Overblown and Messy . While Julia Barrett touches on the language "spoken" in Jane Austen's novels, it's not expressed with any feeling or wit.  The words seem to be a jumble of Austenique words placed to look good, but not sound good.  After chapter 11 the book goes into a million different directions, is narrated from several characters points of view, leaves almost no room for the main characters (Charlotte Heywood) views to be expressed, her feelings to be voiced and is just plain messy.    In most of Austen's novels, you have an opportunity to see the relationship grow between the main charactor and her "intended".  In Charlotte, you wonder how they fell in love at all.  They rarely see one another, they rarely speak and when they do, it's mostly short and nonsensible.      Then there is the plot line, or rather shall I say lines for there are several (thank you Mr. Collins).  There is the plot to save Sandition by gaining a physician, by adding a Crescent, allowing racing gentleman and their horses (and then the sub-plot to this to keep them out)and then the smuggling and bootlegging.  Dear me!  How did anything get done?  I confess, I got bored and just scanned the rest of the book!  Honestly, I was disgusted.      If you love Austen's last novel and would like to see how she may have ended it, let me recommend a book far superior to Charlotte.  Instead try Sandition.      Sandition does tend to get a little flowery in some places.  Charlotte Heywood does tend to get a little flustered and unable to speak her mind around Sidney Parker.  However on the whole, it's a much more convincing end to Austen's last attempt.  The characters actually grow.  They learn.  Here is an example.    In Charlotte: Arthur Parker is an "invalid" who learns that perhaps he is not so invalid and then spends the rest of the book remarking to his intended, also thinking herself an invalid, about how herorically he withstands his difficulties with stomach ailments.  To which she agrees and says that they only can know how much each endurs to live with this horrid desease.  And then they proceed to expound on how proud they are over their problems and attempt to live with them.  (sigh).    In Sandition:  Arthur Parker is an "invalid" who realizes that perhaps, not only is he NOT an invalid but that there are people fairing far worse then him and do not complain.  He falls for a young woman who truly is fragile but makes no complaints, only attempts to live each good day she has to the fullest.  He learns from her what it is to be healthy.  They both grow and support each other in a common goal that gets them out of a smoke filled tea room and into the fresh sea breezes.  He collects and she draws what he collects.  He learns to protect her (instead of whining over his bouts and supposed illnesses) and she learns to be stronger.      Sandition is also a book in which you can actually SEE Charlotte and Sidney fall in love.  You can watch her struggle over "does he or does he not".  It's a much more delightful alternative to all the "our herione" and "our hero" and "my herione" and "my hero"'s that go on in Charlotte (if I read one more of those I thought I would choke).      So, to sum up?  Don't Don't Don't waste your time, money or energy on Charlotte, but DO get Sandition.  It's a welcome addition to Jane Austen's library
Output: NEG