A SUMMER WITH JANE: PAULA BYRNE ON SIX WEEKS BY THE SEA

 

by Maria Grazia, My Jane Austen Book Club

 It is a real pleasure to welcome acclaimed biographer, novelist and Austen scholar Paula Byrne to our blog today. Paula is the author of numerous bestselling works, including Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice, The Real Jane Austen, The Genius of Jane Austen, and Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead, and she is widely respected for the depth, elegance, and originality of her work including biographies, literature, and history.

Her latest novel, Six Weeks by the Sea, offers a compelling blend of historical insight and imaginative storytelling. Set during the summer of 1801, the book follows a young Jane Austen during a six-week holiday in Sidmouth, where she becomes entangled in a quietly dramatic love triangle—with both a dashing Royal Navy captain and a thoughtful, abolitionist lawyer vying for her heart. Drawing on known facts and rich period detail, Paula creates a vivid world of family ties, social pressures, and romantic possibility—all with her signature grace and intelligence.

WHERE ARE TODAY'S MR DARCYS?

 

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Vanity Fair Italia published a delightful and thought-provoking piece by Alessandra Gonnella asking: Where are today’s Mr. Darcys?

Between London parks, dating apps, and Austen's timeless prose, the author reflects on whether the romantic ideals we cherish from Austen’s novels still have a place in our modern lives.

Here’s my English summary of the article, followed by the original (in Italian):

👉 Link to the original article on Vanity Fair Italia: Dove sono i Mr Darcy di oggi?