reviewsbyerin

When Jane Austen died in 1817, she left behind eleven chapters of a novel she had just begun writing. An anonymous author undertook the task of finishing it in the 1970's and has truly given a gift to Austen fans all over the world.

"Sanditon" begins with Austen's original work just as she penned it. One of the owners of the seaside resort Sanditon overturns his carriage and takes refuge in the home of the Heywoods, a large country family. Out of gratefulness for the hospitality shown to him and his wife, the owner invites 22-year-old Charlotte to accompany them back to Sanditon for a special holiday.

Being a calm and observant outsider, Charlotte is able to see the inhabitants of Sanditon for exactly who they are. Her hosts, the Parkers, are exceedingly amiable and well-meaning. It seems everyone in town kowtows to the rich and elderly Lady Denham, seeking either her good opinion or a share of the fortune she will leave when she dies. Other townsfolk include the secretive Sir Edward and the young and beautiful Miss Brereton. Charlotte greatly enjoys watching and interpreting the interplay of these characters, until her own powers of observation become clouded in direct relationship to her friendship with a young man.

One of the things I admire most about Jane Austen is her ability to bring alive an entire community. There's no doubt each of her novels benefits from a large and vivid cast of characters. The same proves true in "Sanditon." The whole town is caught up with the excitement of who may visit the seaside resort next. I loved Austen's description of their society: "...The Miss Beauforts were soon satisfied with 'the circle in which they moved in Sanditon,' to use a proper phrase, for everybody must now 'move in a circle' -- to the prevalence of which rotary motion is perhaps to be attributed the giddiness and false steps of many." Indeed!

The transition between Austen and the finishing author is smooth in every way. While Austen made me laugh out loud early in the story, I continued laughing throughout and never saw anything come up which it was not plausible Austen herself could have written. We're treated with a dashing hero, hypochondriacs, secret engagements, an attempted kidnapping and the moving power of love. I would highly recommend this book for all who love Jane Austen and want to read more than her six well-established and completed novels. You'll enjoy every moment of seaside fresh air or ramble over the beach. Go ahead... take a trip to Sanditon and fall in love with Austen all over again!