Review: Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer edited by Christina Boyd

Source: Review copy from Meryton Press
Rating: ★★★★☆

“You honestly expect me to splash about in the brine, naked as the day I was born?” Darcy scoffed.  “I think not.”

“Prig.”

“Just because I prefer privacy and prudence does not signify I am prudish.  I swim — without clothing, I’ll have you know — at Pemberley Lake.”

(from Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer, “Spyglasses & Sunburns” by J. Marie Croft)

Quick Summary: Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer is Meryton Press’ first short-story anthology featuring eight feel-good tales of summer, most of which involve Jane Austen’s novels and characters in some way.  Included in the collection are several takes on Pride and Prejudice, from a young Darcy’s education in becoming a great lover to Anne de Bourgh’s splash in the sea at Sanditon to the confessions of foolishness and love at a masquerade ball.  Sun-Kissed also features modern-day takes on Persuasion and Northanger Abbey set on the beach and a sweet non-Austen-related story about how a chance encounter can turn one’s life upside down.

Why I wanted to read it: Short stories, particularly lighthearted, romantic stories with a Jane Austen connection, sound perfect for the beach…or at least when you’re dreaming about a beach excursion.

What I liked: The selection of stories was fantastic.  I enjoyed the mix of period and modern-day stories and the mix of new-to-me authors and authors whose work I’ve enjoyed in the past.  I also was impressed that Sanditon was included; Austen’s unfinished novel about a seaside resort begs to be included in a summer anthology, and it was nice to see those characters mingling with characters from Pride and Prejudice.  I loved or at least really liked every story in the collection, and despite their brevity, I felt like I really got to know the characters, and each had a satisfying ending.

What I disliked: That there were only eight stories in the anthology.  Don’t get me wrong, the anthology was the perfect length, but once I was immersed in the collection, I didn’t want it to end.

Final thoughts: Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer is the perfect summer read for fans of Austen-inspired fiction, with a little something for everyone.  Hats off to the editor, Christina Boyd, for helping to create an anthology that flows beautifully from story to story and provides enough variety to both satisfy readers and keep them wanting more.  Although I didn’t read this book at the beach, these authors and their delightful tales transported me to the sun and surf at least for a few hours.

Meryton Press will be releasing a holiday-romance-themed anthology late this fall. The short story contest for that volume is now open for submissions. Click here for further details: Official Rules

Disclosure: I received Sun-Kissed: Effusions of Summer from Meryton Press for review.

© 2015 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

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Review: Sanditon by Jane Austen

Source: Personal library
Rating: ★★★★★

Sir Edward’s great object in life was to be seductive. — With such personal advantages as he knew himself to possess, and such talents as he did also give himself credit for, he regarded it as his duty. — He felt that he was formed to be a dangerous man — quite in the line of the Lovelaces. — The very name of Sir Edward he thought, carried some degree of fascination with it. — To be generally gallant and assiduous about the fair, to make fine speeches to every pretty girl, was but the inferior part of the character he had to play.

(from Sanditon in Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon, page 191)

Jane Austen was writing Sanditon when she fell ill, beginning the manuscript on January 17, 1817, ending chapter 12 on March 18, 1817, and dying on July 18, 1817, at the age of 41 without having finished it.  It’s sad that we’ll never know Austen’s plans for her characters, an eccentric bunch that I found very amusing.

Sanditon opens with a carriage accident.  Mr. Thomas Parker, intent on finding a doctor for Sanditon — the fishing village he hopes to turn into a bustling seaside resort — has driven the carriage on an impassible road.  And come to find out, he and his wife are in the wrong Willingden — the Willingden without a doctor.  The Parkers are taken in by the Heywoods so Mr. Parker can recover from a twisted ankle, and the new friendship prompts the Parkers to take the young Charlotte Heywood — the likely heroine of the novel — to see the progress being made in Sanditon.

In Sanditon, Charlotte meets a host of entertaining people, including Lady Denham, a twice married woman (the first time for money, the second time for a title) reminiscent of Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice and Thomas Parker’s partner in developing Sanditon; Sir Edward Denham, who rambles on about poetry and novels and views himself as a seducer of women; Diana, Susan, and Arthur Parker, Thomas’ hypochondriac siblings; and Sydney Parker, Thomas’ fashionable younger brother who probably would have emerged as the hero.  Austen was brilliant when it came to providing humorous social commentary.  In this novel, she juxtaposes characters who favor the old way with characters who favor development and showcases hypochondriacs alongside those whose health actually is poor enough to benefit from the seaside air.

Sanditon had the potential to be a great novel.  Charlotte could have been as wise and strong a heroine as Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.  Sydney Parker hardly makes an appearance, so who knows whether he would have given Mr. Darcy a run for his money.  Some of the characters were so exaggerated and ridiculous (Sir Edward and Diana, in particular) that I nearly laughed out loud, and to be honest, when I got to the end of chapter 12 and the book ended abruptly, I was sad.  I’d grown attached to these characters in just a handful of pages, and the story hadn’t been developed enough for me to guess how things might have played out.  I’m glad I knew in advance that the novel was unfinished, and I’m not sorry I read it.  In fact, I think it is a worthwhile read for any Austen fan.

Disclosure: Sanditon is from my personal library.

© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

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‘By the Seaside with Sanditon,’ a Celebration of Jane Austen’s Last Novel at Austenprose

Laurel Ann from Austenprose is hosting “By the seaside with Sanditon” this week.  Sanditon, Jane Austen’s last, unfinished novel, is one of the books I chose for the Jane Austen Challenge, so I thought this week-long event was the perfect excuse to read it.

Sanditon is a very short book, with a cast of interesting characters gathered in an emerging seaside village.  There’s plenty of time to grab a copy of the book and read along, and those of you without a copy at your fingertips can still follow the discussion (and even enter to win a copy).

Here’s what Laurel Ann has planned:

Monday, March 15 — Introduction to Sanditon and character list

Tuesday, March 16 — Discussion of chapters 1-4 and review of The Watsons and Sandition (Naxos AudioBooks)

Wednesday, March 17 — Julie of AustenOnly guest blogs about Regency-era seaside resorts

Thursday, March 18 — Discussion of chapters 5-8, the history of the manuscript, and a discussion of Sir Edward Denham the seducer

Friday, March 20 — Mandy N. guest blogs about Regency-era seaside fashions

Saturday, March 21 — Discussion of chapters 9-12 and review of Sanditon (Hesperus Press)

Sunday, March 22 — Event wrap up

© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.

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