Brilliant period details
- Book: Six Weeks by the Sea
- Location: Sidmouth
- Author: Paula Byrne
More young adult than women’s fiction (the publisher rather confusingly lists it as both), this is a simple story with period details incredibly well drawn. Which is unsurprising, given the author has written well received biographies of Jane Austen, the subject of this book.
The reason I use the term ‘simple’ is because the various questions raised as the narrative goes along are all resolved very quickly, and given that history holds the biggest spoiler of all, that Jane Austen never married, for me the book really needed the extra tension these elements could have brought. I also found the sudden changes in viewpoint mildly irritating, especially as otherwise the writing flowed well.
That said, it is not a long book and overall a pleasant read. However the author’s note at the back was truly fascinating and has made me want to dip into her biographical work.
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