Lady Susan: I thought this epistolary novella was brilliantly done, considering its length. Austen did a great job at depicting the characters in just letters, and the drama was interesting and kept me turning the pages. This one was probably my favorite of the three.

The Watsons: This one was meh. I know it was incomplete, but it reminded me of a combination of Mansfield Park and Emma which are my two least favorite complete novels. Not very memorable.

Sanditon: I was shocked at how underdeveloped this story was. I knew it was incomplete, but I didn’t realize it was that incomplete. I had watched the show before reading it, and I think the show was well down considering how little they had to work with. I definitely think I would’ve liked Sanditon more if it has been complete, and if the romance had been able to play out completely.

And hence completes my reading of Austen’s works. This took over a year, but it was definitely worth it. I had a great time, and I found some new favorite books along the way. ( )

12/3/22

I read Lady Susan five years ago, and I finally read Sanditon this time. Because I plan on checking out the Masterpiece television drama based on Austen's last novel, I wanted to read the batch of chapters she finished before she died.

I also wanted to get a glimpse of Miss Lambe, the only Black/mixed race character Austen ever created. ( )

Read 22 pages. Couldn't get into it. Taking a break.

Lady Susan is a treat, with a deliciously wicked title character; it's slightly trashy and catty as hell and I really can't recommend it enough.

The Watsons is an abandoned novel of an impoverished woman of respectable family trying to find a suitable match; it's little more than a sketch and most of what's there looks like it would become parts of Austen's major novels. The unfinished Sanditon is a satirical look at a seaside resort and is much more polished than the other two works; it has the seeds of what could have been a masterpiece. ( )