Austen at Sea – A New Historical Fiction Novel by Natalie Jenner

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:

Today we are celebrating the release of Austen at Sea, by Natalie Jenner from St. Martin’s Press.

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.

MY THOUGHTS

Natalie really knocked it out of the park for me:

From post-Civil War America, an intrepid group of Jane Austen’s ardent admirers traverse the Atlantic to visit Sir Francis Austen, the last surviving sibling of the esteemed authoress.

In search of insights into Jane’s writing and life, what they discover is much more than the knowledge they sought—meeting heroes and villains, passion and purpose.

Jenner again reveals her skill as a master storyteller whose astute observations of human nature rival Austen’s own. Readers will be delighted by her charming characters, engaging plot, and sensational denouement.

Austen at Sea is exceptional and the perfect way to celebrate #janeausten250. I hope you will add it to your TBR.

5 out of 5 Stars

BOOK INFORMATION

Austen at Sea: A Novel, by Natalie Jenner
St. Martin’s Press (May 6, 2024)
Hardcover, eBook, and audiobook (320) pages
ISBN: 978-1250349590
Genre: Historical Fiction, Austenesque Fiction

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We were gifted a copy of the book from the publisher. Cover image courtesy of St. Martin’s Press © 2025; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2025, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate. No AI: material on Austenprose.com may not be used in datasets for, in the development of, or as inputs to generative AI programs.

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