Publication Date: August 5, 2025
A vivid historical novel about Jane Austen that explores a question that has fascinated Janeites for years—Austen wrote some of the greatest love stories in existence, but did she ever fall in love?
When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one compensation: the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.
To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane’s affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his bi-racial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies.
Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom. . . .
Written with a same wit and style that echos Austen herself, Paula Byrne expertly interweaves her deep knowledge of Austen and her world to imagine and give voice to the most romantic summer of the beloved author’s short life.
Jane Austen’s love stories continue to resonate with today’s readers. In fact, one of the hotly debated questions about Jane is whether her work was inspired by personal experience.
Author Paula Byrne uses historical and biographical information to craft Six Weeks by the Sea. While categorized as fiction, the author’s meticulous research resonates throughout the story.
Not only does the storyline unfold using language common to the time period, but the style is distinctly Austenesque. Using the seaside as the setting reinforces Jane’s love of the area.
At the heart of the plot are themes of family, friendship, social issues of the day, and love. Did Jane form any romantic attachments during the holiday?
Six Weeks by the Sea will thrill Austen fans who ponder about the beloved author’s romantic encounters.
Paula Byrne is the critically acclaimed author of five biographies, including Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice, The Real Jane Austen, The Genius of Jane Austen, and Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead. She lives in New York City with her husband, the academic and biographer Jonathan Bate.
