annebennett1957's review
3.0
Did i love these unfinished books? No. Did I dislike them? No. They were both teases from the great Jane Austen. It is so sad she never finished them. Yet we have our imaginations and can imagine where she might have taken the stories.
I do have one gripe, though. I read The Dover edition of the books. They presented the text in the shortcut methods Austen used as she was writing. For example if she was referring to Lord Osborne, she wrote L with a little d above it, like it was L to the d power in math. It took me extra time to figure out what she was talking about. And the paragraphs were almost non-existent. Both of these made the reading especially difficult. Dover Press could have taken pity of the reader and corrected these issues. Ugh.
I did read Sanditon once as completed by A LADY. I liked that version quite a lot. In fact I recommend it.
I do have one gripe, though. I read The Dover edition of the books. They presented the text in the shortcut methods Austen used as she was writing. For example if she was referring to Lord Osborne, she wrote L with a little d above it, like it was L to the d power in math. It took me extra time to figure out what she was talking about. And the paragraphs were almost non-existent. Both of these made the reading especially difficult. Dover Press could have taken pity of the reader and corrected these issues. Ugh.
I did read Sanditon once as completed by A LADY. I liked that version quite a lot. In fact I recommend it.
beetific's review
4.0
I don't think it's fair to really judge these two works, as they're both unfinished, but I did for the most part enjoy them- The Watsons more than Sanditon. The Watsons reads more like a traditional Austen novel, and reminded me quite a bit of Pride & Prejudice and Emma. I really wish she were able to complete it, as I liked my introductions to the characters and was curious as to how the story would play out with the three suitors that Austen introduces (although there's a note in my edition that mentions how Austen intended the story to end, it's not the same as reading the how!). Sanditon is quite a departure from most of Austen's works- there seems to be a lot less dialogue (my favorite part of reading Austen!!) and it centers mostly around illness and hypochondriacs (unsurprising given she started writing it towards the end of her life when she herself was quite ill).
gitanita's review
4.0
The two novels that Miss Jane Austen started are so promising and show a glimpse of her well-known with and sharpness of tongue. It makes me really sad when I think why the novels aren't finished. Both drafts end when the the things are just getting interested and the pull I feel towards continuing to read something that doesn't exist is just too strong and sad.
leyla_ly's review against another edition
4.0
He llorado por no tener el final de Sanditon. Los 11 primeros (y únicos) capítulos que escribió fueron preciosos, y parecía que la historia cogería un buen ritmo.
Dejamos las cosas a medias cuando nos morimos y esté libro es un buen ejemplo de ello. Un boceto tan precioso de lo que puedo haber sido una gran obra
Dejamos las cosas a medias cuando nos morimos y esté libro es un buen ejemplo de ello. Un boceto tan precioso de lo que puedo haber sido una gran obra
sryoung's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
adambwriter's review
4.0
This rating refers to The Watsons. Review will be posted at Roof Beam Reader.
margaretkearney's review
3.0
July 2018-It's a shame we never got endings to these as I would have liked to see how they ended. I think of the two Sanditon was my favourite. It was just more fun and absurd. I will say that there are some very old terms for people of colour which did catch me off guard.
amy_haynes's review
4.0
Enjoyable but obviously unfinished. I did enjoy the characters and tone created in such a short amount of time in both books.
ifitsnotbaroque's review
3.0
The Watsons was ok, apparently her plans for it were used in later novels.
Sanditon (Austen was thinking of calling it The Brothers) was very different from her other works. Seems to have more mentions of the people working for the middle classed characters. More chapters concentrating on a male character than her other works. Mr. Parker, a father trying to provide for his family in a tough business venture, seems to be given as much or more attention as the young unmarried Charlotte who in other Austen works would be the clear main character.
Of course it is sad to get to the end of this unfinished work. Obviously it would have been wonderful if Austen could have finished this, polished it with her sparkling wit, and lived a lovely long life. The PBS mini series did a good job spinning it out but there were quite a few historical inaccuracies...the show and work both leave you unsatisfied but hey, an Austen fanatic during the COVID 19 “stay at home” order has to do *something*, right?
Sanditon (Austen was thinking of calling it The Brothers) was very different from her other works. Seems to have more mentions of the people working for the middle classed characters. More chapters concentrating on a male character than her other works. Mr. Parker, a father trying to provide for his family in a tough business venture, seems to be given as much or more attention as the young unmarried Charlotte who in other Austen works would be the clear main character.
Of course it is sad to get to the end of this unfinished work. Obviously it would have been wonderful if Austen could have finished this, polished it with her sparkling wit, and lived a lovely long life. The PBS mini series did a good job spinning it out but there were quite a few historical inaccuracies...the show and work both leave you unsatisfied but hey, an Austen fanatic during the COVID 19 “stay at home” order has to do *something*, right?