‘If someone insists their feet are always firmly on the ground, how else can you discover if their head is sometimes in the clouds?’

Sadly left unfinished after Austen’s death, Sanditon is a witty social commentary on the rise of capitalist culture that echoes the genius of the author’s earlier works.

When Charlotte Heywood is invited to a newly established seaside resort by the idealistic Mr Parker, she doesn’t quite know what to expect. While her new acquaintance busies himself with grand plans of renovation for the town, Charlotte finds herself getting to know the locals: a vibrant cast of eccentric hypochondriacs, ex-soldiers, gamblers and bored high-class folk looking for some form of adventure. And, of course, Mr Parker’s handsome son, Sidney, who returns to his hometown to meet with old friends – someone Charlotte wouldn’t be opposed to crossing paths with again… But as Charlotte begins to familiarise herself with the resort, she turns ever more sceptical to Mr Parker’s proposition of modernisation. With shrewd social observation, entertaining characterisation and moments of tenderness, Sanditon is a clever portrayal of a small town’s unique ecosystem, and the ever-changing world in which it inhabits.

Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) was an English novelist. She is best known for her use of social commentary, wit and realism in her writing, which focussed on the English landed gentry in the eighteenth century. Austen’s novels have rarely been out of print, and have become some of the most widely adapted works in the history of English literature. She is still widely read and studied to this day.