3 h 28 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a quiet fishing village becomes one man's grand seaside gamble?
Tom Parker stakes his money on turning Sanditon, a small place on the Sussex coast, into a fashionable resort. When Charlotte Heywood comes to visit, his enthusiasm meets her clear, observant eye. Around them gather people eager for health, company or gain, each with reasons to watch the others closely.
In Jane Austen's final unfinished novel, seaside ambition brings money, manners and imagined illnesses into sharp comic focus. Lady Denham holds a fortune others hope to inherit. Sir Edward Denham imagines himself a dangerous lover. Charlotte quietly takes their measure as this new social world begins to unfold. The story remains an opening, not a resolved plot.
What you’ll discover
- A clear-eyed young visitor Watch Charlotte meet schemers and flirts with a cool, amused eye.
- A village chasing fashion Follow Tom Parker's hopes for a seaside resort, with his money at stake.
- Fortune behind the manners Notice how Lady Denham's wealth draws the attention of those hoping to inherit.
- Health as social comedy Meet the Parker relatives, whose remedies and imagined illnesses offer fresh comic possibilities.
- A lover in his imagination Enjoy Sir Edward's vanity as fashionable reading feeds his grand ideas about himself.
Who will love it
For readers who love Austen's wit and enjoy social comedy, seaside settings and sharp observations of money, health and ambition—and anyone curious to see her try something fresh.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A broken carriage brings two worlds together
- One man bets everything on a seaside town
- Charlotte arrives at Sanditon and meets its patroness
- Sir Edward fancies himself a dangerous lover
- The Parker family and their imagined illnesses
- Money, health and how the story is told
Who’s who
- Charlotte HeywoodA sensible, observant young woman of twenty-two from a large country family, who goes to Sanditon and quietly sees through the people she meets.
- Tom ParkerA generous, enthusiastic man who is certain that Sanditon will become a great seaside resort and has staked his money on it.
- Mary ParkerTom's patient and gentle wife, more cautious than her husband and always ready to support his plans.
- Lady DenhamA rich, shrewd and thrifty widow who owns much of Sanditon and is watched closely by those hoping to inherit her fortune.
- Sir Edward DenhamHer nephew, a vain young man who has read too much fashionable poetry and imagines himself a bold and dangerous lover.
- Clara BreretonA pretty, poor young relation who lives with Lady Denham and whose position in the household is uncertain.
- Diana ParkerTom's energetic sister, who loves to organise others and believes in every remedy and ailment.
- Miss LambeA young heiress from the West Indies who comes to Sanditon with her chaperone for the sea air.
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- Audiobook
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Sanditon
by Jane Austen · 1925
Charlotte Heywood visits a seaside town where Tom Parker stakes his money on a fashionable resort.
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In short
Sanditon is the last novel Jane Austen began. She wrote it in 1817, in the final months of her life, while she was growing weaker with the illness that would kill her that July.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A broken carriage brings two worlds together
The story opens on the road between Tunbridge and the Sussex coast. A gentleman and his wife leave the high road to look for a surgeon and take a very rough lane. Their carriage overturns on the steep climb, and the gentleman wrenches his ankle badly. This is Tom Parker, and the lady is his wife Mary.
The accident happens beside a handsome house, and its owners come out to help. They are Mr and Mrs Heywood, a kind and settled country couple with a very large family. They take the Parkers in at once and look after the injured man. The stay lasts a fortnight, and it gives Austen a chance to show the quiet household where her heroine belongs.
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What is Sanditon about?
Sanditon follows Charlotte Heywood, who visits a small Sussex fishing village that a man named Tom Parker hopes to turn into a fashionable seaside resort. She meets its eccentric patrons, invalids and schemers.
Why is Sanditon unfinished?
Jane Austen began writing it in 1817 while seriously ill and stopped after about twelve chapters. She died that year, and the manuscript was left as a fragment.
Who is Lady Denham in Sanditon?
Lady Denham is a rich, elderly and thrifty widow who owns much of the land around Sanditon. She is Tom Parker's chief supporter and is flattered by relatives who hope to inherit from her.
The author
Jane Austen
1775–1817 · English novelist
Jane Austen was an English novelist born in Steventon, Hampshire, in 1775. She lived in Bath, Southampton and Chawton, and died in Winchester in 1817. Her novels included Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815). Northanger Abbey and Persuasion appeared after her death.
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