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Sanditon and Other Stories
Readers of Jane Austen’s six great novels are left hungering for more, and more there is: the marvelous unpublished manuscripts she left behind, collected here.
Sanditon might have been Austen’s greatest novel had she lived to finish it. Its subject matter astonishes: here is Austen observing the birth pangs of the culture of commerce, as her country-bred heroine, a foolish baronet, a family of hypochondriacs, and a mysterious West Indian heiress collide against the background hum of real-estate development at a seaside resort.
The Watsons, begun in 1804 but never completed, tells the story of a young woman who was raised by a rich aunt and who finds herself shipped back to the comparative poverty and social clumsiness of her own family.
The novella Lady Susan is a miniature masterpiece, featuring Austen’s only villainous protagonist. Lady Susan’s subtle, single-minded, and ruthless pursuit of power makes the reader regret that Austen never again wrote a novel with a scheming widow for its heroine.
The special joy of this collection lies in Austen’s juvenilia–tiny novels, the enchantingly funny Love and Freindship, comic fragments, and a (very) partial history of England–romping miniatures that she wrote in her teens. Their high spirits, hilarity, and control offer delicious proof that Austen was an artist “born, not made.”
Sanditon might have been Austen’s greatest novel had she lived to finish it. Its subject matter astonishes: here is Austen observing the birth pangs of the culture of commerce, as her country-bred heroine, a foolish baronet, a family of hypochondriacs, and a mysterious West Indian heiress collide against the background hum of real-estate development at a seaside resort.
The Watsons, begun in 1804 but never completed, tells the story of a young woman who was raised by a rich aunt and who finds herself shipped back to the comparative poverty and social clumsiness of her own family.
The novella Lady Susan is a miniature masterpiece, featuring Austen’s only villainous protagonist. Lady Susan’s subtle, single-minded, and ruthless pursuit of power makes the reader regret that Austen never again wrote a novel with a scheming widow for its heroine.
The special joy of this collection lies in Austen’s juvenilia–tiny novels, the enchantingly funny Love and Freindship, comic fragments, and a (very) partial history of England–romping miniatures that she wrote in her teens. Their high spirits, hilarity, and control offer delicious proof that Austen was an artist “born, not made.”
544 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 1996
64 people are currently reading
1053 people want to read
About the author
Jane Austen
3,521 books74.8k followersJane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works are an implicit critique of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her deft use of social commentary, realism and biting irony have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.
The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success but brought her little fame in her lifetime. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.
Since her death Austen's novels have rarely been out of print. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when they were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series (illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering and sold as a set). They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired a large number of critical essays and has been included in many literary anthologies. Her novels have also inspired many films, including 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility and 2016's Love & Friendship.
The anonymously published Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), were a modest success but brought her little fame in her lifetime. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1817—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript, the short epistolary novel Lady Susan, and the unfinished novel The Watsons.
Since her death Austen's novels have rarely been out of print. A significant transition in her reputation occurred in 1833, when they were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series (illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering and sold as a set). They gradually gained wide acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience. Her work has inspired a large number of critical essays and has been included in many literary anthologies. Her novels have also inspired many films, including 1940's Pride and Prejudice, 1995's Sense and Sensibility and 2016's Love & Friendship.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 9, 2020
Jan. 2020: reread of "Sanditon"
I am looking forward to the upcoming PBS dramatization of this unfinished novel. Austen has barely set the stage in the 11 chapters she completed!
June 2016: reread of "Love and Freindship"
This epistolary novella deserves the title often bestowed upon it of Juvenilia - the spelling errors (I don't really know why they have been preserved!) combined with the melodramatic plot are juvenile! The satire though shows Austen's budding talent. I had to laugh several times, especially as whenever Laura didn't know what to do, she fainted!
I decided to reread this because of the new film "Love and Friendship" only to discover that the movie is actually a dramatization of "Lady Susan", not "Love and Friendship"!
I am looking forward to the upcoming PBS dramatization of this unfinished novel. Austen has barely set the stage in the 11 chapters she completed!
June 2016: reread of "Love and Freindship"
This epistolary novella deserves the title often bestowed upon it of Juvenilia - the spelling errors (I don't really know why they have been preserved!) combined with the melodramatic plot are juvenile! The satire though shows Austen's budding talent. I had to laugh several times, especially as whenever Laura didn't know what to do, she fainted!
I decided to reread this because of the new film "Love and Friendship" only to discover that the movie is actually a dramatization of "Lady Susan", not "Love and Friendship"!
September 29, 2024
I think I would have enjoyed the two stories Sanditon and The Watsons if Jane Austen had been able to complete them. I did not read Lady Susan as I was reading only Sanditon and The Watsons for Jane Austen July 2024 group read.
December 10, 2025
Maybe I prefer her shorter works? Or maybe she just kept getting better. (Sanditon was – apparently – her last manuscript.) (Also it’s unfinished, ending on page 78 (in this edition).) (Did she “paint herself into a corner” or just suddenly die? I must research this question.) Lady Susan is a charmingly disruptive – early – epistolary novella. The Watsons is another fragment of a novel, with a little note revealing how the whole thing would end (from “The Second Edition of the Memoir, 1871, page 364.”)
Sanditon has lots of dashes (as punctuation), and was all one paragraph! It’s like the first draft of On the Road!
Opening at random:
– though rather distressed by such observations, could not repent what she had done, so happy it had made both the boy and his mother; the latter of whom was continually making opportunities of addressing her with the warmest civility. – Her little partner she found, though bent chiefly on dancing, was not unwilling to speak, when her questions or remarks gave him anything to say; and she learned, by a sort of inevitable inquiry that he had two brothers and a sister, that they and their Mama all lived with his uncle at Wickstead, that his uncle taught him Latin, that he was very fond of riding, and had a horse of his own given him by Lady Osborne; and that he had been out once already with Lord Osborne’s hounds.
[From The Watsons.]
As for why she didn’t finish the book, her declining health – we now think she had Addison’s disease – may have been a factor. Or maybe the themes were too ambitious? (That’s what “The Reading Tub” is saying.)
Sanditon has lots of dashes (as punctuation), and was all one paragraph! It’s like the first draft of On the Road!
Opening at random:
– though rather distressed by such observations, could not repent what she had done, so happy it had made both the boy and his mother; the latter of whom was continually making opportunities of addressing her with the warmest civility. – Her little partner she found, though bent chiefly on dancing, was not unwilling to speak, when her questions or remarks gave him anything to say; and she learned, by a sort of inevitable inquiry that he had two brothers and a sister, that they and their Mama all lived with his uncle at Wickstead, that his uncle taught him Latin, that he was very fond of riding, and had a horse of his own given him by Lady Osborne; and that he had been out once already with Lord Osborne’s hounds.
[From The Watsons.]
As for why she didn’t finish the book, her declining health – we now think she had Addison’s disease – may have been a factor. Or maybe the themes were too ambitious? (That’s what “The Reading Tub” is saying.)
March 3, 2020
So happy to have read these unfinished stories of Jane Austen. I had read Lady Susan before. The stories written when she was a young girl were charming. The Watsons and Sanditon showed promise. I'm glad, however, that I did not read version finished by other authors.
December 17, 2021
I am so disappointed that there will never be an end to Sanditon, the last book Jane Austen was writing before she died … such quirky characters and a lovely setting for a novel … it’s definitely worth the time to read the half finished manuscript as an homage to Jane’s truly magnificent development of characters … her wit and irony shine in the few chapters she had completed …
I particularly enjoyed Lady Susan, a novella comprised of letters back and forth between the main characters … Lady Susan has a pathological need to be seen as highly desirable to all the men she encounters in her life, and even steals beaus from her teenage daughter … such wicked gossip and delightful twists and turns …
The Watsons kind of broke my heart … it is a short story that follows the coming out of debutante Miss Emma Watson … Emma was privileged enough to be raised by her aunt and uncle, away from her large and boisterous family … slowly, Emma’s privileges are stripped away, leading to a melancholy ending that ultimately breaks your heart …
I particularly enjoyed Lady Susan, a novella comprised of letters back and forth between the main characters … Lady Susan has a pathological need to be seen as highly desirable to all the men she encounters in her life, and even steals beaus from her teenage daughter … such wicked gossip and delightful twists and turns …
The Watsons kind of broke my heart … it is a short story that follows the coming out of debutante Miss Emma Watson … Emma was privileged enough to be raised by her aunt and uncle, away from her large and boisterous family … slowly, Emma’s privileges are stripped away, leading to a melancholy ending that ultimately breaks your heart …
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2020
This volume contains several of Jane Austen's lesser known works - Sanditon, The Watsons, Lady Susan, The Juvenilia, and other miscellaneous works. I was only interested in Sanditon, the last novel Austen was writing when she died. The 12 chapters (74 pages), introduce the main characters but the plot does not really begin in earnest yet. Her satire is more pointed in this novel than it is in her other novels. The thoughts of the main character, Charlotte, are critical of those who are hypocritical. She thinks of one character, "Sir Edward's great object in life was to be seductive." Another character is thought of as "Unaccountable officiousness! Activity run mad!" I was interested in seeing how the producers of the tv series would use Austen's unfinished novel. The television production is a rom-com rather than a harsh criticism of Regency society. The criticisms which are included do not fit the time period - racism, labourer's rights, intergenerational discord. In other words, I would love to have read Sanditon as a finished novel; the television series, while entertaining, is not Austen.
September 1, 2019
I confess that the only reason I borrowed this from the library is because ITV have just produced a series of Sanditon starring Kris Marshall, my favourite St Marie detective and I wanted to read the source material before I watched the programme. I haven't read any Jane Austen before, I struggle to focus with classics and find my concentration drifting. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Austen's characterisation, particularly Lady Denham who was quite humorous. I only read Sanditon, not the 'other stories' so can't pass comment on those. Although I recognise that this isn't my cup of tea, I still appreciate that it is well written and would have liked to find out what happened to Charlotte on her summer adventures.
April 11, 2016
I only read the unfinished novel, Sanditon, in preparation for the Lizzie Bennet Diaries spin-off, Welcome to Sanditon. Although the excerpt is short (74 pages), I am surprised to barely see a plot. The story is not very engaging and the characters are only average, so I'm very interested to see what the LBD folks do with it.
June 30, 2025
This wasn't my cup of tea, honestly. I was looking forward to reading this because I had such a great time with the six novels. This was meant to be the cherry on top of the cake but I enjoyed Sanditon and Lady Susan which is about it. I felt very "meh" about The Watsons too. The rest of this collection consisted of Jane Austen's Juvenilia which were collection of writing, drabbles, and incomplete stories from when she was a young teenager that showed some promise and youthful exuberance but they... weren't good to read. Then the last section focused on miscellaneous topics like prayers, hopes, opinions, verses. She gave her thoughts on two of her most refined novels in my opinion, Emma and Mansfield Park which I thought was alright. I am still new to Jane Austen and maybe if I was a super fan of hers then I would feel differently about this but after such a high with the six completed novels, I was let down by this. I almost didn't rate it at all.
I'm sure I'll revisit this at some point. The edition that I read is a fantastic collection because I always find that other collections miss things that I want to read. This one had it all.
Please note that this review is of the Everyman's Library 1996 edition that I read. This collection includes Sanditon, Lady Susan, The Watsons, the Juvenilia, and the Miscellanea.
#BrianaReads Jane Austen:
Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
Emma
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
Sanditon and Other Writings
I'm sure I'll revisit this at some point. The edition that I read is a fantastic collection because I always find that other collections miss things that I want to read. This one had it all.
Please note that this review is of the Everyman's Library 1996 edition that I read. This collection includes Sanditon, Lady Susan, The Watsons, the Juvenilia, and the Miscellanea.
#BrianaReads Jane Austen:
Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
Emma
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
Sanditon and Other Writings
March 13, 2023
The things Jane Austen wrote when she was younger are some of the funniest stuff I've ever read. Imagine Jane Austen's style, but also everyone is dying dramatically or getting married or moving to France all the time, and there are lots of childish misspellings.
Lady Susan is very good, and I almost wish she had made it more of a full-length novel instead of a series of letters. Sanditon and The Watsons are good as well, and I wish she had finished them. Now that I've read all of Jane Austen, where am I supposed to go for my witty period romance fix? I know there are modern authors that people will recommend and mountains and mountains of fan fiction, but it just isn't the same. I guess I'll have to find some way to cope, lol.
Lady Susan is very good, and I almost wish she had made it more of a full-length novel instead of a series of letters. Sanditon and The Watsons are good as well, and I wish she had finished them. Now that I've read all of Jane Austen, where am I supposed to go for my witty period romance fix? I know there are modern authors that people will recommend and mountains and mountains of fan fiction, but it just isn't the same. I guess I'll have to find some way to cope, lol.
January 17, 2021
I enjoyed reading Sanditon and especially liked The Watsons. It was the beginning of another great novel that was sadly never finished. It was great to read her earlier writings and to have everything in one book.
November 1, 2022
This collection of Jane austen’s unfinished work has helped me to realize, while she’s an amazing writer, like half of her stories have the same plot
February 21, 2018
I just finished reading this collection of Austen’s unfinished and unpublished stories. I see her in a whole new light now, she was such a comic! Sanditon was enchanting, I am devestaed that it was never finished! I particularly loved her “History of England” Jane Austen is just all round brilliant.
April 16, 2016
This has had to go back to the library and I've read all but the last few pages, which include some prayers. I'll borrow it again perhaps to finish it off, as a matter of following through on my mission to read everything Jane Austen wrote that has been published!
I really was blown away by this. It's hard to give a short summary because each of the items within the collection is so different.
Sanditon, I had read before, but forgotten. It struck me as so very cynical in flavour. I hadn't remembered this. Jane appeared to like no-one at this point. The heroine - who is more the narrator or observer - is unrealistically perfect and sensible in every way, in stark contrast to every other character who is reeking with flaws. Well, some don't reek, but many do. I got the sense that the heroine is Jane Austen herself, observing everybody else's weaknesses with clarity of mind and perfect manners.
Lady Susan is a knock-out. Extraordinary. So much like Les Liaisons dangereuses in subject matter.
The Watsons was very open ended in its current state and I enjoyed Joan Aiken's finishing off, despite the fact that she did not follow through with Jane Austen's alleged intentions with regards to plot.
As to the material written when Jane Austen was a child. There is so much of it! And it's so brilliant and witty and in many cases ambiguous in the comment it makes on society. It made me very thoughtful. One story - The Three Sisters - was presented as a complete farce but made me very sober. It concerned (as is most often the case with JA) the issue of deciding on love vs. material comfort with respect to a marriage proposal. It is very sad to think what options women had available to them. They were likely to be condemned for marrying for wealth 'without affection', OR for refusing an 'advantageous match'. How often or likely would it be that girls were offered the perfect blend of love and financial reward in a proposed match? It must have been most uncommon.
This theme is repeated in various ways with various degrees of levity in several of the fragments. Another theme is 'sensibilities' which are lampooned mercilessly by Jane. The sort of scenario where the heroine 'chuses' to leave home and hearth to follow the man she adores (upon 5 minutes introduction) simply because he is the worst possible match for her and her parents would not approve... ending in sleeping in the street, disastrous carriage accidents, lovers bleeding to death tragically in the lover's arms and so on... all told in a highly ironic tone of voice.
I could write on for hours. So I won't. Anyway, Jane Austen was quite an amazing woman and natural writer, clearly from a very early age.
I really was blown away by this. It's hard to give a short summary because each of the items within the collection is so different.
Sanditon, I had read before, but forgotten. It struck me as so very cynical in flavour. I hadn't remembered this. Jane appeared to like no-one at this point. The heroine - who is more the narrator or observer - is unrealistically perfect and sensible in every way, in stark contrast to every other character who is reeking with flaws. Well, some don't reek, but many do. I got the sense that the heroine is Jane Austen herself, observing everybody else's weaknesses with clarity of mind and perfect manners.
Lady Susan is a knock-out. Extraordinary. So much like Les Liaisons dangereuses in subject matter.
The Watsons was very open ended in its current state and I enjoyed Joan Aiken's finishing off, despite the fact that she did not follow through with Jane Austen's alleged intentions with regards to plot.
As to the material written when Jane Austen was a child. There is so much of it! And it's so brilliant and witty and in many cases ambiguous in the comment it makes on society. It made me very thoughtful. One story - The Three Sisters - was presented as a complete farce but made me very sober. It concerned (as is most often the case with JA) the issue of deciding on love vs. material comfort with respect to a marriage proposal. It is very sad to think what options women had available to them. They were likely to be condemned for marrying for wealth 'without affection', OR for refusing an 'advantageous match'. How often or likely would it be that girls were offered the perfect blend of love and financial reward in a proposed match? It must have been most uncommon.
This theme is repeated in various ways with various degrees of levity in several of the fragments. Another theme is 'sensibilities' which are lampooned mercilessly by Jane. The sort of scenario where the heroine 'chuses' to leave home and hearth to follow the man she adores (upon 5 minutes introduction) simply because he is the worst possible match for her and her parents would not approve... ending in sleeping in the street, disastrous carriage accidents, lovers bleeding to death tragically in the lover's arms and so on... all told in a highly ironic tone of voice.
I could write on for hours. So I won't. Anyway, Jane Austen was quite an amazing woman and natural writer, clearly from a very early age.
July 17, 2015
Sanditon was definitely set up to take on more class and race issues, but we get only a taste of it. The seaside town is being set up to be the next big destination, but it has some rather foolish people in charge of that future. I wonder if we would have hints of gentrification and how the "West Indies" heiress would have altered how we perceive Austen novels.
October 19, 2010
A great find for Jane Austen fans. It was nice to read some of her lesser-known works ("Lady Susan", etc.) and her earlier writings. A number of her stories from when she was younger were actually less subtle in the humor and more outrageous in the situations.
June 14, 2017
Read only the novella Lady Susan which was amusing and generously quoted in the movie Love and Friendship. not her best but clever.
June 8, 2022
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Regency Romp (March-August 2022)
Due to a geographical mistake and an accident Charlotte Heywood has been given the extreme pleasure of visiting Sanditon with it's chief cheerleader, Mr. Tom Parker. A seaside resort unlike any other. The water is clearer, the sand cleaner, and the prospects endless, as long as one or two large groups were to take homes for the summer. But not to worry, it's just the beginning of the season and Sanditon's year round inhabitants are characters enough for Charlotte. Especially when all the Parker siblings descend on the town and Mr. Arthur Parker shows Charlotte the joy of a perfectly toasted piece of bread. Well buttered. While in another part of England altogether Emma Watson has be thrust back on her family after being raised by her wealthy Aunt and Uncle. Her Uncle tragically died and her Aunt remarried, thus making Emma superfluous and no longer an heiress. She and her family make the best of this sudden reversal in fortune, but it is very odd being thrust back on one's family who now seem more like strangers. Whereas in another section of England entirely Lady Susan is concocting a scheme. Being recently widowed she was rather too open with her feelings and flirtations at some friends she was visiting and therefore has taken refuge with her brother-in-law and his wife, a wife that Lady Susan did her best to make sure he didn't marry. But Lady Susan is so eloquent with her words that she soon smooths over any reservations that anyone might have. She has been ill used and isn't the villain everyone makes her out to be. Or that is what she loudly proclaims while secretly scheming to get her daughter Frederica off her hands and carrying on her affair with a married man. Sadly for Lady Susan her sister-in-law soon starts to suspect that her first opinion of her was the true one and she works to disentangle her family from Lady Susan's copious affairs while also keeping her ill used daughter Frederica within the bosom of her true family. Will Lady Susan be found out or will she somehow slither her way free of scandal once more?
If you are someone who views Jane Austen's output as her canonical six books you are missing out. While yes, if you read this book you might forever be scarred because she was unable to finish Sanditon, once you get beyond this disappointment, made easier by the television adaptation, you will be delighted by the humor and wit of her unfinished works. These aren't polished, these aren't perfect, but that's what makes them genius. This is Jane Austen unfiltered. Her books are perfectly polished gems, these are the uncut rhinestones that will just delight you with their sheer absurdity. Here gentlemen of good fortune aren't in want of a wife, they are in want of animal traps to ensnare women who dare to come too close to their homes, as one does. And yes, I literally snorted out loud at that remark. And don't worry, the young lady's leg which was mangled ended up perfectly fine. I think. She might have fainted a time or twenty. And that was my impression over twenty-five years ago when I first read Austen's juvenalia and it still holds true. Women are passing out left and right, poisoning rivals, carrying on with married men, having husbands die in the most outrageous manner, and hating on Queen Elizabeth. Anything and everything was skewered by Austen and she took obvious delight in doing so. The novella Lady Susan is included in this collection and while many people sadly only know this story because of the subpar adaptation of it a few years back staring Kate Beckinsale confusingly called Love and Friendship, because Love and Friendship is an entirely different story, no one ever talks about how Lady Susan is a brilliant parody of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Seeing as at seventeen I had not read Les Liasons Dangerueses , though I was familiar enough with the story thanks to the Glenn Close/John Malkovich adaptation being omnipresent, I didn't get how Austen's writing style was aping Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. She was a beautiful mimic when she wanted to be, and she got right to the heart of everything I hate about that book and mercilessly poked fun at it. Seriously, if there's one thing rereading Austen's unfinished and early work all these years later has taught me is that I think she would have been the best and funniest friend a person could ask for.
Due to a geographical mistake and an accident Charlotte Heywood has been given the extreme pleasure of visiting Sanditon with it's chief cheerleader, Mr. Tom Parker. A seaside resort unlike any other. The water is clearer, the sand cleaner, and the prospects endless, as long as one or two large groups were to take homes for the summer. But not to worry, it's just the beginning of the season and Sanditon's year round inhabitants are characters enough for Charlotte. Especially when all the Parker siblings descend on the town and Mr. Arthur Parker shows Charlotte the joy of a perfectly toasted piece of bread. Well buttered. While in another part of England altogether Emma Watson has be thrust back on her family after being raised by her wealthy Aunt and Uncle. Her Uncle tragically died and her Aunt remarried, thus making Emma superfluous and no longer an heiress. She and her family make the best of this sudden reversal in fortune, but it is very odd being thrust back on one's family who now seem more like strangers. Whereas in another section of England entirely Lady Susan is concocting a scheme. Being recently widowed she was rather too open with her feelings and flirtations at some friends she was visiting and therefore has taken refuge with her brother-in-law and his wife, a wife that Lady Susan did her best to make sure he didn't marry. But Lady Susan is so eloquent with her words that she soon smooths over any reservations that anyone might have. She has been ill used and isn't the villain everyone makes her out to be. Or that is what she loudly proclaims while secretly scheming to get her daughter Frederica off her hands and carrying on her affair with a married man. Sadly for Lady Susan her sister-in-law soon starts to suspect that her first opinion of her was the true one and she works to disentangle her family from Lady Susan's copious affairs while also keeping her ill used daughter Frederica within the bosom of her true family. Will Lady Susan be found out or will she somehow slither her way free of scandal once more?
If you are someone who views Jane Austen's output as her canonical six books you are missing out. While yes, if you read this book you might forever be scarred because she was unable to finish Sanditon, once you get beyond this disappointment, made easier by the television adaptation, you will be delighted by the humor and wit of her unfinished works. These aren't polished, these aren't perfect, but that's what makes them genius. This is Jane Austen unfiltered. Her books are perfectly polished gems, these are the uncut rhinestones that will just delight you with their sheer absurdity. Here gentlemen of good fortune aren't in want of a wife, they are in want of animal traps to ensnare women who dare to come too close to their homes, as one does. And yes, I literally snorted out loud at that remark. And don't worry, the young lady's leg which was mangled ended up perfectly fine. I think. She might have fainted a time or twenty. And that was my impression over twenty-five years ago when I first read Austen's juvenalia and it still holds true. Women are passing out left and right, poisoning rivals, carrying on with married men, having husbands die in the most outrageous manner, and hating on Queen Elizabeth. Anything and everything was skewered by Austen and she took obvious delight in doing so. The novella Lady Susan is included in this collection and while many people sadly only know this story because of the subpar adaptation of it a few years back staring Kate Beckinsale confusingly called Love and Friendship, because Love and Friendship is an entirely different story, no one ever talks about how Lady Susan is a brilliant parody of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Seeing as at seventeen I had not read Les Liasons Dangerueses , though I was familiar enough with the story thanks to the Glenn Close/John Malkovich adaptation being omnipresent, I didn't get how Austen's writing style was aping Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. She was a beautiful mimic when she wanted to be, and she got right to the heart of everything I hate about that book and mercilessly poked fun at it. Seriously, if there's one thing rereading Austen's unfinished and early work all these years later has taught me is that I think she would have been the best and funniest friend a person could ask for.
February 21, 2025
Feels frustrating to read unfinished stories from Jane Austen, but it helps understand more of her work.
Sandition was quite funny and entertaining. Although the heroine lacks brilliancy within the plot, her perspective shines through her narrative voice. It is inconceivably ironic that, like her, we don't get to be introduced to her potential romantic interest. In a way, the point at which the story stops before it has an opportunity to be finished is satisfactory enough; at least in the meaning that it does not cause further suffering by a terribly excited curiosity.
Lady Susan, in its epistolary form, is massively entertaining. Amusing, alluring, and promising to twist expectations. Personally, perhaps I wanted more frok the character of Lady Susan, but perhaps my idea of female wickedness is based in a more modern sense of intellectual sense and an even more devilish style of sensibility. I found the story in its entirety as lacking, mainly because the ending was somewhat in a want of depth. I forgive that account on the fact that it wasn't Austen's intention to publish it after all.
The Watsons is a story abandoned out of a perceived mistake of the author of placing the heroine of the story in such an inferior, precarious position as to potentially inflicting the prose with a vulgar air. It remains to me a mystery as to whom was truly meant to be a good romantic suit for the main character. The story paints prettily the character of Emma, as seen through her behaviour, especially in relationship with other characters. Plus, the heroine is named Emma Watson... like... c'mon. I was left quit confused on the accounts of how the story was to have continued, but I quite enjoyed it for what it was.
Sandition was quite funny and entertaining. Although the heroine lacks brilliancy within the plot, her perspective shines through her narrative voice. It is inconceivably ironic that, like her, we don't get to be introduced to her potential romantic interest. In a way, the point at which the story stops before it has an opportunity to be finished is satisfactory enough; at least in the meaning that it does not cause further suffering by a terribly excited curiosity.
Lady Susan, in its epistolary form, is massively entertaining. Amusing, alluring, and promising to twist expectations. Personally, perhaps I wanted more frok the character of Lady Susan, but perhaps my idea of female wickedness is based in a more modern sense of intellectual sense and an even more devilish style of sensibility. I found the story in its entirety as lacking, mainly because the ending was somewhat in a want of depth. I forgive that account on the fact that it wasn't Austen's intention to publish it after all.
The Watsons is a story abandoned out of a perceived mistake of the author of placing the heroine of the story in such an inferior, precarious position as to potentially inflicting the prose with a vulgar air. It remains to me a mystery as to whom was truly meant to be a good romantic suit for the main character. The story paints prettily the character of Emma, as seen through her behaviour, especially in relationship with other characters. Plus, the heroine is named Emma Watson... like... c'mon. I was left quit confused on the accounts of how the story was to have continued, but I quite enjoyed it for what it was.
April 24, 2020
3.5 stars for some, 1 or 2 stars for other sections. I picked up my copy of Sanditon and Other Stories after having watched "Sanditon" on PBS. Wow! How they managed to even make a series of that story is beyond me! There's very little in the manuscript -- most of what's there is the opening scene of the story. It barely introduced any characters, so I was disappointed by that. BUT, it now makes sense as to why some of the things happening in series seemed a little un-Austen-esque. I actually enjoyed "The Watsons" more. I felt the characters were a little more fleshed out right from the beginning. And, there is a little information as to what Austen had intended to do with the story. So, someone should try to put that one as a miniseries. And, of course, Lady Susan is a lot of fun and ... really, an interesting take on a different character that Austen usually reserved for a side character. I do remember seeing the version of it with Kate Beckinsale, but I feel the letter format in the store is a little more fun.
I confess, toward the end I found myself skimming the half-stories and weird, sometimes comical writings, but ... in the end, I didn't completely finish the last few pieces.
I confess, toward the end I found myself skimming the half-stories and weird, sometimes comical writings, but ... in the end, I didn't completely finish the last few pieces.
October 31, 2024
Although this book entails three separate, very read worthy stories, this review I'll focus on "Sanditon"': As "The Watsons", Austen's final work remained a not particularly comprehensive fragment. With that in mind, it fascinated me even more how the author manages to unfold a tantalising dynamic and complex characters within only 77 pages. Neither the setting nor the topic of the novel are unusually interesting by any means but the style of writing fills them up with so much energy, incredibly humane, detailed and relatable emotions (I love Mr. Parkers "solely economic passion" for the bathing place Sanditon) and an irony that makes it hard to not perceive this as an parody on Hanoverian England. All this results in an impending social drama :)
However, taking into account that this piece of literature is approximately only 25-30% finished my curiosity definitely demands for a completion based on Austen's remaining notes, which is luckily provided by authors as for example Marie Dobbs - her version is definitely convincing and rather extended than destroyed my imaginations about the further plot.
However, taking into account that this piece of literature is approximately only 25-30% finished my curiosity definitely demands for a completion based on Austen's remaining notes, which is luckily provided by authors as for example Marie Dobbs - her version is definitely convincing and rather extended than destroyed my imaginations about the further plot.
August 9, 2022
Since this is a collection of works, I will give each of those works a rating and then average them out to rate the collection.
Sanditon: 5/5
The Watsons: 5/5
Lady Susan: 5/5
Juvenilia, volume 1: 3/5
Juvenilia, volume 2: 3.4/5
Juvenilia, volume 3: 3.5/5
Miscellanea: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.1/5 stars
Sanditon: 5/5
The Watsons: 5/5
Lady Susan: 5/5
Juvenilia, volume 1: 3/5
Juvenilia, volume 2: 3.4/5
Juvenilia, volume 3: 3.5/5
Miscellanea: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.1/5 stars
January 18, 2019
I just reread Sanditon, as I believe a movie is coming soon. This was the last work she undertook before her death, 75 pages were written before she abandoned it, and died 3 months later. The tag on this book is it may have been the greatest novel she has ever written if she had finished it: I find that hard to support. Of course whatever exists is a first draft, but I felt uncomfortable as to the number of times she mentions money, income, and inducing people to buy things in it. Also there are several hypochondriacs in it who loved to complain about how sick they are, then get up and do whatever they actually want, but excuse themselves from anything else. It was hard to care about any of the characters, which is usually a bad sign.
February 14, 2020
I love Sanditon, it's a pity she did not finish it. Who knows what she would have written about. This woman was remarkable. I am satisfied by Sanditon itv drama, I am a fan, I am hooked, I love it so much. And I was amazed that the first episode of the series followed quite accurately the plot of the 11 chapters of the book.
I am sure this book after the heroine went through some trouble would have had a happy ending. Just as Austen says: "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery".
If you want to know why I love Austen so much, here it' s a video about it on youtube by Iseult Gillespie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSL55...
I am sure this book after the heroine went through some trouble would have had a happy ending. Just as Austen says: "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery".
If you want to know why I love Austen so much, here it' s a video about it on youtube by Iseult Gillespie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSL55...
April 9, 2020
A fun compilation with some highlights. (Although, why keep the misspellings and old grammar styles on two-thirds of the works?!)
- "Sanditon" and "The Watsons" drop off right as the action builds, which is unfortunate because they both could have been great novels.
- "Lady Susan" is hilarious and has the most delightful villain.
- The early writings are melodramatic and amusing, but there are a few too many in the collection.
- The opinions on her various novels read like GoodReads reviews from people she must have esteemed. There were lots of funny ones, but my favorite was: "Displeased with my pictures of Clergymen" on a review of "Emma."
- "Sanditon" and "The Watsons" drop off right as the action builds, which is unfortunate because they both could have been great novels.
- "Lady Susan" is hilarious and has the most delightful villain.
- The early writings are melodramatic and amusing, but there are a few too many in the collection.
- The opinions on her various novels read like GoodReads reviews from people she must have esteemed. There were lots of funny ones, but my favorite was: "Displeased with my pictures of Clergymen" on a review of "Emma."
August 22, 2023
I’m not gonna lie—reading an 18th century book is no picnic, especially when the English major proofreader in me cringes at some of the spellings of the period ( i.e. “freind” for “friend” and “ toothake” for “toothache”. The short novel “Sanditon” was not nearly as entertaining as the recent PBS television series (and the reason I wanted to read this book) and it was even hard to recognize. However, I am glad I took the sometimes interminable time to read these short unknown Austen works. I did skip “Lady Susan” because it is included in an anthology of Jane Austen novels that I own, which I plan to tackle later.
September 14, 2024
This was a delightful read! As a lover of Jane Austen’s work it was so fun to read her early and unfinished works. I appreciate that this volume contains a range of her works, including, but not limited to opinions of Mansfield Park and Emma, The History of England, several unfinished novels and short stories, concluding with her three prayers. It’s a bummer that some of these are unfinished and the curiosity and unknowns of their conclusions indefinitely remain.
It’s a treasure to get to read more and “new” Austen after reading through her beloved six novels. Would recommend this book to anyone who once intended to marry Mr. Darcy or just generally enjoys Jane Austen.
It’s a treasure to get to read more and “new” Austen after reading through her beloved six novels. Would recommend this book to anyone who once intended to marry Mr. Darcy or just generally enjoys Jane Austen.
April 20, 2023
Not sure why I had never read Austen’s unfinished works before.
Sanditon
Was just like the show. I love how similar they both were. I really wish we had more of this story from Austen’s view. She started the storyline so well.
The Watsons
Interesting read about being an outsider and that need to belong.
Lady Susan
Was a funny read and oh so trashy and by far the sauciest of Austen’s writings.
The rest of the Juvenilia letters shows the early writings of Austen and the beginnings of her talent.
Sanditon
Was just like the show. I love how similar they both were. I really wish we had more of this story from Austen’s view. She started the storyline so well.
The Watsons
Interesting read about being an outsider and that need to belong.
Lady Susan
Was a funny read and oh so trashy and by far the sauciest of Austen’s writings.
The rest of the Juvenilia letters shows the early writings of Austen and the beginnings of her talent.
March 1, 2020
It is really sad that Ms. Austen didn't get to finish Sanditon. I would really love to see where she would have taken it.
One of the other stories was Lady Susan. She was not likable at all. She was a beautiful woman, so she thought she could get what she wanted with her looks.
The Watsons didn't really make any sense to me. I wonder if it was unfinished also, because I didn't understand the ending.
One of the other stories was Lady Susan. She was not likable at all. She was a beautiful woman, so she thought she could get what she wanted with her looks.
The Watsons didn't really make any sense to me. I wonder if it was unfinished also, because I didn't understand the ending.
April 1, 2023
This is the first part of an unfinished novel, which was expanded into a TV series, basically a pastiche of her other work. It is hard to judge this, as she only got to the very introductory section of the book. I'm a fan of 'Pride & Prejudice', but don't think this has the same amount of wit and gentlw humour. The other stories are early works, and I only read 'Lady Susan', which was very long-winded.
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