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Six Weeks by the Sea

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Six Weeks by the Sea

By: Paula Byrne
Narrated by: Anna Burnett, Paula Byrne
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From the bestselling biographer and author of the book that inspired the BBC TV series – Jane Austen Rise of a Genius – comes a gorgeously escapist novel about the summer the greatest romance novelist fell in love

‘A glorious romantic retelling’ SUN

‘Delicious’ THE TIMES

‘The Jane Austen beach book fans have been waiting for' KIRKUS

1801, Sidmouth.

The Austen family descends upon a fashionable seaside resort in Devonshire for a six-week holiday. Jane's brother, Frank, is on leave from the Royal Navy, and dearly wishes to unite his sister with his friend Captain Peter Parker. But another holidaymaker, a handsome stranger, catches sight of Jane and is determined to make her acquaintance.

This rival to Captain Parker is Samuel Rose: a lawyer, literary man and abolitionist. As the weeks pass, Jane's relationship with both men brings about unexpected surprises. By the end of the summer, the course of her life will have changed forever.

‘I felt like I was reading a Jane Austen’ Kylie Pentelow, Woman’s Hour

©2025 Paula Byrne (P)2025 Harper Collins Publishers Coming of Age Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Regency Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

‘A summer romance… Byrne imagines the twentysomething Jane Austen, on holiday in Sidmouth, falling for the lawyer Samuel Rose – a perfect foil, being a cross between Mr Darcy and Mr Knightley Spectator
‘This slender, bittersweet novel is fan fiction, but of a superior kind, a Regency-set novel open to contemporary sensibilities … It is a delicious set-up and one that Byrne brings deft expertise to’ The Times
'No one is better qualified than Byrne to imagine and expand upon Austen’s true romance. Her treasure chest of Austen knowledge and her ability to spiritually inhabit historical figures are displayed to fine advantage in Six Weeks by the Sea. With Austen’s 250th birthday coming up in December, Byrne’s charming novel is a fine way to start the party' Washington Post
‘There are treats aplenty for Austen fans' Financial Times
‘A glorious romantic retelling’ Sun
‘A tantalising tale’ Daily Mail
‘I felt like I was reading a Jane Austen’ Woman’s Hour, Kylie Pentelow
'A cleverly imagined love story woven over a scaffolding of fact. Austen’s family did indeed visit the seaside town of Sidmouth for six weeks in the summer of 1801, and her adored brother Frank did join them on shore leave from the British Navy. His friend Captain Peter Parker, however, is Byrne’s invention, while the lawyer Samuel Rose, another candidate for Jane’s attentions, is inspired by a real person who never crossed paths with Austen. The Jane Austen beach book fans have been waiting for' Kirkus Reviews
'Offering deeper insights into relationships, including Jane’s much-speculated-on romantic connections, amid quiet moments of domestic life, Six Weeks by the Sea is an appropriately Austenesque novel of manners. Addressing serious social issues as seen through period-appropriate perspectives may provide modern readers new understanding of Jane Austen and her world'
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I’ve read a lot of Austen adjacent books and this book seems to have caught her voice exactly. No wonder, when you consider the scholarship of the author. An utter delight

Stunningly good

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