'A glorious romantic retelling' THE SUN 'Fan fiction but of a superior kind' THE TIMES 'A
tantalising tale' DAILY MAIL 'There are treats aplenty for Austen fans' FT -- Summer 1801.
Sidmouth England. The Austen Family descends upon a fashionable Georgian 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. Set
against the backdrop of Austen's family the tensions of the war against France and naval and
colonial politics Six Weeks by the Sea is the fascinating story of how the most famous romance
writer of all time fell in love for the first time. -- '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
