Anne Telscombe (1924–2015)

When I first read this completion of Jane Austen's fragment some years ago, I thought it was pretty good. This time through, I loved it.
It's possible that more exposure to Regency chick-lit and JA fan-fic has shown me just how rare it is for an author to creditably handle the language of that period, and the style of Austen. Because I was so much more impressed this time around. I don't think the "other lady" puts a foot wrong in her completion of the novel. It's fun, funny, and deftly worded.

Jane Austen's plot set-up is as follows: Charlotte Heywood and her family make friends with the Parkers, who invite her to come stay with them for a while at Sanditon, which is an up-and-coming seaside resort that Mr. Parker is heavily invested in. They arrive in town and Charlotte starts to meet the quirky people who live there or are visiting. There's Lady Denham (shades of Lady Catherine). There's her beautiful young relative Clara, who seems to have a secret. There's Sir Edward, a fool who imagines he's a villain. And there's Mr. Parker's siblings who are egregious hypochondriacs.
Jane Austen manages to introduce all of these people, but you know who she barely gets to introduce before coming to a screeching halt?

Sidney.
The hero.
He literally drives up in his carriage and doesn't really get to say anything just moments before Austen's part of the story ends. We know he's going to be Charlotte's guy because Austen has her characters mention him repeatedly before he arrives, and he sounds like a bit of a Henry Tilney. What could be better? Nothing!
In this completion, Sidney is every bit as interesting as he's set up to be. He's witty, he's surprising, he's intelligent, and he's a plotter... just enough to make Charlotte question how far she should trust him. I loved their interactions, and the mild amount of mystery surrounding his actions. I also loved how hard Charlotte genuinely tries to be sensible and balanced, even while Sidney is completely sweeping the rug out from under her feet. It's a satisfying read about falling in love.… (meer)

Loved it. I know most of it was not Jane Austen's work, but we still have her to thank for almost all the characters and that wonderful scene with Arthur Parker trying to justify buttering his toast by saying it was "for the coats of the stomach," my first laugh-out-loud moment of the book. The romance was sweet, and I thought "the other lady" did a delightful job with the characters. Sidney and Charlotte's turns at thwarting each other was very entertaining, and I was happy to see one of my favorites, Arthur Parker, have a nice little side story too. I highly recommend it.… (meer)

Jane Austen began this novel not long before her death and she never had a chance to finish it. I had expected the written version to mimic Jane Austen’s refined prose; however, this proved not to be the case. It is a shame that Austen could not finish this book because the premise is unlike anything she had previously written.

The storyline involves a strong female character, Charlotte Heywood, who meets Mr. & Mrs. Parker due to a carriage accident that occurs near her home at Willingden, Sussex, where she lives with her parents and siblings. She is later invited to the visit and stay with the Parkers. Mr. Parker is an entrepreneur who is transforming a small fishing village into a seaside resort at Sanditon. Charlotte meets the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Parker, and it appears a relationship may develop between the two.

This is where the new material begins. It includes much more contemporary content than anything ever written by Jane Austen. It includes cursing, anachronisms, and much more sexual content than anything in Austen’s chaste romances. I did not care for the new material. I wish there had been some attempt to blend the two styles. Oh well. For me, the first half is great. The second is awful.
… (meer)