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Six Weeks by the Sea: A Novel
A Washington Post Best Book of the Year
A vivid historical novel about Jane Austen that explores a question that has fascinated Janeites for years—Austen wrote some of the greatest love stories in existence, but did she ever fall in love?
When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.
To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane’s affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies.
Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom. . . .
Written with a same wit and style that echos Austen herself, Paula Byrne expertly interweaves her deep knowledge of Austen and her world to imagine and give voice to the most romantic summer of the beloved author’s short life.
A vivid historical novel about Jane Austen that explores a question that has fascinated Janeites for years—Austen wrote some of the greatest love stories in existence, but did she ever fall in love?
When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.
To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane’s affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies.
Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom. . . .
Written with a same wit and style that echos Austen herself, Paula Byrne expertly interweaves her deep knowledge of Austen and her world to imagine and give voice to the most romantic summer of the beloved author’s short life.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2025
113 people are currently reading
1182 people want to read
About the author
Paula Byrne
16 books146 followersPaula Byrne is a British author and biographer. She is married to writer Jonathan Bate, the Shakespeare scholar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
July 26, 2025
I read this because it was about Jane Austen and because of who the author was.
It's an imagined telling of the romance Austen is supposed to have had at Sidmouth of which there is little to no information.
For a short read it has maybe too many elements going on without any of them making a full impact on the reader. There's a lot about slavery and characters we could have had less of.
The story is peopled with characters from Jane's novels, although in different guises. It was fun recognising them. It's also peppered with the dialogue of these characters.
There's a lot of descriptive writing, which I normally love but I felt in this instance it was at the expense of conversations between the actual people themselves.
Austen fans will want to read it though. For me I prefer this author's nonfiction, which is always brilliant.
Many thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins and NetGalley for an early copy to read.
It's an imagined telling of the romance Austen is supposed to have had at Sidmouth of which there is little to no information.
For a short read it has maybe too many elements going on without any of them making a full impact on the reader. There's a lot about slavery and characters we could have had less of.
The story is peopled with characters from Jane's novels, although in different guises. It was fun recognising them. It's also peppered with the dialogue of these characters.
There's a lot of descriptive writing, which I normally love but I felt in this instance it was at the expense of conversations between the actual people themselves.
Austen fans will want to read it though. For me I prefer this author's nonfiction, which is always brilliant.
Many thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins and NetGalley for an early copy to read.
August 16, 2025
Many Janeites speculate that the lady who wrote such novels as Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion had to know a thing or two about love, first hand. What if this were so and it occurred while Jane Austen and her family were taking a seaside holiday? Paula Byrne explores this possibility, melding her meticulous research into Jane Austen’s life and that of other note-worthy figures of the period to tease out the untold story of Jane’s romance.
Six Weeks by the Sea opens with Jane getting devastating news. Her father is retiring and moving the family to Bath. Hating the idea of leaving her beloved home for detestable Bath, Jane is slightly reconciled to a reprieve of six weeks in Sidmouth while the Bath home is renovated. Her parents, Cassie, and herself are joined in Sidmouth by her sailor brother, Frank and his good friend Captain Parker. She is less enchanted by the loquacious Reverent Swete who happens to have a snobbish wife and the amused, enigmatic Mr. Rose who is also on holiday at the seaside.
Slowly her tranquility is restored as the fresh sea air, new company, and interesting excursions occur. Even her writing is invigorated. Her mother is delighted at the prospect of suitors and Jane isn’t averse to the handsome captain who isn’t as forthright as he seems though Samuel Rose’s frequent appearances and the mysterious girl at the shore distract her, as well.
I enjoyed seeing sassy Jane take that instant dislike to Mr. Rose and slowly come to discover his wonderful qualities even as the foreshadowing hinted at the future for him just as I was curious to discover what the captain hid behind his charming manners. The inclusion of a bi-racial child who makes all who encounter her face their views on race and equality. And, of course, the time spent with Jane in her family circle while writing about the two sisters, Elinor and Marianne.
Paula Byrne did a masterful job of capturing the tone of Regency writing, but also sticking as faithfully to Austen’s real life as possible. The very wealth of description sometimes trumped plot progression. The connection between Jane and other characters and the opportunities to get their brief points of view was the most satisfying. Her author’s note explaining the historical notes and how she infused her story with additional characters based on real people and real court cases and issues of the times only confirmed what I suspected while reading.
This seaside idyll in Jane’s life was a delightful read- witty and emotionally complex. Tuck it in the beach bag for a cozy, summery read.
I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and a print copy from Pegasus books to read in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post on Instagram @sophiarose1816 on 8.6.25 for the Austenprose Book Tour.
Six Weeks by the Sea opens with Jane getting devastating news. Her father is retiring and moving the family to Bath. Hating the idea of leaving her beloved home for detestable Bath, Jane is slightly reconciled to a reprieve of six weeks in Sidmouth while the Bath home is renovated. Her parents, Cassie, and herself are joined in Sidmouth by her sailor brother, Frank and his good friend Captain Parker. She is less enchanted by the loquacious Reverent Swete who happens to have a snobbish wife and the amused, enigmatic Mr. Rose who is also on holiday at the seaside.
Slowly her tranquility is restored as the fresh sea air, new company, and interesting excursions occur. Even her writing is invigorated. Her mother is delighted at the prospect of suitors and Jane isn’t averse to the handsome captain who isn’t as forthright as he seems though Samuel Rose’s frequent appearances and the mysterious girl at the shore distract her, as well.
I enjoyed seeing sassy Jane take that instant dislike to Mr. Rose and slowly come to discover his wonderful qualities even as the foreshadowing hinted at the future for him just as I was curious to discover what the captain hid behind his charming manners. The inclusion of a bi-racial child who makes all who encounter her face their views on race and equality. And, of course, the time spent with Jane in her family circle while writing about the two sisters, Elinor and Marianne.
Paula Byrne did a masterful job of capturing the tone of Regency writing, but also sticking as faithfully to Austen’s real life as possible. The very wealth of description sometimes trumped plot progression. The connection between Jane and other characters and the opportunities to get their brief points of view was the most satisfying. Her author’s note explaining the historical notes and how she infused her story with additional characters based on real people and real court cases and issues of the times only confirmed what I suspected while reading.
This seaside idyll in Jane’s life was a delightful read- witty and emotionally complex. Tuck it in the beach bag for a cozy, summery read.
I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and a print copy from Pegasus books to read in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post on Instagram @sophiarose1816 on 8.6.25 for the Austenprose Book Tour.
December 14, 2025
It is a sad rule of Austenesque fiction that the more famous the author, the worse the end product. I entertained hopes that this book would be the exception, but the rule held.
Paula Byrne wrote an interesting study of small details in Austen’s novels and their significance, so I took her for an Austen scholar. Sadly, the multiple errors in this book undeceived me. She centers a plot point on the release of Maria Edgeworth’s novel Belinda in scenes beginning in May 1801 and in the afterword claims a summer 1801 publication date for the book—but it was actually published in December of that year. She mentions twice the “breeching” of Jane Austen’s cousin’s son Hastings—but Hastings was born in 1786 and died the year this story is set. She waxes poetic about a lamplighter going about the streets of Bath extinguishing the streetlamps—but Bath did not get its gas lamps until 1818. Capability Brown died in 1783 so he could not have built a fake ruin in a garden two or three years before the story is set. I could go on.
If you still intend to read this book, this paragraph contains spoilers. I won’t dignify them by using the spoiler feature. Most egregious to this writer of historical fiction was the abuse of the life of the man she chose as her hero, Samuel Rose. Rose was a real person, a lawyer who, in 1804, defended William Blake in court on a charge of sedition. Rose collapsed in court and died not long afterward. Note the date: three years after this story was set. Rose was also a married man. Fancying him as a suitable suitor for Jane Austen, Byrne throws out the facts of his life and tells a false story about him. I abhor this increasingly common practice: if you want to use a historical figure in a story but the facts of his life are inconvenient, you change the names of the parties involved and create your own character based on your model. You don’t tell a false story.
For those who think these are nitpicky objections, the storytelling is jerky and inconsistent. Sometimes it relies on a thorough knowledge of the Austen family, sometimes it over-explains. There are narrative gaps that made it hard to follow in spots. Sometimes the language is a pleasing simulacrum of Georgian prose, sometimes it is flat-out modern. (And some words intended to lend a Georgian flavor were misused: “preferment” did not mean “having a preference for.”) Characters are introduced who have little or no function in the story: why on earth are several paragraphs from The Watsons dragged in wholesale, introducing Tom Musgrave, only to have him vanish for the remainder of the story?
I enjoyed some of the literary conversations, and in an alternate universe Samuel Rose might have been a fitting suitor for Jane Austen, so there was a good idea for a novel here. But the execution was tremendously disappointing to me.
Paula Byrne wrote an interesting study of small details in Austen’s novels and their significance, so I took her for an Austen scholar. Sadly, the multiple errors in this book undeceived me. She centers a plot point on the release of Maria Edgeworth’s novel Belinda in scenes beginning in May 1801 and in the afterword claims a summer 1801 publication date for the book—but it was actually published in December of that year. She mentions twice the “breeching” of Jane Austen’s cousin’s son Hastings—but Hastings was born in 1786 and died the year this story is set. She waxes poetic about a lamplighter going about the streets of Bath extinguishing the streetlamps—but Bath did not get its gas lamps until 1818. Capability Brown died in 1783 so he could not have built a fake ruin in a garden two or three years before the story is set. I could go on.
If you still intend to read this book, this paragraph contains spoilers. I won’t dignify them by using the spoiler feature. Most egregious to this writer of historical fiction was the abuse of the life of the man she chose as her hero, Samuel Rose. Rose was a real person, a lawyer who, in 1804, defended William Blake in court on a charge of sedition. Rose collapsed in court and died not long afterward. Note the date: three years after this story was set. Rose was also a married man. Fancying him as a suitable suitor for Jane Austen, Byrne throws out the facts of his life and tells a false story about him. I abhor this increasingly common practice: if you want to use a historical figure in a story but the facts of his life are inconvenient, you change the names of the parties involved and create your own character based on your model. You don’t tell a false story.
For those who think these are nitpicky objections, the storytelling is jerky and inconsistent. Sometimes it relies on a thorough knowledge of the Austen family, sometimes it over-explains. There are narrative gaps that made it hard to follow in spots. Sometimes the language is a pleasing simulacrum of Georgian prose, sometimes it is flat-out modern. (And some words intended to lend a Georgian flavor were misused: “preferment” did not mean “having a preference for.”) Characters are introduced who have little or no function in the story: why on earth are several paragraphs from The Watsons dragged in wholesale, introducing Tom Musgrave, only to have him vanish for the remainder of the story?
I enjoyed some of the literary conversations, and in an alternate universe Samuel Rose might have been a fitting suitor for Jane Austen, so there was a good idea for a novel here. But the execution was tremendously disappointing to me.
August 11, 2025
The author, in her author notes for this book, indicates that one of the questions she is often asked about Jane Austen is whether she fell in love, given that Jane Austen wrote exquisite novels centered around romantic relationships. This novel is the author’s imagining of a romantic relationship that Jane may have experienced in her twenties.
A blend of fact and fiction, the story, set in 1801, is largely a quiet character-driven one, touching on Jane’s relationships, both familial (with her brother, Frank, and her sister, Cassie), and platonic (with her best friend, Martha). The foundational one though is Jane’s imagined romantic courtship with Samuel, a lawyer, during Jane and her family’s six week stay at Sidmouth by the sea.
I enjoyed the relationship between Jane and Samuel and thought it was charming and sincere. I also thought that this novel effectively evoked the sense of time and place with its descriptive writing and its use of speech and language patterns common to the time period, and effectively brought Jane to life. This novel evoked many emotions, both happy and sad, and touched on several social issues of the day, just as Jane’s own novels did.
Fans of Jane Austen’s novels will enjoy this read.
Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.
A blend of fact and fiction, the story, set in 1801, is largely a quiet character-driven one, touching on Jane’s relationships, both familial (with her brother, Frank, and her sister, Cassie), and platonic (with her best friend, Martha). The foundational one though is Jane’s imagined romantic courtship with Samuel, a lawyer, during Jane and her family’s six week stay at Sidmouth by the sea.
I enjoyed the relationship between Jane and Samuel and thought it was charming and sincere. I also thought that this novel effectively evoked the sense of time and place with its descriptive writing and its use of speech and language patterns common to the time period, and effectively brought Jane to life. This novel evoked many emotions, both happy and sad, and touched on several social issues of the day, just as Jane’s own novels did.
Fans of Jane Austen’s novels will enjoy this read.
Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.
July 14, 2025
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not at all surprised that I loved this book. I have loved Paula Byrne's nonfiction for years, so I knew that this novel would be meticulously researched. Also, I'm not sure if this is the first novel to have tackled the mysterious lover Jane Austen met by the sea, but it's the first that I've heard of, which is a brilliant move. Byrne fills in the gaps of this story believably, but she also adds elements that feel quite modern, but are also very possible within the Regency era. One element I particularly adored was the many quotations Byrne slipped into Jane's own dialogue. Avid Janeites will immediately recognize them as coming from Austen's six novels, letters, or sometimes the adaptations, lending credence to Jane's voice in this novel and signaling a kindred spirit in its author. I only wish we had spent a little more time with the characters to really draw out the pathos in its ending, but even so it was a delightful read.
I'm not at all surprised that I loved this book. I have loved Paula Byrne's nonfiction for years, so I knew that this novel would be meticulously researched. Also, I'm not sure if this is the first novel to have tackled the mysterious lover Jane Austen met by the sea, but it's the first that I've heard of, which is a brilliant move. Byrne fills in the gaps of this story believably, but she also adds elements that feel quite modern, but are also very possible within the Regency era. One element I particularly adored was the many quotations Byrne slipped into Jane's own dialogue. Avid Janeites will immediately recognize them as coming from Austen's six novels, letters, or sometimes the adaptations, lending credence to Jane's voice in this novel and signaling a kindred spirit in its author. I only wish we had spent a little more time with the characters to really draw out the pathos in its ending, but even so it was a delightful read.
August 3, 2025
As a lifelong reader of Jane Austen and a devoted student of her world, I approached Six Weeks by the Sea with curiosity and high expectations—and I was not disappointed. In fact, this novel surprised and delighted me in ways I didn’t expect. Paula Byrne’s elegant and emotionally resonant portrayal of a little-known chapter in Austen’s life felt like a gift: rich in detail, deeply human and grounded in both scholarship and imagination.
The story is rooted in a real event from Austen’s biography: a summer in 1801 spent by the sea, during which she is believed to have met a mysterious gentleman who may have won her heart. Paula Byrne takes this tantalizing historical footnote and spins a thoughtful, absorbing tale of love, family and inner awakening. The Jane we meet here is clever and observant, yes—but also conflicted, vulnerable, and, quite strikingly, desired. It was both strange and lovely to imagine her stealing hearts at first sight—especially those of two suitors: the lively, loyal Captain Peter Parker (a fictional friend of her brother Frank) and the real-life Samuel Rose, a brilliant abolitionist lawyer and literary man.
Byrne handles these romantic threads with delicacy and intelligence. Jane’s affection for one man and distaste for the other provide emotional tension, but the novel resists easy resolutions. We know Austen never married, but Six Weeks by the Sea gently and persuasively asks: was she ever truly in love?
The novel also explores themes that Austen herself only subtly hinted at—slavery, abolition and empire—through characters like Frank Austen and Miss Leah Swete, a young biracial girl whose story echoes that of Dido Belle and Sanditon’s Georgiana Lambe. These historical and moral dimensions never feel forced. They are, instead, integrated with nuance and care, adding texture to the social world of the novel and reminding us that Jane Austen lived through times as turbulent and complex as our own.
What truly stood out to me was the tone of the book: the conversations carry the sparkle and comedic lightness of Austen herself and the pacing is just right for a summer read—light in spirit, but full of emotional depth. The scenes are vivid and cinematic: seaside walks, family dinners, garden parties, and quiet moments between sisters. The Austen family—particularly Frank and Cassandra—are beautifully rendered, offering new insight into the emotional landscape that shaped Jane’s imagination.
The novel is also enriched by its literary layers. Paula Byrne, a renowned Austen scholar, fills the story with references to the poets and writers Jane loved— among them Cowper, Hayley, even William Blake, whose friend Mr. Rose becomes a major figure in the book. These details never weigh the story down; instead, they add authenticity and delight for readers who share Austen’s “taste for literature.”
Finally, I must mention the fascinating historical notes included at the end of the book. Byrne explains which characters and events are rooted in fact and which were reimagined. This thoughtful addition only deepened my appreciation for the care with which she wrote the novel.
Six Weeks by the Sea is a quietly romantic, beautifully imagined work of historical fiction. It offers a deeply respectful and affectionately creative portrait of Jane Austen—one that will resonate with long time admirers and newcomers alike. It left me with the bittersweet hope that Jane Austen, whose own romantic life remains so elusive, may have truly known love—even if history tells us little about it.
The story is rooted in a real event from Austen’s biography: a summer in 1801 spent by the sea, during which she is believed to have met a mysterious gentleman who may have won her heart. Paula Byrne takes this tantalizing historical footnote and spins a thoughtful, absorbing tale of love, family and inner awakening. The Jane we meet here is clever and observant, yes—but also conflicted, vulnerable, and, quite strikingly, desired. It was both strange and lovely to imagine her stealing hearts at first sight—especially those of two suitors: the lively, loyal Captain Peter Parker (a fictional friend of her brother Frank) and the real-life Samuel Rose, a brilliant abolitionist lawyer and literary man.
Byrne handles these romantic threads with delicacy and intelligence. Jane’s affection for one man and distaste for the other provide emotional tension, but the novel resists easy resolutions. We know Austen never married, but Six Weeks by the Sea gently and persuasively asks: was she ever truly in love?
The novel also explores themes that Austen herself only subtly hinted at—slavery, abolition and empire—through characters like Frank Austen and Miss Leah Swete, a young biracial girl whose story echoes that of Dido Belle and Sanditon’s Georgiana Lambe. These historical and moral dimensions never feel forced. They are, instead, integrated with nuance and care, adding texture to the social world of the novel and reminding us that Jane Austen lived through times as turbulent and complex as our own.
What truly stood out to me was the tone of the book: the conversations carry the sparkle and comedic lightness of Austen herself and the pacing is just right for a summer read—light in spirit, but full of emotional depth. The scenes are vivid and cinematic: seaside walks, family dinners, garden parties, and quiet moments between sisters. The Austen family—particularly Frank and Cassandra—are beautifully rendered, offering new insight into the emotional landscape that shaped Jane’s imagination.
The novel is also enriched by its literary layers. Paula Byrne, a renowned Austen scholar, fills the story with references to the poets and writers Jane loved— among them Cowper, Hayley, even William Blake, whose friend Mr. Rose becomes a major figure in the book. These details never weigh the story down; instead, they add authenticity and delight for readers who share Austen’s “taste for literature.”
Finally, I must mention the fascinating historical notes included at the end of the book. Byrne explains which characters and events are rooted in fact and which were reimagined. This thoughtful addition only deepened my appreciation for the care with which she wrote the novel.
Six Weeks by the Sea is a quietly romantic, beautifully imagined work of historical fiction. It offers a deeply respectful and affectionately creative portrait of Jane Austen—one that will resonate with long time admirers and newcomers alike. It left me with the bittersweet hope that Jane Austen, whose own romantic life remains so elusive, may have truly known love—even if history tells us little about it.
August 9, 2025
Paula Byrne has been an author that I’ve wanted to read for a while now. When an opportunity to finally pick up one of her stories presented itself, I knew I had to read it. I am so glad I read this one and regret waiting so long. From the first page, I was shocked and amazed by the author’s writing style. Elegance and obvious research shine through on every page. So much so that I felt her writing to be unique in a way that really impressed me.
So many wonderful books about Jane Austen have been released this year, and Six Weeks by the Sea was one of those. As someone who loves the works of Jane Austen, I love reading as much as I can about her. With each book about her, you get to see so many different sides and opinions about her life.
There are so many unknowns about Jane Austen that will forever haunt fans of her and her works. Paula Byrne did such a wonderful job giving readers a glimpse into some possibilities. When reading a book about Jane, I find myself mourning the author that died too young. There are so many what-ifs when it comes to her. So many unknowns that I will forever wonder about. So because of that, books like these help weave thoughts and questions together to make possibilities that will have to suffice since answers are buried in the past.
Six Weeks by the Sea is a book that is difficult to review because it’s hard to explain in words the beauty that the author gives to readers. If you love Jane Austen, this book is a must-read. I am glad I picked up a book by this author and can’t wait to read more of her work!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
So many wonderful books about Jane Austen have been released this year, and Six Weeks by the Sea was one of those. As someone who loves the works of Jane Austen, I love reading as much as I can about her. With each book about her, you get to see so many different sides and opinions about her life.
There are so many unknowns about Jane Austen that will forever haunt fans of her and her works. Paula Byrne did such a wonderful job giving readers a glimpse into some possibilities. When reading a book about Jane, I find myself mourning the author that died too young. There are so many what-ifs when it comes to her. So many unknowns that I will forever wonder about. So because of that, books like these help weave thoughts and questions together to make possibilities that will have to suffice since answers are buried in the past.
Six Weeks by the Sea is a book that is difficult to review because it’s hard to explain in words the beauty that the author gives to readers. If you love Jane Austen, this book is a must-read. I am glad I picked up a book by this author and can’t wait to read more of her work!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 10, 2025
A little boring but nicely written. I liked the historical references.
June 18, 2025
I will own up that I would not have read this except for the lure of Jane Austen being featured. It tells the story of a seaside holiday for the Austens and the possibility of love for Jane. Of course, if Jane had married it is likely that we would have fewer splendid books!
It is told in a sort of cod historical tone which I found annoying. The author writes easily but without an ounce of the wit and insight of Jane herself. I raced through and all was as expected since I already knew a lot about Jane’s life having read biographies.
Nevertheless I believe this book will be popular for Austen lovers, especially for general readership and romance lovers.
I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers.
It is told in a sort of cod historical tone which I found annoying. The author writes easily but without an ounce of the wit and insight of Jane herself. I raced through and all was as expected since I already knew a lot about Jane’s life having read biographies.
Nevertheless I believe this book will be popular for Austen lovers, especially for general readership and romance lovers.
I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers.
August 12, 2025
Imagine spending six weeks by the sea… Come along with Jane and her community of family members, dear friends and new acquaintances as they enjoy a summer full of possibilities, new beginnings, decisions and changes.
Through beautiful, gentle and well imagined storytelling, many good thoughts and questions were brought up. Being of marriageable age, characters needed to deeply consider various disadvantages. Would it be worse to commit into an unhappy marriage or to remain single?
This tenderly told story was divided into six main parts or chapters. Each one represented one of the weeks by the sea. Many of the characters found a place in my heart and I will truly miss them. Relationships were portrayed so well, they were heartwarming and believable. The beloved characters learned to wait, to hope and also to doubt. That prepared them to love deeply and wait endlessly.
Come and spend six weeks by the sea, where grace was extended, compassion was practiced and romance was in the air.
I received a copy of this book from Pegasus Books through AustenProse PR. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.
Through beautiful, gentle and well imagined storytelling, many good thoughts and questions were brought up. Being of marriageable age, characters needed to deeply consider various disadvantages. Would it be worse to commit into an unhappy marriage or to remain single?
This tenderly told story was divided into six main parts or chapters. Each one represented one of the weeks by the sea. Many of the characters found a place in my heart and I will truly miss them. Relationships were portrayed so well, they were heartwarming and believable. The beloved characters learned to wait, to hope and also to doubt. That prepared them to love deeply and wait endlessly.
Come and spend six weeks by the sea, where grace was extended, compassion was practiced and romance was in the air.
I received a copy of this book from Pegasus Books through AustenProse PR. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.
September 22, 2025
This is a lovely, short book (250 pages) about the Austen family’s six week stay in the seaside resort town of Sidmouth by Paula Byrne, who wrote Belle.
May 19, 2025
Perfect for Austen lovers.
August 19, 2025
*I received an arc via the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own*
Six Weeks by the Sea was the first book I’ve read by Paula Byrne, and it didn’t disappoint! As a huge fan of Jane Austen and her works, I love reading books like this one. Six Weeks by the Sea is a fictional account of Jane Austen and her family’s time in Sidmouth, which was well researched and seemed authentic to the time period. Paula Byrne helps us to explore the answer to the age-old question of whether or not Jane Austen ever had a love interest after all of the beautiful love stories she wrote?
When Jane Austen finds out that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she literally faints in surprise and horror. She is excited however that they will take a six-week holiday by the sea while the family’s new lodgings are being readied. She loves being by the sea with the fresh air, the sea bathing, and the time she can spend with her sister Cassandra and her best friend Martha.
She is soon also visited by her brother Frank (who is on a leave from the navy), much to her delight. His friend Captain Parker seems to be trying to gain Jane’s affections, but she feels that something isn’t quite right. She is also helping Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies. Jane at first does not seem to care for another visitor to the seaside, a lawyer, Samuel Rose. As she spends more time with Samuel, and gets to know him better, different feelings begin to blossom altogether.
This story was quite beautiful. I loved seeing Jane’s relationships with her family members and her best friend, the friendships she made while visiting the sea, and how Jane tackled some of the societal issues she faced. I felt like the love story was quite believable and that Samuel Rose would have been a great match for Jane.
I definitely recommend for fans of Jane Austen and fans of Regency Romance!
Six Weeks by the Sea was the first book I’ve read by Paula Byrne, and it didn’t disappoint! As a huge fan of Jane Austen and her works, I love reading books like this one. Six Weeks by the Sea is a fictional account of Jane Austen and her family’s time in Sidmouth, which was well researched and seemed authentic to the time period. Paula Byrne helps us to explore the answer to the age-old question of whether or not Jane Austen ever had a love interest after all of the beautiful love stories she wrote?
When Jane Austen finds out that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she literally faints in surprise and horror. She is excited however that they will take a six-week holiday by the sea while the family’s new lodgings are being readied. She loves being by the sea with the fresh air, the sea bathing, and the time she can spend with her sister Cassandra and her best friend Martha.
She is soon also visited by her brother Frank (who is on a leave from the navy), much to her delight. His friend Captain Parker seems to be trying to gain Jane’s affections, but she feels that something isn’t quite right. She is also helping Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies. Jane at first does not seem to care for another visitor to the seaside, a lawyer, Samuel Rose. As she spends more time with Samuel, and gets to know him better, different feelings begin to blossom altogether.
This story was quite beautiful. I loved seeing Jane’s relationships with her family members and her best friend, the friendships she made while visiting the sea, and how Jane tackled some of the societal issues she faced. I felt like the love story was quite believable and that Samuel Rose would have been a great match for Jane.
I definitely recommend for fans of Jane Austen and fans of Regency Romance!
August 18, 2025
Did Jane Austen ever fall in love? It’s a question Paula Byrne explores in the new historical fiction novel, Six Weeks by the Sea. Of course, I was instantly intrigued that a well-known Austen scholar was behind this book. And she didn’t disappoint. It was enjoyable reading a novel by a writer who seamlessly interweaves historical facts, scholarship, atmosphere, and wit into the narrative.
The story follows Jane Austen and her family as they visit the seaside resort of Sidmouth in 1801 for a six-week vacation. There, she crosses paths with historical figures and the impassioned lawyer, Samuel Rose (also based on a real person). While Austen dislikes Rose at first, a romance ultimately blossoms (or begins to) between the two as they connect over novels and ideals, leading to a beautiful denouement.
Overall, Six Weeks by the Sea is a beautiful, gentle tale that brings an authentic voice to Jane Austen and the people around her. They feel alive. And the “what if” scenario of the novel really feels possible, even though we know it wasn’t with Samuel Rose that Austen may have fallen in love. The romance itself is quite slow-moving, but in a good way. The emotions build, and while we know there won’t be a happy ending, it’s compelling to see how it all plays out.
Now, here’s to hoping for a movie adaptation one day. I could use another swoony Becoming Jane in my life!
Overall Rating: 4
Romance Rating 4
Disclosure: I would like to thank Paula Byrne, Pegasus Books, and Austenprose for providing me with an early copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
The story follows Jane Austen and her family as they visit the seaside resort of Sidmouth in 1801 for a six-week vacation. There, she crosses paths with historical figures and the impassioned lawyer, Samuel Rose (also based on a real person). While Austen dislikes Rose at first, a romance ultimately blossoms (or begins to) between the two as they connect over novels and ideals, leading to a beautiful denouement.
Overall, Six Weeks by the Sea is a beautiful, gentle tale that brings an authentic voice to Jane Austen and the people around her. They feel alive. And the “what if” scenario of the novel really feels possible, even though we know it wasn’t with Samuel Rose that Austen may have fallen in love. The romance itself is quite slow-moving, but in a good way. The emotions build, and while we know there won’t be a happy ending, it’s compelling to see how it all plays out.
Now, here’s to hoping for a movie adaptation one day. I could use another swoony Becoming Jane in my life!
Overall Rating: 4
Romance Rating 4
Disclosure: I would like to thank Paula Byrne, Pegasus Books, and Austenprose for providing me with an early copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
August 15, 2025
I was very kindly given an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley and Faber and Faber.
Whilst this book grew on me the more I read it, I came out feeling as though I'd read a jumble of thoughts and ideas rather than a cohesive narrative. Indeed, I feel Paula Byrne, one of Austen's many biographers, was a little too attached to the realism of the situation she was fictionalizing and may have forgotten the meat and potatoes of the novel itself. The Austens get lost in a novel that's supposed to be about them and the prose style, while clearly meant to invoke the author herself, was difficult to follow. There are also subplots vaguely involving supporting characters that don't seem to have much to do with the actual story but appear to be included because it'll make the book feel a bit more progressive and relevant. Better integration of these - perhaps making this novel 'Sanditon'-esque, may have helped it flow better overall. You can tell that the author is better known for her non-fiction - there's an objective detachment from the prose that doesn't do it any favours.
The Austenites will love it because it feels very authentic to the world that Austen created with her own writings, but as a novel, standing on its own? It's a rather shaky offering.
'Six Weeks By The Sea' is available now.
Whilst this book grew on me the more I read it, I came out feeling as though I'd read a jumble of thoughts and ideas rather than a cohesive narrative. Indeed, I feel Paula Byrne, one of Austen's many biographers, was a little too attached to the realism of the situation she was fictionalizing and may have forgotten the meat and potatoes of the novel itself. The Austens get lost in a novel that's supposed to be about them and the prose style, while clearly meant to invoke the author herself, was difficult to follow. There are also subplots vaguely involving supporting characters that don't seem to have much to do with the actual story but appear to be included because it'll make the book feel a bit more progressive and relevant. Better integration of these - perhaps making this novel 'Sanditon'-esque, may have helped it flow better overall. You can tell that the author is better known for her non-fiction - there's an objective detachment from the prose that doesn't do it any favours.
The Austenites will love it because it feels very authentic to the world that Austen created with her own writings, but as a novel, standing on its own? It's a rather shaky offering.
'Six Weeks By The Sea' is available now.
August 12, 2025
Do you like to vacation by the sea? Do you have any favorite seaside vacation spots? I don’t really vacation by the ocean, but by the Great Lakes. I live in a Lake Michigan community in Wisconsin with a seasonal view of Lake Michigan. I love to walk by the water. Growing up in Michigan, I loved South Haven and Holland, also on Lake Michigan.
In Six Weeks by the Sea by Paula Byrne, Jane Austen has just had to leave her beloved family home in Steventon after her brother takes over as the rector. Before her family settles in Bath, they spend six weeks by the sea in Sidmouth, Devon, England. There with her mother, father, and sister Cassandra, they are reunited with her beloved brother Frank who has a brief break from his naval adventures in the Royal Navy. He has also brought along his friend, Captain Parker. While sparks begin to fly between Captain Parker and Jane, Jane also feels herself very annoyed by a new young lawyer in town, Samuel Rose. As she gets to know Mr. Rose and Captain Parker better, will she find true love?
My thoughts on this novel:
• This was a short, but beautifully written novel. It had almost a dream like quality to it as I read it.
• I was intrigued to discover that Paula Byrne had written the nonfiction book, Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice. I had watched the movie Belle in the past and just recently rewatched it. Six Weeks by the Sea had elements in it that reminded me of Belle.
• Reverand Swete’s son has returned home with his child, a daughter who doesn’t speak and who is half black. Jane is intrigued by the girl and uses her skills as an aunt to get to know her better and draw her out. She also notices the kind behavior Mr. Rose has towards the young girl. This also had shades to me of Miss Georgiana Lambe, Austen’s biracial character in her unfinished novel, Sanditon.
• Jane has prejudice against Mr. Rose at first because he is a lawyer, and she hates lawyers. She learns over the course of the novel just what types of cases that Mr. Rose works on, and it aligns with her own opinions on the fight against slavery. I loved how Jane’s feelings on Mr. Rose changed through the course of the novel.
• I loved the inclusion of William Cowper’s poetry. I didn’t know that he had written anti-slavery poetry.
• This time period has always been a mystery in Jane Austen’s life. Did she have a mysterious love who died? I loved how this story filled in the gaps. I would love to imagine that even though she never married, she had a great love of her own.
• I always enjoy a good love triangle. I also love thinking about Austen finding love with someone who could match her wit.
• This novel had small moments with the family getting together for meals, going for walks, balls, etc. The pacing and these small moments reminded me of a Jane Austen novel.
• I enjoyed quotes showing up from Austen’s letters and novels within this book. Even the fictional conversations carried the same sparkle and wit one sees in an Austen novel.
• There is a great author’s afterword at the end of the book that delves into what was real and what was fictional. Captain Parker was a fictional character, while Samuel Rose was a real person.
Overall, Six Weeks by the Sea by Paula Byrne was a fascinating novel and look into a period of transition and change for Jane Austen that may have also included love. I enjoyed the look into social issues at the time that Austen cared about and wrote subtle about in her novels.
Book Source: Thank-you to @paulajaynebyrne @pegasus_books @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2025...
In Six Weeks by the Sea by Paula Byrne, Jane Austen has just had to leave her beloved family home in Steventon after her brother takes over as the rector. Before her family settles in Bath, they spend six weeks by the sea in Sidmouth, Devon, England. There with her mother, father, and sister Cassandra, they are reunited with her beloved brother Frank who has a brief break from his naval adventures in the Royal Navy. He has also brought along his friend, Captain Parker. While sparks begin to fly between Captain Parker and Jane, Jane also feels herself very annoyed by a new young lawyer in town, Samuel Rose. As she gets to know Mr. Rose and Captain Parker better, will she find true love?
My thoughts on this novel:
• This was a short, but beautifully written novel. It had almost a dream like quality to it as I read it.
• I was intrigued to discover that Paula Byrne had written the nonfiction book, Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice. I had watched the movie Belle in the past and just recently rewatched it. Six Weeks by the Sea had elements in it that reminded me of Belle.
• Reverand Swete’s son has returned home with his child, a daughter who doesn’t speak and who is half black. Jane is intrigued by the girl and uses her skills as an aunt to get to know her better and draw her out. She also notices the kind behavior Mr. Rose has towards the young girl. This also had shades to me of Miss Georgiana Lambe, Austen’s biracial character in her unfinished novel, Sanditon.
• Jane has prejudice against Mr. Rose at first because he is a lawyer, and she hates lawyers. She learns over the course of the novel just what types of cases that Mr. Rose works on, and it aligns with her own opinions on the fight against slavery. I loved how Jane’s feelings on Mr. Rose changed through the course of the novel.
• I loved the inclusion of William Cowper’s poetry. I didn’t know that he had written anti-slavery poetry.
• This time period has always been a mystery in Jane Austen’s life. Did she have a mysterious love who died? I loved how this story filled in the gaps. I would love to imagine that even though she never married, she had a great love of her own.
• I always enjoy a good love triangle. I also love thinking about Austen finding love with someone who could match her wit.
• This novel had small moments with the family getting together for meals, going for walks, balls, etc. The pacing and these small moments reminded me of a Jane Austen novel.
• I enjoyed quotes showing up from Austen’s letters and novels within this book. Even the fictional conversations carried the same sparkle and wit one sees in an Austen novel.
• There is a great author’s afterword at the end of the book that delves into what was real and what was fictional. Captain Parker was a fictional character, while Samuel Rose was a real person.
Overall, Six Weeks by the Sea by Paula Byrne was a fascinating novel and look into a period of transition and change for Jane Austen that may have also included love. I enjoyed the look into social issues at the time that Austen cared about and wrote subtle about in her novels.
Book Source: Thank-you to @paulajaynebyrne @pegasus_books @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2025...
August 15, 2025
Our six weeks by the sea will never be forgotten. What happiness is mine - all around me. The clock is fast wearing away at the minutes to the happy hour of twelve, when a well-known step will sound along the passages and a well-known voice will be heard at my door. Nothing, ...is more unlike a novel than real life. And perfect happiness, even in memory is not uncommon. Happiness is not something that happens to us, it is something we chose.~ Paula Byrne
I imagine all devotees of Jane Austen have wished to learn that Jane had found her own true love in her lifetime. Much has been made of her flirtation with Tom Lefroy, and her famously brief engagement to Harris Bigg-Wither, but less is know about a seaside romance she had in the summer of 1801 as her family visited Sidmouth. This novel gives a fictional view of how Jane's time in Sidmouth may have given her a chance at happiness, with not just one but two suitors. Her naval brother, Frank Austen is visiting the family and invites his best friend Captain Parker to Sidmouth, too, in hopes of match between Jane and his friend. Also in town is Mr. Samuel Rose, who quickly earns Jane's distain by simply being a lawyer, like that flirt Tom Lefroy. It didn't take long to see which man was right for Jane, but it was enjoyable to see it all develop. There are several supporting characters who echo characters right out of Jane's novels. A side plot explores Jane's devotion to the poet Cowper and her passion for abolition when a young biracial girl is presented to her English family. I felt like I could see the threads from Jane's novels woven into this story, and no doubt Jane's art imitated her life. The author's writing felt very authentic to this time and place, and I enjoyed this immersion into Jane's time in Sidmouth. I came away a little more heartbroken at all that Jane was denied in her short life, and yet her singular life allowed her to pursue her writing and leave such a legacy behind.
I received a gifted copy of this book from the author, publisher, and AustenprosePR.
I imagine all devotees of Jane Austen have wished to learn that Jane had found her own true love in her lifetime. Much has been made of her flirtation with Tom Lefroy, and her famously brief engagement to Harris Bigg-Wither, but less is know about a seaside romance she had in the summer of 1801 as her family visited Sidmouth. This novel gives a fictional view of how Jane's time in Sidmouth may have given her a chance at happiness, with not just one but two suitors. Her naval brother, Frank Austen is visiting the family and invites his best friend Captain Parker to Sidmouth, too, in hopes of match between Jane and his friend. Also in town is Mr. Samuel Rose, who quickly earns Jane's distain by simply being a lawyer, like that flirt Tom Lefroy. It didn't take long to see which man was right for Jane, but it was enjoyable to see it all develop. There are several supporting characters who echo characters right out of Jane's novels. A side plot explores Jane's devotion to the poet Cowper and her passion for abolition when a young biracial girl is presented to her English family. I felt like I could see the threads from Jane's novels woven into this story, and no doubt Jane's art imitated her life. The author's writing felt very authentic to this time and place, and I enjoyed this immersion into Jane's time in Sidmouth. I came away a little more heartbroken at all that Jane was denied in her short life, and yet her singular life allowed her to pursue her writing and leave such a legacy behind.
I received a gifted copy of this book from the author, publisher, and AustenprosePR.
December 10, 2025
Who would have been worthy of the real Jane Austen? This book pairs her up with a very intelligent, eminently sensible and wry gent who appreciates everything we all love about her today. It’s a sweet love story peppered with many many many (too many?) references to her very familiar novels and characters. It isn’t my Jane Austen highlight of the year - that’s got to be the supremely wonderful BBC “Miss Austen” - but it almost as good and ends on the same wistful note.
August 24, 2025
A solid 4 star read.
Fans of Austen will love this historical novel speculating about a great secret romance in Jane’s life.
There’s much of her unfinished novel, Sanditon, here, which I quite enjoyed, and there are plenty of fun nods and winks to her other novels embedded throughout to keep avid Janeites engaged.
Fans of Austen will love this historical novel speculating about a great secret romance in Jane’s life.
There’s much of her unfinished novel, Sanditon, here, which I quite enjoyed, and there are plenty of fun nods and winks to her other novels embedded throughout to keep avid Janeites engaged.
August 6, 2025
I really enjoyed this overall. I think the romance could have been built up a bit more. I wasn't a huge fan of the letters. The Cowper connections and all the little Austen easter eggs and mash-ups were entertaining. The writing was spare and concise.
August 4, 2025
For Jane Austen fans everywhere! Step into this short read where Jane and her family spend six weeks by the sea. An eloquent tale of family, first love, and the ways in which the heart love. Six Weeks by the Sea is written in a captivating style that's reminiscent of classic literature; quickly transitioning perspective even mid paragraph across various characters.
Filled with intriguing personalities, fun soirees and plenty of time sea bathing. Six Weeks by the Sea was an absolute pleasure to read!
Paula Byrne includes so many heartfelt moments including Jane's brother's attempt at matching her with his former Captain who carries a dangerous secret, Jane's developing love interest who is suffering from ailing health issues, and a family friend's announcement of his bi-racial daughter born from a slave in Antigua. Amazingly, all of these things take place in what feels like a blink of an eye when you're reading this book. I was unable to put it down because it had captivated me so.
I was drawn in by Jane's bouncing interests between two suitors and her deeply good natured personality that is always thinking of others. Especially when she works to find a home for little Miss Leah, from Antigua.
This book is a look at what Jane Austen's love life might have been like in a snapshot preview of a six week family trip to Sidmouth. They needed to get away from the city and recover in cleaner air, but also to see if Jane and her sister could secure any kind of love matches along the way. Jane doesn't easily let anyone into her world, let alone her heart, outside of her family. She guards her emotions with a steel trap, but one particular man surprisingly finds his way in.
It was beautiful to watch her soften over the course of the book and really start to envision herself in love. An emotion she never would have imagined feeling. Her only concern in regards to that emotion, was for the characters she puts on paper. But to witness her own experience with this and the pain that even true love can bring, was a joy to read about. It reminded me why I love Jane Austen and the depth of ways to love.
Filled with intriguing personalities, fun soirees and plenty of time sea bathing. Six Weeks by the Sea was an absolute pleasure to read!
Paula Byrne includes so many heartfelt moments including Jane's brother's attempt at matching her with his former Captain who carries a dangerous secret, Jane's developing love interest who is suffering from ailing health issues, and a family friend's announcement of his bi-racial daughter born from a slave in Antigua. Amazingly, all of these things take place in what feels like a blink of an eye when you're reading this book. I was unable to put it down because it had captivated me so.
I was drawn in by Jane's bouncing interests between two suitors and her deeply good natured personality that is always thinking of others. Especially when she works to find a home for little Miss Leah, from Antigua.
This book is a look at what Jane Austen's love life might have been like in a snapshot preview of a six week family trip to Sidmouth. They needed to get away from the city and recover in cleaner air, but also to see if Jane and her sister could secure any kind of love matches along the way. Jane doesn't easily let anyone into her world, let alone her heart, outside of her family. She guards her emotions with a steel trap, but one particular man surprisingly finds his way in.
It was beautiful to watch her soften over the course of the book and really start to envision herself in love. An emotion she never would have imagined feeling. Her only concern in regards to that emotion, was for the characters she puts on paper. But to witness her own experience with this and the pain that even true love can bring, was a joy to read about. It reminded me why I love Jane Austen and the depth of ways to love.
August 26, 2025
3.5 stars
May 13, 2025
Review to follow...
August 13, 2025
This charming story that explores a visit by the Austen family to the seashore is the latest and I enjoyed it.. Jane Austen and her family are moving to Bath but before their house is ready they spend six weeks in Sidmouth by the sea. During this time with family Jane enjoys everything a seaside vacation has to offer including new friendships and perhaps even a romance. This well crafted story is very Austenesque in tone and uses words from her writing in the story. As I read I found it to be a calm escape from the chaos going on around me. I found myself slowing down and relishing the words and the story. The characters include members of the Austen family and their circle of friends along with those created or altered for the story. This mix worked well and I found myself looking into the relationships and wondering if Jane might have had a seaside romance. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy all things Jane Austen or those that enjoy beautifully written historical fiction.
Thanks to the publisher and AustenProse for the gifted book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to the publisher and AustenProse for the gifted book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 10, 2025
Jane Austen was a woman well before her time, even though her time was short. This story follows Jane when her family heads to the seaside for six weeks while they await the finishing of their residence in Bath. Not a fan of this move, Jane is quite pessimistic about going until she gets there. Her and her brother Frank who is on leave become close, and often take jaunts along the sea where Jane is reminded of how rejuvenating the sea and fresh air is for her health. During this six weeks, Jane runs into a mix of different characters with different view points, secrets and possibly the romance Jane may have had. These characters also bring out different views of Jane's and I enjoyed that we did see her change her thoughts on Mr. Rose over time. Yet she always kept true to herself and her belief that a man would make her change, no matter how much he agreed with her thoughts, beliefs and intellect of women. I enjoyed this telling of Jane's time by the seaside and what could have happened during those few weeks. Thank you to the author and publisher for the complementary novel and to AustenProse PR for the tour invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.
August 10, 2025
I love historical fiction as a genre. It makes history so much more accessible and enjoyable than simply reading texts or non-fiction. I always like to read the authors notes to see what aspects of the stories are true to history and where liberties might have been taken.
Six Weeks by the Sea tells of Jane's time with her family by the sea in Sidmouth, where it is believed that she may have had a love interest.
This was such a fascinating imagining of what Jane's summer by the sea might have been like. The parties, walks by the sea, trips to the circulating library, dips in the sea, and yes, possibly some romance. The author uses a real person as Jane's love interest, and although not likely him, the story of their romance and its end was terribly bittersweet.
The descriptions of the landscape, the people, and the characters were so vivid I could easily imagine myself there. The writing was beautiful and felt in keeping with this time period. This was a short read, a perfect length for telling of this time in Jane's life. I read through it very quickly.
I would definitely recommend this one for fans of Jane Austen.
Six Weeks by the Sea tells of Jane's time with her family by the sea in Sidmouth, where it is believed that she may have had a love interest.
This was such a fascinating imagining of what Jane's summer by the sea might have been like. The parties, walks by the sea, trips to the circulating library, dips in the sea, and yes, possibly some romance. The author uses a real person as Jane's love interest, and although not likely him, the story of their romance and its end was terribly bittersweet.
The descriptions of the landscape, the people, and the characters were so vivid I could easily imagine myself there. The writing was beautiful and felt in keeping with this time period. This was a short read, a perfect length for telling of this time in Jane's life. I read through it very quickly.
I would definitely recommend this one for fans of Jane Austen.
August 12, 2025
As an avid Jane Austen lover, I also love any book about her or her life. Six Weeks By The Sea is a delightful book. I always wondered if she ever truly fell in love and why she never married. This provides a unique glimpse at what may have occurred and why she chose to stay single.
Paula's writing style is unique, and I truly enjoy the formatting of the chapters and her overall style. I found myself continuing to read until the next section each time I read.
This is a must-read for true Jane Austen fans.
Paula's writing style is unique, and I truly enjoy the formatting of the chapters and her overall style. I found myself continuing to read until the next section each time I read.
This is a must-read for true Jane Austen fans.
October 20, 2025
I heard this author speak at the JASNA AGM in 2025, and I was excited to read her book. This was good as far as it went, but I confess I kept wanting it to be more than what it is. It seems more like a novella than a full-length novel to me. The story is set in the year (can't remember and the review doesn't tell me, oh well) when the Austen parents along with grown daughters Cassandra and Jane are moving from Steventon to Bath, and are spending six weeks by the seaside in Sidmouth while their new lodgings are being readied for them. Cassandra and Jane spend time with their brother Frank and his Navy friend Captain Parker, and the ladies are both interested in the Captain and the attention he gives to Jane. There is another gentleman of interest, a lawyer named Samuel Rose, who is also of interest to the sisters. I don't know, I just wanted more meetings, more conversations, more outings, more of what is already there. There is another plot I would love to see more developed as well, involving a biracial child from the West Indies arriving in England and finding her place there. This left me wishing this were a more substantial book.
August 8, 2025
There’s a longstanding piece of advice frequently given to writers to “write what they know.” Jane Austen, deftly, beautifully and certainly famously, wrote novels about the manners and mores of the society in which she lived. She was a keen observer of human nature, and generally a gentle and generous critic of the follies and foibles of the people in her world.
Her novels, stories that are still read two centuries later not so much because they are classics – although they are – but because they are still so very, very good and so much fun to read. The world may have changed in the intervening centuries, but human nature has not.
She knew her world, and that knowing is so much a part of her work, but her novels are not just the comedies of manners that they are often described as. They are all, each and every one, stories about love and romance where each of her protagonists finds their own happy ending.
We know that Jane herself did not – at least not according to the beliefs of her time. She never married. But did she ever fall in love? This novel, written very much in Jane Austen’s style, takes a whisper of a family story told by the Austen family after Jane’s death and spins it just the kind of story that Jane herself would have written.
The Austen family did take “six weeks by the sea” in 1801. The family, Reverend Austen, Mrs. Austen, Jane’s older sister Cassandra, and Jane herself, took a six week holiday in Sidmouth that year. The holiday, at least in this story, was a chance to meet up with Jane’s brother Frank, recently appointed a Captain in the Royal Navy.
And, in this delightful story, it’s a chance for a bit of matchmaking on all sides, as so many of Jane’s own novels explore. Jane hopes her friend Martha will make a match with Frank. Frank hopes Jane and his friend Captain Parker will come to love each other as much as he loves each of them.
One of those matches comes to fruition – much later than the period of this story. The other was never meant to be. But, at least in this story, Jane does meet her match after all. Only to follow in her sister Cassie’s footsteps – to love and to lose.
But perhaps, in fiction as it is supposed to be in life, it is, indeed, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. At least, for a writer, for whom it provides grist and heartache for the mill of their stories.
Escape Rating B: This story, delightfully, reads like one of Jane Austen’s own works. It’s as if she wrote about her own family the same way she described the Bennets or the Darcys, the Dashwoods or the Woodhouses. Austenphiles are going to feel right at home in Jane’s world, because it reads and feels just like her.
But it is a very, well, Austenesque story in that it is also a gentle exploration of that world. There isn’t a lot of drama, there aren’t a lot of big events – and there certainly isn’t a lot of adventure and derring-do.
Instead, it reads almost like a diary of the events of those six weeks by the sea in Sidmouth. Witty and insightful portraits of the people that Jane encounters, reports of conversations between the Austen siblings, and gossip about the neighbors. There aren’t a lot of high highs, nor are there a lot of low lows. It’s a bit of a comfort read where the occasional pomposity gets quietly skewered – but under the breath and not aloud – because that wouldn’t be genteel.
Which does not mean that the mores of Jane’s society don’t get poked at – because they do. The attempt at ‘catch-match making’ between Jane and her brother’s friend Captain Parker fall apart because Jane recognizes that Parker is a homosexual. She’s perfectly understanding about his situation, but isn’t willing to give up the freedoms her father affords her for a man who can’t truly be her partner – and whose views on one of the burning issues of the day, the question of the abolition of slavery in the British colonies – are so utterly and completely opposed to her own.
However, the local gossip allows Jane to express her strong abolitionist views, as the son of one of the local landowners has brought his daughter home with him from Antigua, intending that his mixed-race child become part of the family. It’s in this part of the story that Jane finds common cause with her would-be romantic interest, as they discover that they would have that ‘marriage of true minds’ – which unfortunately ends in tragedy instead of the altar.
In the end, this story, in spite of the sad ending that is necessary to bring it back into Jane Austen’s known and documented history, is as delightful as one of the sea breezes the family enjoys that summer in Sidmouth. It reads like Austen, it feels like Austen, it brings the author herself back to life and would be a perfect read by the sea, right along with Austen’s own work.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Her novels, stories that are still read two centuries later not so much because they are classics – although they are – but because they are still so very, very good and so much fun to read. The world may have changed in the intervening centuries, but human nature has not.
She knew her world, and that knowing is so much a part of her work, but her novels are not just the comedies of manners that they are often described as. They are all, each and every one, stories about love and romance where each of her protagonists finds their own happy ending.
We know that Jane herself did not – at least not according to the beliefs of her time. She never married. But did she ever fall in love? This novel, written very much in Jane Austen’s style, takes a whisper of a family story told by the Austen family after Jane’s death and spins it just the kind of story that Jane herself would have written.
The Austen family did take “six weeks by the sea” in 1801. The family, Reverend Austen, Mrs. Austen, Jane’s older sister Cassandra, and Jane herself, took a six week holiday in Sidmouth that year. The holiday, at least in this story, was a chance to meet up with Jane’s brother Frank, recently appointed a Captain in the Royal Navy.
And, in this delightful story, it’s a chance for a bit of matchmaking on all sides, as so many of Jane’s own novels explore. Jane hopes her friend Martha will make a match with Frank. Frank hopes Jane and his friend Captain Parker will come to love each other as much as he loves each of them.
One of those matches comes to fruition – much later than the period of this story. The other was never meant to be. But, at least in this story, Jane does meet her match after all. Only to follow in her sister Cassie’s footsteps – to love and to lose.
But perhaps, in fiction as it is supposed to be in life, it is, indeed, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. At least, for a writer, for whom it provides grist and heartache for the mill of their stories.
Escape Rating B: This story, delightfully, reads like one of Jane Austen’s own works. It’s as if she wrote about her own family the same way she described the Bennets or the Darcys, the Dashwoods or the Woodhouses. Austenphiles are going to feel right at home in Jane’s world, because it reads and feels just like her.
But it is a very, well, Austenesque story in that it is also a gentle exploration of that world. There isn’t a lot of drama, there aren’t a lot of big events – and there certainly isn’t a lot of adventure and derring-do.
Instead, it reads almost like a diary of the events of those six weeks by the sea in Sidmouth. Witty and insightful portraits of the people that Jane encounters, reports of conversations between the Austen siblings, and gossip about the neighbors. There aren’t a lot of high highs, nor are there a lot of low lows. It’s a bit of a comfort read where the occasional pomposity gets quietly skewered – but under the breath and not aloud – because that wouldn’t be genteel.
Which does not mean that the mores of Jane’s society don’t get poked at – because they do. The attempt at ‘catch-match making’ between Jane and her brother’s friend Captain Parker fall apart because Jane recognizes that Parker is a homosexual. She’s perfectly understanding about his situation, but isn’t willing to give up the freedoms her father affords her for a man who can’t truly be her partner – and whose views on one of the burning issues of the day, the question of the abolition of slavery in the British colonies – are so utterly and completely opposed to her own.
However, the local gossip allows Jane to express her strong abolitionist views, as the son of one of the local landowners has brought his daughter home with him from Antigua, intending that his mixed-race child become part of the family. It’s in this part of the story that Jane finds common cause with her would-be romantic interest, as they discover that they would have that ‘marriage of true minds’ – which unfortunately ends in tragedy instead of the altar.
In the end, this story, in spite of the sad ending that is necessary to bring it back into Jane Austen’s known and documented history, is as delightful as one of the sea breezes the family enjoys that summer in Sidmouth. It reads like Austen, it feels like Austen, it brings the author herself back to life and would be a perfect read by the sea, right along with Austen’s own work.
Originally published at Reading Reality
November 3, 2025
This is my wild read of 2025 due to my local library book club - Reminder Kids, support your local libraries!
My opinion may differ from most as I have not yet had the privilege to read a Jane Austen book, so please take this review with a pinch of salt. I imagine a Jane Austen fan would have a greater appreciation for this piece of work more than myself and perhaps in the future I will come back to this work with a new outlook.
This book is a fictional snippet of real life holiday Jane Austen took in 1801. Fact and fiction and a dash of a maybe romance bring forth this delightfully complex book. I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematic imagery of nature and I too adore the sea as Miss Austen once did (her love for poetry remains a mystery to me I must confess).
While I have not read Miss Austen's books I have watched the numerous films, tv shows and theatre productions of her work and I am aware of her wit and humour. I feel like this book brought forth the same wit and humour that I have experienced in other forms of media and one particular sentence created this illusion for me.
"Misery and marriages is the greatest of all evils."
Am I married? No. Do I know the complexity of relationships? Yes. I think this perfectly showcased Miss Austen's lack of confidence in marriage and perhaps time would influence her stance resulting in her writing incredible stories with characters who were too reluctant to marry and would change their minds and hearts with time.
Another quote that will have a lasting impact on my psyche is; "happiness is not something that happens to us, it is something we choose." While this is not a sentence Miss Austen said, I can imagine this is something she would say. Pamela did a wonderful job of toeing the line between fact and fiction and brought Miss Austen to life before my eyes.. I must admit I said that I needed her to stop giving me life lessons while reading as I did not anticipate being made emotional by off handed comments.
This book focuses on some difficult topics of conversation such as slavery. When I picked this book up I had no idea that it would delve into the abhorrent slave trade and the attitudes of the nobility. It was rather jarring, as my expectation of this book was a romantic journey. It was not an unwelcome shock as it ensured I was aware of the realities of the time and that people were fighting for change. But I was even more shocked when this storyline ended so abruptly. We were introduced to many characters who were not expanded on any further, as the book drew to a close it felt as if they no longer had a purpose in Miss Austen's story as she may have found companionship. While the book is based majorly in reality I would have liked more expansion on some of the characters for my own curious heart.
However while this book is enjoyable it unfortunately did not grasp me in the way I wished it did. I was left feeling rather indifferent to the progression of the story, I am unsure if that is because it is based on real people and I therefor struggled to find a connection with them. At times it felt like the people were more chess pieces rather than people with thoughts and feelings.
Overall I have given this book three stars and impart on you my favourite quote:
"Then all my novels will have happy endings."
This quote was never said by Miss Austen but I truly adore the complex nature of her works where in a happily ever after can be acquired.
My opinion may differ from most as I have not yet had the privilege to read a Jane Austen book, so please take this review with a pinch of salt. I imagine a Jane Austen fan would have a greater appreciation for this piece of work more than myself and perhaps in the future I will come back to this work with a new outlook.
This book is a fictional snippet of real life holiday Jane Austen took in 1801. Fact and fiction and a dash of a maybe romance bring forth this delightfully complex book. I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematic imagery of nature and I too adore the sea as Miss Austen once did (her love for poetry remains a mystery to me I must confess).
While I have not read Miss Austen's books I have watched the numerous films, tv shows and theatre productions of her work and I am aware of her wit and humour. I feel like this book brought forth the same wit and humour that I have experienced in other forms of media and one particular sentence created this illusion for me.
"Misery and marriages is the greatest of all evils."
Am I married? No. Do I know the complexity of relationships? Yes. I think this perfectly showcased Miss Austen's lack of confidence in marriage and perhaps time would influence her stance resulting in her writing incredible stories with characters who were too reluctant to marry and would change their minds and hearts with time.
Another quote that will have a lasting impact on my psyche is; "happiness is not something that happens to us, it is something we choose." While this is not a sentence Miss Austen said, I can imagine this is something she would say. Pamela did a wonderful job of toeing the line between fact and fiction and brought Miss Austen to life before my eyes.. I must admit I said that I needed her to stop giving me life lessons while reading as I did not anticipate being made emotional by off handed comments.
This book focuses on some difficult topics of conversation such as slavery. When I picked this book up I had no idea that it would delve into the abhorrent slave trade and the attitudes of the nobility. It was rather jarring, as my expectation of this book was a romantic journey. It was not an unwelcome shock as it ensured I was aware of the realities of the time and that people were fighting for change. But I was even more shocked when this storyline ended so abruptly. We were introduced to many characters who were not expanded on any further, as the book drew to a close it felt as if they no longer had a purpose in Miss Austen's story as she may have found companionship. While the book is based majorly in reality I would have liked more expansion on some of the characters for my own curious heart.
However while this book is enjoyable it unfortunately did not grasp me in the way I wished it did. I was left feeling rather indifferent to the progression of the story, I am unsure if that is because it is based on real people and I therefor struggled to find a connection with them. At times it felt like the people were more chess pieces rather than people with thoughts and feelings.
Overall I have given this book three stars and impart on you my favourite quote:
"Then all my novels will have happy endings."
This quote was never said by Miss Austen but I truly adore the complex nature of her works where in a happily ever after can be acquired.
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