Sanditon
by Jane Austen and Another Lady
amazon.com
Hardcover - 477 pages largeprint edition (December 1998) 
G K Hall & Co; ISBN: 0783803915 

amazon.co.uk
Paperback - 315 pages (11 August, 1997) 
Mandarin; ISBN: 0749324295

amazon.ca
Paperback - 336 pages (October 1, 1998) 
Simon and Schuster ; ISBN: 0684843420
       Posted by The Mysterious H.C. on September 15, 1996 at 22:42:13:
The 1975 completion of Sanditon isn't that bad. 
      Posted by Newbee fan of JA on October 02, 1996 at 19:37:34:
On this subject, I must speak though I am recently acquainted with JA's works.  I read both Sanditon written by JA & Another Lady and The Watsons by JA & John Coates. The former work, IMHO, completely insults the JA's style and decency of the original!!  I had to put the book down so often with indignation. Some of the incidents are too ridiculous to be even considered as a part of JA's story. It was badly written in its language and characters. 
  Posted by kathleen on October 02, 1996 at 19:54:35: I hadn't read the fragment that JA wrote, but I could spot the section where the book's author changed (I wouldn't say I spotted the exact sentence or paragraph, although friends do say that I have a good eye for Austen [oops, sorry, that's "Emma" humor, not P&P). The lady who finished "Sanditon" pretty much killed it. 
    Posted by eva on September 17, 1996 at 14:02:36:
I found the attempt at completing  Sanditon  by "Another Lady" to be pretty satisfying . 
      Posted by Marie on September 18, 1996 at 02:55:47:
Sanditon was fun, but read too much like a Georgette Heyer novel--in fact I would not be surprised to find that Heyer was the "other lady" of the pair "Jane Austen and another lady". 

        Review by Lynn Lamy , September 4, 1997
I liked this, although I thought the story went around and around a little too much.  Still, it was a fun
read, and an interesting finish to JA's fragment.  Ending was a bit quick.

        Review by Linda Waldemar ,  November 5, 1997
 Sometimes I liked this book better than at other times.  The beginning, which was written by Jane Austen, brought several smiles; her usual wit and humor.  The Other Lady's part of the story was uneven.  Sometimes it moved along, then it became almost unbearable, then at the end, it got good. JA introduced all the characters, but did not get much chance to develop them.  The subsequent character development was not in JA's style.  The language was okay, but not JA's. The plot was definitely not Austen. The heroine was not very different from an Austen heroine, but I thought that the hero was very un-Austen.

Charlotte Heywood is an ordinary, sensible young lady of 22.  By way of an accident, she is invited to spend the summer with Mr and Mrs Parker of Sanditon, a new, seaside resort.  Mr Parker is its enthusiastic developer and promoter.  Lady Denham is the local wealthy curmudgeon.  She has several relatives around who are hoping to inherit; her late husband's nephew and niece, Sir Edward and Miss Esther Denham and Clara Brereton, Lady D's cousin.

There are a number of Parkers besides the above mentioned Mr Tom Parker, 35, and his wife Mary and their four children.  Mr Parkers sisters and brothers visit; Miss Parker and Miss Diana Parker, 34, and Mr Arthur Parker, 21, are notorious hypochondriacs.  Mr Sidney Parker, 28, is tall, handsome, rich and known for his high spirits.

Then, there are other summer residents; Mrs Griffiths who is chaperoning the Miss Beauforts and Miss Lambe; and Mr Reginald Catton and Mr Henry Brudenall, who are friends of Sidney Parker. The young ladies try to attract the young men.  There are secret liaisons.  There is an unlikely villain. There is a real invalid (unlike the aforementioned Parkers).  By the last two chapters, most of the lovers are revealed.  The hero and heroine do not come to an understanding until the last few pages.

While the story in itself was not bad, it was far from Jane Austen.  In one instance, a single, young man not only writes to a single, young lady, but gives her a gift.  And there is a very implausible adventure at the end.

Should you come upon this book, I recommend that you read it and see what you think.


        Review by Mary M. Stolzenbach , February  19, 1998
It was enjoyable and fairly seamless. In the Austen part, I disliked the new setting she chose (the shore, up-and-coming people... one can see the Victorian Age fast approaching) but there was still enough to relish. Lady Denham is an interesting study, as bossy and interfering as Lady Catherine deBourgh, but in a different way: she is rich but has no breeding, and her power comes from her money, not her consciousness of superiority.

And there's this wonderfully Janeian passage:

"I make no apologies for my heroine's vanity. If there are young ladies in the world at her time of life more dull of fancy and more careless of pleasing, I know them not and never wish to know them."

        Posted by MB on February 19, 1998 at 12:36:40:
I also enjoyed this book, and I still think it's, by far, the best of all of the Austen retellings, sequels, etc. And, you know, I kind of like the Victorian element seeping in (Sidney and his gas lighting!); it perhaps shows a shift and growth in what would have been JA's future writing?
Michele 
  Posted by Sarah P on February 19, 1998 at 13:41:43:
I quite agree. I thought the join was much further on than it actually is, it worked so well. It would televise very well, I hope someone does it.
        Posted by kat on May 27, 1998 at 23:39:29:
I greatly enjoyed reading Sanditon, last summer, whilst at my family's summer home on Nantucket. It was such a pleasure! I know that Jane Austen only wrote up to the middle of Chapter 11, but "another lady" did a marvelous job of continuing, IMHO, and I thought it was clever, romantic and excellent, in general. I really liked Charlotte and Sidney and Diana Parker and Miss Lambe and all the rest of the characters. 
    Posted by Spring on May 28, 1998 at 16:03:54:
I read it last year and I thought it was pretty good. 
        Posted by Mary Collette on June 19, 1998 at 13:05:06:
Just wanted to write, and say that I just read the Ann Marie Telescombe completion of Sanditon. ...

I liked it. I thought that Sir Edward Denham was a cross between of all things, Mr. Wickham, and Mr. Collins. Even though "Our Own Dear Jane" wrote that Sir Edward Denham thought himself in the line of "Lovelace" from "Clarissa", he was to stupid to be a "Lovelace".


        Review by Yvette ,  September 4, 1998
Near the end of her life, Jane Austen began writing Sanditon, the story of a small seaside community. Although she did not live to finish the novel, the fragment is a pleasure to read.  Despite our short acquaintance with Charlotte Heywood, she is one of my favourite Jane Austen heroines. Her powers of perception and observation continually intrigue me. It was with great interest that I first read the fragment; I was quite disappointed when I reached its last sentence and realized that I would never discover what adventures Jane Austen intended for Charlotte.

The story begins when Mr. and Mrs. Parker accidentally overturn their carriage while in search of a surgeon - the novel even opens ironically! They are rescued and taken in by the Heywood family. It turns out that Mr. Parker is trying to develop a fashionable seaside resort at Sanditon, the parish in which he lives and owns much property. Mr. Parker is quite fanatical about the merits of Sanditon:

     Sanditon was a second wife and four children to him, hardly less dear, and certainly nbsp;    more engrossing. He could talk of it forever. It had indeed the highest claims; not only      those of birthplace, property and home; it was his mine, his lottery, his speculation and      his hobby horse; his occupation, his hope and his futurity.

     (Sanditon, Jane Austen, Chap. 2)

After a short stay with the Heywoods, Mr. and Mrs. Parker persuade them to allow their eldest daughter, Charlotte, to accompany them back to Sanditon for a visit. During her journey to the coast, Mr. Parker gives Charlotte a detailed assessment of the major characters currently residing in Sanditon. However, when the observant and astute Charlotte arrives and meets them all in person, she realizes that Mr. Parker's agreeable nature has caused him to misrepresent most of them. We hear Charlotte's private musings as well as Jane Austen's familiar witty commentary on each characters' idiosyncrasies. Among the inhabitants of Sanditon are Lady Denham, a rather shrewish and suspicious woman who is constantly courted by three different sets of relatives for her money; Sir Edward Denham, a silly young man who misquotes poetry and who has convinced himself that he is irresistible to women; and Mr. Parker's sisters who are extreme hypochondriacs (to say the least).

Jane Austen's Sanditon ends rather abruptly right when the plot begins to pick up pace. The scene is set, the first basic sketches of the characters have been presented, and the hero has just arrived in town. Another Lady, the anonymous author of the continuation, continues the story where the fragment ends. The connection is seamless.

This novel is a delight to read - I couldn't put it down. The Other Lady follows through on the clues left in the fragment and creates a humourous account of Charlotte's stay in Sanditon. Her style imitates Jane Austen's successfully and the characters are well-developed. Lady Denham's speeches show ample evidence of her selfish nature, Sir Edward Denham is as ridiculous as he promises to be, and Mr. Parker's sisters are determined to try every unnecessary remedy (herbal or otherwise) available. Even the hero of the story lives up to his reputation. Although he has barely entered the story when the Other Lady takes over, Jane Austen left enough hints in her fragment to establish him as a clever and whimsical young man. He and Charlotte are perfect for each other.

I really enjoyed every aspect of this novel. There is a slight "mystery story" that perhaps could have been a little more subtle since I figured it out halfway through the novel (and I am usually quite oblivious when it comes to mysteries). By the end of Sanditon, I was completely in love with the charming hero but still rejoiced in Charlotte's success. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who has a thirst for Jane Austen and who was captivated by her short fragment.

        Posted by Caroline on Saturday, November 14, 1998, at 8:05 p.m., in
 However, I 'm at present  looking at Sanditon, by Jane Austen and Another Lady and it's not that bad......quite pleasant in fact.

        Review by Kara Baker , July 24, 1999
I just bought this at the store and read it.  For the most part, I enjoyed it.  I thought "another lady" handled the transition very well.   It sounded a lot like Jane Austen but it just wasn't her.  Most of her

stories have some sort of a moral to them -- the hero or heroine under goes some change of heart or in character or opinion, and I did not think this was accomplished.  It was just a sweet story, and as such I enjoyed it and would recommend it as long as readers understand it is NOT Jane Austen.

         Written by Barbara (8/29/99 10:50 p.m.)
I think that was one of the things I liked most about the Sanditon completion is that she did continue from where JA left off.

        Written by Alison (Friday, 22 September 2000, at 1:30 a.m.)
I finished reading Sanditon by Another Lady and unlike most of the published sequels/continuations of JA writing it wasn't half bad. It did seem to try to draw too much on her previous works although. Several plot lines I figured out write away because they were almost exact replicas of JA previous books.

The secert engagement seemed very much like the Jane/Churchill one complete with a shy reserved Clara/Jane. And constant attempts to draw people away for suspecting previous attachment.

Arthur and the invalid Miss Lambe fall in love over seaweed like Capt Bentwick and and the invalid Lousia did over poetry.

Charolette herself seems a combination of a Catherine and Elizabeth. She has an archy wit and dislikes her lover to begin with like Eliza but shortly turns into an love struck Catherine holding on to  his every word. The ending is complete for a CM/CH with her lover racing to her home after her to see if she is alright after being brought home so unexpectedly and dangerously.

Sir Edward did sound a bit like a John Thorpe especially in his gig. All rattle and no roll(bank roll that
     is).

Miss Diana would be a good canidate for the Aunt Norris (possibly a Lady Catherine) of the year constantly in everybodies business.

The whole making her want to elope with him sounds a bit far fetched just like Mr Sidney Parker himself but overall not bad story.


        Written by betsabe   (10/10/2001 5:38 p.m.)
i just finished reading Sanditon the version finished by Marie Dobbs also known as "another lady" it was really great. i loved it and imagine that Austen would have continued it in a simular way. the style is simular to Austens' and has all the elements of an Austen novel. While i cant say her style is exactly like austens i feel she did a fairly good job i couldn't even tell where the transition took place, and i've read all 0f austen novels and fragments. i loved the ending it was defenetly an austen ending.

        Written by Sofie (3/27/2002 5:01 p.m.)
Enjoy reading it. It is probably the best completion of a JA novel to date, although I would have loved to read what JA really wanted to write. I love her characters in this fragment and I believe if she finished it, It would have ranked among her best.
          Written by Vania (May 28, 2003 )
Sanditon is a fragment (JA died before she could finish it) and the book you read  was continued by another lady, Marie Dobbs. I have this copy myself and enjoyed it. Sanditon as JA wrote it was published, too. Actually, I couldn't tell much difference although I'm not sure JA would've written the word "dazzle", among others.
        Written by LizzieT (May 28, 2003 )
I loved the character development in general and the book is a delightful read,but I thought the whole bit about Charlotte's attempted abduction by Sir Edward to be more Barbara Cartland than our beloved Jane.
        Written by Lindsey F (May 28, 2003 )
I recently decided to read Sandition again, as I hadn't read it in many years, and started reading an online version on my lunch hour. I just assumed, because the site made no mention of 'Another Lady' that the version I read was the unfinished one. I became quite absorbed and read many chapters past the point Jane left off before I began to suspect another author! I agree with the other posts that certain terminology and situations seemed a little unlike our Jane, though the transition was so seemless that Ioriginally assumed her style must be developing in a different style than I would have suspected!
        Written by NancyK (May 30, 2003 )
I just finished Sanditon last week. Unfortunately for me, I have a bad habit of reading ahead (so I learned where the new author takes up the story). I did find a difference, but not an unpleasant one. I thought Austen's chapters a little overly detailed; not quite Proustian, but not as lighthearted as some of her earlier work, either. "Another Woman" provided a certain amount of detail which was about right. However, I found the character development a little lacking. All in all, enjoyable book, but it doesn't come close to Austen's earlier accomplishments. Even if Austen had finished the book herself, I am uncertain of its merits in comparison.
      Written by Hadas (June 4, 2003 )
The two versions of Sanditon; I read both, and I can safely say that I thought the "Other Lady" continuation superior. The Julia Barret continuation was so dull that I can't even recall what it was exactly about by now. :) The language of "Another Lady" is also superior... not a perfect work perhaps, but it's my favorite Austen sequel as to date.
       Review by Jenny Allan December 9, 2003
Austen's fragment Sanditon begins when a Mr. and Mrs. Parker have the misfortune (or is it fortune?) to overturn their carriage in front of the Heywood home. Mr. Parker sprains his ankle in the accident an event which inspires the Heywoods, though complete strangers, to invite the Parkers to stay with them till his ankle is healed. During this time they discover that Mr. Parker is a gentlemen of means who has put his money into speculation on the latest up and coming resort, Sanditon. He urges the Heywoods to visit him there, but being sensible homebodies, they offer their daughter Charlotte as a better choice as a companion.

Charlotte becomes the main character of the novel, and her impressions of the people at Sanditon melt with the narrative voice, in typical Austenian style. We meet the headstrong penny pincher Lady Denham who has invested heavily in Sanditon. One suspects an effort to promote the sale of her Asses' milch to any invalid visitors. Lady Denham's family by marriage, the verbose and despicable Sir Edward, and his sister, hover around her in order to win favor and some of the fortune. Lady Denham has a poor niece, Clara Brereton, who appears to be the object of Sir Edward's affection, though we are never sure how she feels about him because she is as shy and retiring as a poor relation in an Austen novel should be.

Soon we meet the Parker's siblings Susan, Diana and Arthur who are all terrible hypochondriacs and whose antics provide much of the comic relief of the book. Arthur's treatise on unbuttered toast hurting the coats of his stomach is a delight. We are continually tantalized by the absent Sydney Parker who is renowned in the neighborhood as a witty and lively fellow and a handsome and eligible bachelor to boot. Sadly he is not introduced until the very last pages of Austen's writing and it is left to the Other Lady to form his character for the most part. She does a reasonable job with this, making Sydney into a more affable and charming version of his meddling sisters, with a bit of Henry Tilney thrown in.

The chief problem that the Other Lady faces is trying to match the style of Austen's writing which is always perfectly balanced between concrete detail and generalization. She too often tells us about a scene instead of showing it. She is also impatient during scenes where Austen would revel. Instead of slowly unfolding a tea party, teasing us with long passages of the hypochondriacs i nterspersed with bits of Sydney, she seems eager to be rid of the annoying Parkers and then tells us that Sydney was very charming and made the time fly by for Charlotte. Jane would have handled that mostly through dialogue I feel. When one reads Austen one feels securely in the hands of a master technician as well as a master artist. Her pace is exactly what it should be and her plot never gets away from her. It felt like at times that The Other Lady was just letting the story flow where it may with no real plan in her head except of vague idea of who ends up with whom.

On the other hand, the Other Ladies' set pieces such a long walk in which various couples pair up and attempt to get along with another is handled in a way that is amusing and would make Austen proud I think. There are shades of Fanny in the Wilderness and Anne watching Captain Wentworth with the Miss Musgroves in this section. The Other Lady has done her homework and her details about fabric and carriages are correct to the period without being too showy. She gives us a world, but lets us live in it instead of just sightseeing.

Sanditon by Another Lady is a successful continuation of the fragment left by Jane Austen. Though the Other Lady is not as funny as Austen and some of her attempts at humor seem a bit forced, I think it is true to the spirit of the characters and the plot as Austen set it into motion. I would recommend it to other Austen fans with the caveat that it ain't Jane, but it's pretty good anyway.

        Written by Carryline (November 5, 2003 )
I recently found a completed version of Sanditon (for 10p at my school fayre!!) by Another Lady and I thought she found a good way to continue with the story- Charlotte ended up with the Sidney Parker, Sir Edward made a bit of a fool of himself by an attempted elopement, Arthur managed to sort himself out and got married. It was really believeable and I especially thought the Charlotte and Sidney plotline was great- I think Sidney is my favourite hero now after Mr Darcy and Mr Knightley! :-)

        Written by Lizzie T. (November 5, 2003 )
I recommend it, too! I enjoyed it. I think JA would have approved. She drops several clues in her novel fragment that Sidney will be a suitor for Charlotte -- such as his reputation as a wit and the fact that, although he is the second son, he has an independent fortune. And we all know that a single man of good fortune must be in want of a wife. I also like the fact that Sir Edward fails in his courtship (if you can call it that) of Clara. He's about as annoying as John Thorpe.

        Written by Caitlinn (November 6, 2003 )
I really enjoyed this version, especially the fact that none of the wit was taken out of it, and Another Lady managed to use the same language to make it almost seamless. A very good version, IMHO.

        Written by Jenny C (November 6, 2003 )
I can't say I enjoyed this continuation. It is by far the best continuation I have read (2 others for Sanditon, and 2 for the Watsons), but it was still crap. The elopement scene was ridiculous without being terribly funny. The Clara subplot was way off what I think JA intended, and there were some bits of Sidney's character which I didn't think rang true with his actions. I don't read continuations or sequels any more. :(

Review by JennyAllen, 12/9/2003
Austen's fragment Sanditon begins when a Mr. and Mrs. Parker have the misfortune (or is it fortune?) to overturn their carrage in front of the Heywood home.  Mr. Parker sprains his ankle in the accident an event
which inspires the Heywoods, though complete strangers, to invite the Parkers to stay with them till his ankle is healed.  During this time they discover that Mr. Parker is a gentlemen of means who has put his money into speculation on the latest up and coming resort, Sanditon.  He urges the Heywoods to visit him there, but being sensible homebodies, they offer their daughter Charlotte as a better choice as a companion.

Charlotte becomes the main character of the novel, and her impressions of the people at Sanditon melt with the narrative voice, in typical Austenian style.  We meet the headstrong pennypincher Lady Denham who > has invested heavily in Sanditon one suspects an effort to promote the sale of her Asses' milch to any invalid visitors.  Lady Denham's family by marraige, the verbose and dispicable Sir Edward and his sister hover around her in order to win favor and some of the fortune.  Lady Denham has a poor neice, Clara Bareton, who appears to be the object of Sir Edward's affection, though we are never sure how she feels about him because she is as shy and retiring as a poor relation in an Austen novel should be. 

Soon we meet the Parker's siblings Susan, Diana and Arthur who are all
terrible hypochondriacs whose antics provide much of the comic relief of the book.  Arthur'a treatise on unbuttered toast hurting the coats of his stomach is a delight.  We are continually tantilized by the absent > Sydney Parker who is reknowned in the neighborhood as a witty and lively fellow and a handsome and eligible bachelor to boot.  Sadly he is not introduced until the very last pages of Austen's writing and it is left to the Other Lady to form his character for the most part.  She does a reasonable job with this, making Sydney into a more affable and charming version of his meddling sisters, with a bit of Henry Tilney thrown in. 

The chief problem that the Other Lady faces is trying to match the style of Austen's writing which is always perfectly balanced between concrete detail and generalization. The Other Lady too often tells us about a scene instead of showing it.  She is also impatient during scenes where Austen would revel.  Instead of slowly unfolding a tea party, teasing us with long passages of the hypochondriacs interspersed with bits of Sydney, she seems eager to be rid of the annoying Parkers and then tells us that Sydney was very charming and made the time fly by for Charlotte.  Jane would have handled that mostly through dialogue I feel.  When one reads Austen one feels securely in the hands of a master technician as well as a master artist.  Her pace is exactly what it should be and her plot never gets away from her.  It felt like at times that The Other Lady was just letting the story flow where it may with no real plan in her head except of vague idea of who ends up with whom. 

On the other hand, the Other Ladies' set pieces such a long walk in
which various couples pair up and attempt to get along with another  is handled in a way that is amusing and would make Austen proud I think.  There are shades of Fanny in the Wilderness and Anne watching Captain Wentworth with the Miss Musgroves in this section.   The Other Lady has done her homework and her details about fabric and carraiges are correct to the period without being too showy.  She gives us a world, but lets us live in it instead of just site seeing.

Sanditon by Another Lady is a successful continuation of the fragment left by Jane Austen.  Though the other lady is not as funny as Austen and some of her attempts at humor seem a bit forced, I think it is true to the spirit of the characters and the plot as Austen set it into motion.  I would recommend it to other Austen fans with the caveat that it ain't Jane, but it's pretty good anyway.

        Written by LizzieT (5/14/2004 11:42 p.m.) 

I can't speak for others, but I enjoyed it very much. The version I speak of is finished by "Another Lady" -- it is out of print, but your local library might have it.

        Written by KatherineO (5/18/2004 5:48 p.m.) 

 Sandition by JA and "Another Lady" is still in print in the US. I love it, it is very satisfying and quite funny. And it has a pretty purple and white cover. have fun exploring it!

        Written by Miranda (5/19/2004 9:02 p.m.) 

 I picked up the book at the library last week and stayed up all night to finish it. I loved it, but could tell it was NOT JA. I thought Sidney was a rattle and busybody for most of it and his redemption seems a little rushed but it's still a great story and I'm so relieved to have Charlotte's story wrapped up. I just loved her character when I was reading JA's fragment and then, BOOM! it stopped and I wanted to know what happened to her. Thanks for the recommendation.

        Written by JennyAllan (5/18/2004 5:40 p.m.)

The version by "Another Lady" is quite good. You CAN definitely tell when the JA portion ends and the "other lady's" portion begins though. (What a tough job to have to follow up JA in the very same book). I think she has some humorous moments that JA would be proud of (little set pieces where the trivial goings on become of great importance to the story), but is often not in complete control of plot. When I read JA I'm always aware that she knows exactly what she is doing and where she is going with things. But there are times when the latter half of this version of Sanditon just seems to noodle around too much.

But the outcome of the romance is very satisfying and Sidney turns out to be very likeable (but flawed) hero. His character reminds me of Emma in some respects, but I won't say any more to keep from spoiling the book.

        Written by Sandra (November 20, 2004 )
I have also enjoyed Sandition by Jane Austen and Another Lady. This is a continuation of a book that Jane Austen never finished. She started the first 11 chapters.