AUSTEN AT SEA
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.
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.
- St. Martin's Press
- Hardcover
- May 2025
- 320 Pages
- 9781250349590
Buy the Book
$29.00
About Natalie Jenner
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.
Praise
A PBS Books Recommendation: “Will charm you from the first page.”
“Janeites will be enthralled, and all readers will appreciate this richly dimensional historical outing.” ―Booklist (Starred Review)
“Historical fiction at its richest.” —BookTrib
“A tour de force from a writer at the top of her game.” ―Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine
“With a deep understanding of Jane Austen history and a whip-smart sense of plot and pacing, this is a comedy of manners in the true Austen tradition.” —Helen Simonson, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
“An absolute winner.” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular
Discussion Questions
1. The characters in this book are brought together by Jane Austen’s work. What is your relationship to Austen’s novels? Where do you see parallels between her characters and those in Austen at Sea?
2. How familiar are you with the characteristics of Victorian novels such as chapter titles and individual “books” within the book? Which of the four internal books was your favorite and why?
3. Admiral Sir Francis Austen and Louisa May Alcott are two real historical figures that appear in this book. How do they fit into the arc of the book? Why does fiction illuminate the past in away that is different from non-fiction?
4. Charlotte and Henrietta have different aspirations and opinions. Which sister did you empathize with the most?
5. The Massachusetts Supreme Court reading group shows a great deal about how each justice thinks about the law. What do different characters learn from the books they read?
6. What is your favorite scene in the novel? What plot development did you enjoy the most?
7. What characters did you most want to spend more time with? What do you imagine happens to characters, particularly the sisters, after the end of the book?
8. Charlotte and Nash are often at odds throughout the book. What role does disagreement play in flirting? In a marriage?
9. The significance of legacy is a big theme throughout the novel, from a familial level to Austen’s literary legacy. How do individuals in the book fight for legacy? What is the importance of legacy today?