‘A glorious romantic retelling’ THE SUN

'Fan fiction, but of a superior kind' THE TIMES

‘A tantalising tale’ DAILY MAIL

‘There are treats aplenty for Austen fans' FT

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Summer 1801. Sidmouth, England.

The Austen Family descends upon a fashionable Georgian seaside resort in Devonshire for a six-week holiday. Jane's brother, Frank, is on leave from the Royal Navy, and dearly wishes to unite his sister with his friend Captain Peter Parker. But another holidaymaker, a handsome stranger, catches sight of Jane and is determined to make her acquaintance. This rival to Captain Parker is Samuel Rose: a lawyer, literary man and abolitionist. As the weeks pass, Jane's relationship with both men brings about unexpected surprises. By the end of the summer, the course of her life will have changed forever.

Set against the backdrop of Austen’s family, the tensions of the war against France, and naval and colonial politics, Six Weeks by the Sea is the fascinating story of how the most famous romance writer of all time fell in love for the first time.

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'No one is better qualified than Byrne to imagine and expand upon Austen’s true romance. Her treasure chest of Austen knowledge and her ability to spiritually inhabit historical figures are displayed to fine advantage in Six Weeks by the Sea. With Austen’s 250th birthday coming up in December, Byrne’s charming novel is a fine way to start the party' WASHINGTON POST