Sanditon by Jane Austen & Kate Riordan (Sanditon Review Roundup Blog Tour by Austenprose)

I have had some computer issues that have put me behind on reviews.  My windows decided to update and make my computer nonfunctional.  I’m luckily back on my computer with fingers crossed that this won’t happen again.

Have you been watching Sanditon on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS?  It is an enjoyable regency series and I must admit that I love Theo James and his portrayal of Sidney Parker.  The series keeps getting better with time and leaves us with quite a cliffhanger.  I sincerely hope it comes back for a second season.

Sanditon is Jane Austen’s last fragment of a novel.  It leaves delicious possibilities in its brief eleven chapters for where Austen would have taken the story.  Tom Parker has made it his life’s mission to make the coastal town of Sanditon into a seaside destination, especially for those looking to improve their health.  After an unfortunate accident while looking for a doctor for Sanditon, the Parkers take Charlotte Heywood back to Sanditon with them.  As the daughter of a large country family of gentleman, Charlotte has not had much opportunity to travel.

While staying with the Parkers in Sanditon, Charlotte meets a host of interesting people.  Lady Denham has the wealth that Tom Parker needs to fund the improvements in Sanditon.  Her young cousin Clara lives with her hoping to be her heir. Lady Denham’s niece and nephew by marriage, Sir Edward and Esther Denham also hope to be made heirs.  A party of ladies come to visit Sanditon causing excitement, especially when an heiress from the West Indies, Georgiana Lambe is part of the party.  Miss Lambe had a white English father, and a black African mother.  Tom’s brother, Sidney, comes to town with friends and immediately attracts and annoys Charlotte.  She is also intrigued by the building of the community that is going on as well and befriends Young Stringer, the son of the stonemason that is the construction foreman.  I enjoyed the delve into architecture.

It’s interesting how books differ compare to movies and TV shows.  This novel sticks very closely to the Masterpiece Theatre series, but I loved Young Stringer in the book and wanted Charlotte to end up with him, but in the series, Sydney Parker was my favorite for Charlotte.  It’s interesting how acting and the chemistry between the actors can make so much of a difference.

Sanditon was a very enjoyable read to me, but it is not your typical Austen novel.  The action jumps around more quickly due to the nature of it being written based on a TV series and there is a lot more sex in the book than you would see in an Austen novel.  That being said, while the story showed a different world than other Austen novels, many of the core themes were the same with a headstrong woman in the lead and a tall, dark, and infuriating man as her romantic interest.  I enjoyed the side characters as well, especially Georgiana Lambe and Esther Denham.  Esther was the Caroline Bingley or character you despise, but in Sanditon, she reforms her ways and I really liked her by the end.  Georgiana Lambe was such a unique character in an Austen novel being a black heiress in Regency England.  I loved her story and wanted more.

I have previously read Sanditon by Jane Austen and Another Lady and Charlotte by Jane Austen and Julia Barrett over twenty years ago.  Reading this new novel, really makes me want to reread these old continuations to see how the story went in different directions. 

Overall, Sanditon by Jane Austen and Kate Riordan is an entertaining continuation of Jane Austen’s novel.

The World of Sanditon by Sara Sheridan is a wonderful companion book to both the novel and the series. It contains beautiful pictures of the characters including my favorite, Sydney Parker (Theo James).  The book is broken down into sections about Jane Austen, the Seaside, the story of Sanditon itself, life in the Regency era, and health.  It contains fascinating information that can either be read in pieces or you can read the book as a whole.  I’ve enjoyed picking it up and reading tidbits about different topics over time.

Book Source:  Review Copies as a part of the Sanditon Review Roundup.  Thank-you!

QUICK FACTS:

• Title: Sanditon
• Authors: Jane Austen & Kate Riordan
• Based on Andrew Davies’ TV adaptation/continuation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel written in 1817
• As seen on Masterpiece PBS, premiering January 12, 2020
• Review Roundup Dates: January 13—February 28, 2020
• Genre: Austenesque, Historical Fiction
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 10, 2019)
• Length: 400 pages
• Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1538734681
• eBook ASIN: B07XM78XBM
• Audiobook: B081TN5BPR

PURCHASE LINKS:

• Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2NccmER
• Amazon eBook: https://amzn.to/2s9aUeW
• Audible Audiobook: https://amzn.to/2FB4rfT
• Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sanditon-jane-austen/1102126790?ean=9781538734681
• Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Sanditon-Jane-Austen/9781538734681?ref=grid-view&qid=1578606145199&sr=1-1
• Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781538734681
• Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48194940-sanditon?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=6udt3BTfvk&rank=1

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In the vein of Downton Abbey, Jane Austen's beloved but unfinished masterpiece-often considered her most modern and exciting novel-gets a spectacular second act in this tie-in to a major new limited television series.

Written only months before Austen's death in 1817, Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood and her spiky relationship with the humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker. When a chance accident transports her from her rural hometown of Willingden to the would-be coastal resort of the eponymous title, it exposes Charlotte to the intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its commercial success. The twists and turns of the plot, which takes viewers from the West Indies to the rotting alleys of London, exposes the hidden agendas of each character and sees Charlotte discover herself... and ultimately find love.

AUTHOR BIO:

Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist from England. Her first job was as an editorial assistant at the Guardian newspaper, followed by a stint as deputy editor for the lifestyle section of London bible, Time Out magazine. There she had assignments that saw her racing reindeers in Lapland, going undercover in London's premier department store and gleaning writing tips (none-too subtly) during interviews with some of her favorite authors. After becoming a freelancer, she left London behind and moved to the beautiful Cotswolds in order to write her first novel.

SANDITON REVIEW ROUNDUP SCHEDULE:

January 13                Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog

January 14                History Lizzie

January 17                Babblings of a Bookworm

January 20                Confessions of a Book Addict

January 20                Living Read Girl

January 25                Margie’s Must Reads

January 26                My Jane Austen Book Club

February 03              The Lit Bitch

February 10              Unabridged Chick

February 13              Bookfoolery

February 14              Half Agony, Half Hope

February 17              Scuffed Slippers, Wormy Books

February 18              Impressions in Ink

February 23              From Pemberley to Milton

February 24              So Little Time…

February 24              Vesper’s Place

February 26              Austenesque Reviews

February 28              My Vices and Weaknesses

February 28             Laura’s Reviews