and I much preferred the e-book versus the audio. I found the voices in the audio just a bit distracting.

Austen at Sea is a story of relationships, women ahead of their time, and well, Jane Austen and her legacy. It was atmospheric as it reflected the time. How women were treated and the tension between England and America. I am intrigued enough to head over to my TBR and boost Natalie Jenner‘s books up closer to the top.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillian Audio for advanced copies in exchange for a honest review