The Jane Austen Book Club is a 2004 novel by American author Karen Joy Fowler. The story, which takes place near Sacramento, California, centers around a book club consisting of five women and one man who meet once a month to discuss Jane Austen's six novels (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey). The novel was a critical success and became a national bestseller. A film adaptation of the same name was released in autumn of 2007 starring Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Jimmy Smits, Hugh Dancy, Maggie Grace, and Maria Bello.