Entertainment News
March 20, 2020 / 7:09 AM

Richard Armitage narrates 'Jane Austen Society' audiobook

By Karen Butler


March 20 (UPI) -- Natalie Jenner tweeted that The Hobbit and Berlin Station actor Richard Armitage is narrating the audio version of her first novel The Jane Austen Society.

"Thrilled to announce that @RCArmitage has narrated the audiobook for TheJaneAustenSociety! When I wrote my novel, Mr. Armitage's voice was so often what I heard. He is my Dr. Gray. He is a dream narrator for my book & I am so grateful to him. The dream continues," Jenner tweeted Thursday.

"It was my pleasure. Such a fantastic story. Can't wait for everyone to listen. Heartwarming for these times," Armitage posted in reply.

"What struck me the most was the story of a community pulling together in very dark times, and finding what they all thought was lost, it's a story full of hope. I wish Natalie great success with the book, let's make it a bestseller."

Armitage's other credits include North & South, Robin Hood, MI-5, The Vicar of Dibley, Strike Back, Into the Storm, Hannibal and Castlevania. He was most recently seen in the Netflix miniseries The Stranger.

The Jane Austen Society is set for release in May. It is described as "a fictional telling of the start of the society in the 1940s in the village of Chawton, where Austen lived," Jenner's website said.

Austen is the author of the 19th century classics Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.