
Austen at Sea
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Rupert Graves
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By:
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Natalie Jenner
About this listen
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. This program is read by English actor Rupert Graves, known for his role as Mr. Weston in the 2020 film Emma.
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.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
©2025 Natalie Jenner (P)2025 Macmillan AudioCritic reviews
One of BookBub’s Best Historical Fiction of 2025!
One of NetGalley's Must-read Books for Spring!
One of She Reads’s Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of Spring 2025!
"Every page will induce readers to undertake further investigations. Janeites will be enthralled, and all readers will appreciate this richly dimensional historical outing."―Booklist (Starred Review)
“Brimming with wit, history and literary charm, this book is a must-read for Austen lovers and fans of spirited heroines."—She Reads
“Jane Austen fans will adore the spontaneous Stevenson sisters of Boston, Charlotte and Henrietta...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
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