Review by Booklist Review
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.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The latest from Jenner (Every Time We Say Goodbye) is a fun if implausible tale about Jane Austen's Victorian admirers. Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson, the unmarried daughters of a Massachusetts judge, write a letter praising Austen, their literary idol, to her last surviving sibling, Francis "Frank" Austen. Now elderly and frail, Frank writes back that he's unsure what to do with Jane's letters. Over the course of their ensuing correspondence, he accepts the sisters' offer to help, prompting them to defy their father's wishes and board a steamship to England in June 1865. Also aboard are two other Jane Austen devotees whom Frank invited to visit: bookseller brothers Nicholas and Haslett Nelson. Charlotte, an aspiring actor, attracts the attention of a theatrical producer during the voyage, while Henrietta meets up with British journalist Denham Scott , who, unbeknownst to her family, had been courting her in Boston. During the crossing, they are married by the ship's captain. In England, the Americans learn that Frank's daughter Fanny-Sophia wants to burn Jane's letters, which she deems indiscreet. Frank's decision to involve four young American strangers in his sister's posthumous reputation strains credulity, as does a plotline involving Denham's attempt to divorce Henrietta only a month after their wedding. It's not Jenner's best work, but her fans will still enjoy the mix of fact and fiction. Agent: Mitchell Waters, Brandt & Hochman Literary. (May)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
