Sanditon: Jane Austen's Last Novel Completed

Author: Jane Austen and "Another Lady"

Edition: Scribner Paperback (Simon & Schuster)

Synopsis: Sensible Charlotte takes a summer trip to the newly-fashionable seaside resort of Sanditon, meets interesting new people, and comes to terms with her newfound feelings of love toward the surprising and irresistible Sidney Parker.

Length: 312 pages, but the don't be fooled...

Difficulty: ...like all of Austen's novels, the language is dense. Her writing takes concentration, and makes for poor beach reading, but focus is enjoyably necessary to experience the full effect.

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In my book (no pun intended), Sanditon will remain an Austen favorite for many years to come.

Which is ironic, because Jane Austen didn't even write it.

Well, at least not most of it. Begun in 1817, the year of Austen's death, she completed only 11 chapters of Sanditon before her untimely death from Addison's disease at the age of 41. Remaining as only a fragment cherished to her readers for decades (more on this history can be found in the afterword), an English novelist took it upon herself in the early 1970s to finish what Austen started. The result is, in my opinion, more than satisfactory.

The author insists on keeping herself completely anonymous in all aspects of the work, using only the titles "The Author" and, as noted on the cover, "Another Lady." One can only assume that this is done out of deepest respect for Austen. She (if it is indeed a female author) follows up the novel with a brief afterword, titled "An Apology from the Collaborator," where she expounds on the history behind Austen's fragmented seventh novel, explains her writing method and problems of continuity, and according to the title, offers this final sentence:

"[Austen's] language, her integrity and her painstaking methods of work -- that terrifyingly accurate and meticulous technique.... None of these things can be faithfully copied. And for their deficiencies in this seventh novel, I do apologise."

However, there is little to "apologise" for. "Another Lady" stays straight as an arrow according to the first author's supposed intent. In true Austen fashion, the book is paradoxically simple in plot -- the typical 19th-century worries of unmarried young people -- but complex in rich language and interweaving storylines. Austen does take a minor unexpected turn from the domestic to the industrial, with the main plot point being Mr. Parker's (brother to the male protagonist) intent on turning the unknown town of Sanditon into a fashionable seaside resort.

While it is unfortunate that Austen had the time to give only a profile sketch of her characters, "Another Lady" develops them beautifully. It must be noted that by the end of the novel, the two leads of Charlotte and Sidney stand out as a couple of the roundest and most interesting persons to ever appear of Austen's works. The mystery author adds only three characters that are not present in Austen's eleven introductory chapters, and they have relatively few appearances (in fact, Clara Brereton's cousin Elizabeth has no spoken lines and serves only as an "offstage" character to help along the storyline). In addition, she borrows Austen's customary tone of dry humor with a hint of sarcasm, and employs it skillfully.

I won't give a lengthier synopsis; it's too detailed to attempt to paraphrase here. Any Austen aficionado will have the pleasure of discovering it for themselves, having a good idea of what to expect but eventually reaching the new additions of a job very well done. Captivating, entertaining, humorous and ultimately heartwarming (I usually hate that word), this book deserves a place on every Jane Austen lover's shelf.... even if nearly 75% of it is not technically Austen.

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DO READ IF: you can't get enough of Jane Austen and/or have ever been disappointed that she finished only six novels before her death.

DO NOT READ IF: you're an Austen neophyte (try Emma instead) and/or you have never enjoyed Jane Austen for any reason whatsoever.