Description

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

Publisher Review

Praise for The Real Jane Austen:

‘The theatrical zest of the narrative, which is a tie-in with a movie of the same name, holds it all together’ The Times

‘The portrait of Austen that emerges is sparklingly multi-faceted, catching the light in intriguing ways … her Jane is far less likely to go for a quiet walk in the garden than she is to be whisked into town in search of a velvet cushion, a necklace or a smart new dress’ Mail on Sunday

‘Engaging, compelling, a delightful and engrossing book. Of course we all know that the “real” Jane Austen will forever be a mystery, but most 21st century Janeites will adore this one. Byrne’s passion is nothing if not persuasive’ Sunday Times

‘Brilliantly illuminating … riveting. By focusing, chapter by chapter, on one thread or another of Austen’s experience, Byrne allows us to grasp the richness of her inner life’ Guardian