Austen at Sea

December 1, 2024

Bestselling Jenner (The Jane Austen Society) returns with another Jane Austen-inspired tale. In 1865 Boston, sisters Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, both fans of Austen, correspond with Sir Francis, Jane's last surviving sibling. He invites the Stevensons and a pair of brothers who are rare book dealers to visit him in England, launching them on a life-changing journey. With a 100K-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

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Starred review from February 1, 2025
Henrietta and Charlotte lost their mother early in life and became the center of their father's world. Now in 1865, Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice William Stevenson feels pride in his determined adult daughters. Denied entrance to college, the sisters chose to discuss notable authors, attend suffragette rallies, and petition their father for the right to travel. Writing in secret to Sir Francis Austen, brother of Jane Austen, and receiving an invitation to hear family stories in person, the sisters board the next transatlantic ship without informing anyone. Acquiring a last-minute chaperone doesn't quell the sister's excitement in making new friends, including Lousia May Alcott, but their real adventure begins with Sir Austen. Author of the best-selling The Jane Austen Society (2020), Jenner returns to Austen territory, prefacing her new tale with a cast of characters and a map of key locations. The novel is packed with details about the Austen family, references to Dickens, a semifictionalized Alcott, and intricately interwoven insights into the political and domestic life of the young U.S. Every page will induce readers to undertake further investigations. Janeites will be enthralled, and all readers will appreciate this richly dimensional historical outing.

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May 1, 2025
Two sets of siblings--unmarried sisters Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, and bachelor brothers Nicholas and Haslett Nelson--make their way overseas to meet Sir Francis Austen, Jane Austen's last surviving brother. The year is 1865. The Civil War is coming to a close, emancipation is on the horizon, the evolution of women's rights is on everyone's minds, and Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson--the headstrong and independent daughters of a well-to-do Massachusetts Supreme Court justice--have a secret. Both avid fans of Jane Austen and her work, they have conspired with the author's last surviving brother, Francis, to visit him in England. Little do they know that they aren't the only Austen fans in touch with Francis. At the same time, down in Philadelphia, Nicholas and Haslett Nelson, two handsome Civil War veterans and rare book dealers, have also been corresponding with Francis, who has promised them access to an Austen artifact that could change their lives forever. Together, the Stevensons and the Nelsons--accompanied by an outlandish and somewhat befuddling cast of literary characters, including the likes of Louisa May Alcott--make their way across the ocean to England. The story that unfolds here moves at a rapid-fire pace and is convoluted at best. The result lacks the emotional depth and wit of the Austen novels it's paying homage to, and will leave readers struggling to connect. A rushed and emotionally flat story.

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