Natalie Jenner
Natalie Jenner has published 4 books. The recommended reading order starts with The Jane Austen Society (2020).
Natalie Jenner is an English-Canadian author who writes novels, and who previously worked as a corporate lawyer, a career coach, and owned an independent bookstore. Her novels, including THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY and BLOOMSBURY GIRLS, have been translated into more than twenty languages. The Jane Austen Society, her debut novel, imagined the formation of a literary society in the town where Jane Austen once lived, exploring themes of shared humanity through tragedy and triumph. Jenner's third novel, EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, was released in May 2024. Born in England, she was raised in Canada, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto before shifting to a career in law and then in recruitment and coaching. She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her family and two rescue dogs.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Standalone Novels
- Tagshistorical-fictionliterary-fictionmysterysuspensethrillerDescriptionLoss has a way of bringing strangers together. In the small English village of Chawton, just after the Second World War, grief is everywhere. The war has left scars. Personal tragedies linger. And now, the last remnants of Jane Austen's legacy are slipping away. A laborer. A young widow. A country doctor. A Hollywood movie star. They couldn't be more different. But they share one thing: a deep, abiding love for Jane Austen's novels. When Austen's former home faces an uncertain future, this unlikely group bands together with a singular mission—to preserve the house and honor the writer who once lived there. It's an audacious plan, born from passion rather than practicality. Yet in their shared devotion to Austen's words, they find something unexpected: a way to heal their own quiet wounds. Natalie Jenner has crafted a tender, intelligent novel about the power of literature to connect us across time and circumstance. The Jane Austen Society is both a love letter to Austen and a meditation on community, resilience, and the stories that sustain us through our darkest hours. It's a book about ordinary people doing something extraordinary—not for fame or fortune, but because some things are simply worth saving. For anyone who has ever found solace in a beloved book, this story will feel like coming home.Publication dateMay 26, 2020Amazon rating4.3/5Print length320LanguageEnglishPublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Tagshistorical-fictionliterary-fictionDescription1950. Postwar London. A legendary bookshop on Bloomsbury Street employs three women who will reshape their futures one page at a time. Natalie Jenner returns to the world of literary devotion with a novel that understands what bookshops really are: not just retail spaces, but laboratories of transformation. Her trio of women—each constrained by the era's expectations, each hungry for something more—find themselves working at a storied institution where the right book in the right hands can alter everything. One dreams of writing. Another seeks independence from a stifling engagement. The third navigates the wreckage of war and loss. The bookshop becomes their proving ground. Jenner maps the intricate social codes of 1950s Britain with precision, showing how women maneuvered within systems designed to limit them. The atmosphere is thick with the scent of old paper and new possibility, with the tension between tradition and change that defined the postwar moment. This is fiction that trusts in the quiet power of books themselves—not as symbols, but as actual agents of change. Jenner writes with affection for her characters and respect for her setting, crafting a story that feels both specific to its moment and resonant beyond it. For readers who believe that what we read shapes who we become, this novel offers both validation and delight.Publication date2022
- Tagsmysteryhistorical-fictioncrimethrillerDescriptionVivien Lowry is standing at the edge of postwar London, a city still dusted with rubble and loss, when she decides to step back into the world she thought she'd left behind—the glittering, unforgiving realm of theater. The stage once gave her everything, then took it all away, and now she's being offered one more chance to reclaim what was stolen, or perhaps to finally let it go. The air hums with possibility and old ghosts, with the particular ache of a woman who knows that every performance might be her last, and that some goodbyes are never truly final. Natalie Jenner weaves a story soaked in the bittersweet beauty of second acts and the quiet courage it takes to face the past without flinching. Vivien's journey is one of reckoning—with ambition, with love, with the version of herself she buried beneath years of regret—and Jenner captures the texture of postwar England with a tenderness that makes every scene feel like a memory you're watching through rain-streaked glass. The supporting cast orbits Vivien with their own hungers and heartbreaks, each one a reminder that survival is never a solo endeavor. This is a novel about the roles we play, the ones we're forced into, and the ones we choose when no one is watching. It's elegant and aching, a love letter to resilience and the stubborn, fragile hope that blooms even in the rubble.Publication date2024
- Tagshistorical-fictionDescriptionNatalie Jenner sets her sights on the maritime world that Jane Austen knew but rarely wrote about, crafting a novel that imagines what might have unfolded beyond the drawing rooms and country estates of Regency England. Here, the sea is not merely backdrop but catalyst, a force that propels characters into unfamiliar waters both literal and emotional, where the rigid social codes of the era meet the unpredictable currents of desire and duty. The novel explores the tensions between propriety and passion, between the lives women were expected to lead and the lives they might have claimed for themselves had circumstances allowed. Jenner, known for her keen understanding of Austen's world and the women who inhabited it, brings her characteristic attention to character and period detail, weaving a narrative that feels both faithful to its inspiration and entirely its own. The sea becomes a space of possibility, where the usual constraints loosen and new identities can be tested, if only temporarily. What emerges is a story about the courage required to navigate uncharted territory, whether that means crossing an ocean or daring to imagine a different future. Jenner writes with the assurance of someone who understands that the most compelling journeys are often internal, even when they take place against the vast and restless expanse of the sea.Publication date2025
Frequently Asked Questions about Natalie Jenner
Natalie Jenner's novels are standalone, so they can be read in any order. However, if you prefer to read them chronologically by publication date, the order is The Jane Austen Society (2020), Bloomsbury Girls (2022), Every Time We Say Goodbye (2024), and Austen at Sea (2025). Each book offers a distinct story, but reading them in publication order may provide a richer experience of the author's development and recurring themes.
A good place to start with Natalie Jenner's work is The Jane Austen Society, published in 2020. This novel introduces many of the elements that have come to define her writing, focusing on a group of individuals in post-war rural England who gather to discuss and celebrate the works of Jane Austen. Its exploration of literature, community, and personal journeys provides a solid introduction to her style and thematic interests.
No, you do not have to read Natalie Jenner's books in order. Her novels are standalone works, meaning each book tells a complete story that can be enjoyed independently of the others. Readers can pick up any of her books and understand the narrative without needing prior knowledge of the previous titles. This allows for flexibility in choosing which book to read first.
Natalie Jenner writes standalone novels. Each of her books presents a unique story with different characters and settings. While they share a common thread of literary appreciation and a focus on character-driven narratives, they are not part of a connected series and do not require sequential reading.
As of early 2024, Natalie Jenner has written four novels: The Jane Austen Society (2020), Bloomsbury Girls (2022), Every Time We Say Goodbye (2024), and Austen at Sea (2025). These four titles represent her published and forthcoming works.
The first book Natalie Jenner wrote and published was The Jane Austen Society, released in 2020. This novel marked her debut as an author. It centers on a group of people who form a society dedicated to Jane Austen's works in the aftermath of World War II.
Natalie Jenner's most recent book is Every Time We Say Goodbye, published in 2024. This novel continues her tradition of exploring themes of connection, literature, and personal resilience through engaging narratives. It follows the story of a young woman grappling with loss and finding her way in the world.
Natalie Jenner writes fiction, primarily focusing on novels that explore themes of literature, community, and personal growth. Her books often feature settings in England and are characterized by a deep appreciation for books and authors, particularly Jane Austen. Her work can be described as contemporary fiction with a literary sensibility.
Elise Hooper
Coming soon
We verified the reading order for Natalie Jenner's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: March 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Natalie Jenner Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/natalie-jenner