From the Bookshelf of Jane Austen's Books & Adaptations…

Lady Susan / The Watsons / Sanditon

Jane Austen,

Margaret Drabble (Introduction)

Start date: March 1, 2021

Finish date: April 23, 2021

Discussion: Books/Adaptations of the Month

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 21 topics — 281 comments total

Books/Adaptations of the Month

August 2024 Watch: Sense and Sensibility: the Musical by Paul Gordon
By Zuzana · 6 posts · 3 views

last updated Aug 24, 2024 01:04PM

July 2024 Watch: Sense and Sensibility (1971)
By Zuzana · 6 posts · 4 views

last updated Aug 03, 2024 06:08AM

showing 1 of 1 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Feb 02, 2020 Laurie B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

I have been a Jane Austen devotee since I first read Pride and Prejudice in adolescence, but while I've read and reread all of her published novels over the years, I hadn't yet read these unfinished works. Perhaps I didn't want to be left wondering how they would have ended. Or maybe I thought it was intrusive to read things Austen didn't release to the public herself. Even after reading and thoroughly enjoying this collection, I admit that I still wonder how Austen would feel about her rough dr I have been a Jane Austen devotee since I first read Pride and Prejudice in adolescence, but while I've read and reread all of her published novels over the years, I hadn't yet read these unfinished works. Perhaps I didn't want to be left wondering how they would have ended. Or maybe I thought it was intrusive to read things Austen didn't release to the public herself. Even after reading and thoroughly enjoying this collection, I admit that I still wonder how Austen would feel about her rough drafts being out in the world...She needn't have worried, however, as even her unpolished drafts are enjoyable - a testament to her brilliance.

This collections contains three of Austen's manuscripts, as well as an introduction and various notes by Margaret Drabble. Drabble's thoughts are also enjoyable to read and quite helpful. Her introduction does discuss specific details of the stories, so readers who do not wish to have those details spoiled are warned to read it afterwards. I read it first and then found it helpful to revisit each section after finishing each story. I also read the notes at the end of the book first, and they provided a particularly fascinating peek at Austen's writing process, as well as the challenges involved in presenting her rough drafts to modern readers.

Lady Susan
I was afraid I would not enjoy this novella, the one complete but unpublished piece in the collection, after reading about the wickedness of the the titular character. However, as a melodramatic piece, rather than a serious one, it was fun to read. It was still my least favorite and most challenging read, however. It is written in epistolary form, a style Austen did not continue, and I found it difficult to remember who was who when I put the book down. It took work to reorient myself and be able to follow what was happening. I also found the conclusion to be unsatisfying as the narrator explains that the correspondence couldn't be kept up and then info dumps all the important details, just when things were really getting interesting. It seemed to me that Austen tired of the epistolary style and penned a hasty conclusion just to be done with it. Obviously, she didn't pursue publication for one reason or another, so this is not a critique - just an observation. Lady Susan is still an interesting read, as it's quite different from Austen's published novels.

The Watsons
I really enjoyed The Watsons and it struck me as the most similar to Austen's published work. How I wanted more! Drabble gives plausible reasons for why Austen may have chosen not to finish this book, and one can certainly see how she reused certain elements in her later novels. Still, I think this would have become a classic alongside her others, had she finished it. Some reviewers have remarked on its similarities to Pride and Prejudice, but when you take into account the notes on how Austen planned to finish it, you can see how it would have deviated in interesting ways. At least we do have those notes so we aren't left wondering, but I'm still a bit sad that Austen never finished it.

Sanditon
I also really enjoyed Sanditon - a very humorous story that is NOTHING like the current television adaptation, by the way (don't even get me started). Humorous as the story is, it is the most tragic inclusion in the collection because Austen died before she could finish it, and we have no way of knowing where she planned to take the story. From what we do have, it is clear that it would have been fantastic. It's such a shame she wasn't able to see it through to completion.

In conclusion, I am happy that I finally chose to read these unfinished pieces, as they have only enriched my understanding of Austen and her writing. I will leave you with Drabble's opening lines, with which I wholeheartedly agree: "There are some great writers who wrote too much. There are others who wrote enough. There are yet others who wrote nothing like enough to satisfy their admirers, and Jane Austen is certainly one of these." ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2024 Zuzana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jane-austen, classics

This was a re-read, and what more is there to say than that Jane Austen is a brilliant author? Lady Susan is a laugh-out-loud delight, featuring a wonderfully wicked heroine. One can only wish Austen had more time—if not to complete The Watsons (which she abandoned), then at least Sanditon, left unfinished due to her untimely death.

1 like · Like · see review