‘Six Weeks by the Sea’ by Paula Byrne focuses on the summer of 1801 when Jane Austen, her parents and sister take lodgings in Sidmouth before removing to Bath. This is a difficult time for Jane. However, whilst no longer enjoying the security of her beloved Steventon, as the weeks pass she rallies, in part through the companionship of her beloved brother, Frank, who is on leave from the Navy. And, gradually, she grows increasingly attached to another man.

As Paula Byrne writes in her Afterword, whilst the novel’s historical foundations are largely accurate, she has taken with some liberties with what is known about this period of Austen’s life in order to give the reader a credible version of the important romantic relationship Jane may have embarked on at Sidmouth.

Not only should this novel be of interest to all those drawn to Austen’s life and literary works. Paula Byrne also gives the reader a really clear understanding of colonial politics and the abolitionist movement, of central importance to the narrative. This is no surprise. Byrne is nothing if not a superb writer of literary biography and she uses her skills and knowledge to meld fact and fiction superbly. Jane and her family are portrayed with great authenticity as are the times in which they live. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.