Six Weeks by the Sea
In the summer of 1801, Jane Austen, her parents and sister Cassandra decamp to Sidmouth in Devon while their Bath lodgings are being renovated, to meet up with one of her naval brothers, Frank. Two rivals appear for Jane’s affections – Frank’s friend Captain Parker and idealistic lawyer and abolitionist Samuel Rose – one of whom could prove to be the love of her life.
Having enjoyed Byrne’s biography of Mary ‘Perdita’ Robinson, I had high hopes for this novel, which is inspired by a story recorded by an Austen niece as being told to her by Cassandra. The research is (mostly) of a high standard, though there is an odd reference to Cousin Eliza’s son Hastings, suggesting he was a toddler when in fact he was 15, and the occasional breach of etiquette. (Any gentleman worth his salt would escort his partner back to her friends and family at a public ball, before seeking out his next partner.) In her endnotes, the author also admits to tweaking historical facts to suit her purposes in one instance.
Unfortunately, Byrne hasn’t allowed herself to fully inhabit any of her characters. We are told what they feel and think, but never shown them from inside, keeping the reader at a distance. Constant head-hopping isn’t helpful either. The plot is exceedingly slight, which wouldn’t matter if it were executed with more panache. One of the subplots fizzles out halfway through the novel, thus undermining its dramatic potential.
I was moderately entertained spotting direct quotations from the novels and letters (though I’m not sure why Byrne lifted a scene and a character – one of Austen’s trademark charming rogues – straight out of The Watsons, and then failed to make any further use of him). I had, frankly, hoped the book would be wittier and more romantic. Disappointing.
