Sanditon and Other Stories

This is of course only a fragment, and would have been considerably more polished if Jane had been able to finish the novel. But even this proto-story has its charms. I was struck that Austen manages to address three issues of real import in our time: alt-med nonsense, gentrification, and the availability of health care! Oh, and one of the key players coming to town is a super-rich lady of mixed race, from the West Indies - it's so enticing to think what Austen would have made of her character.

This is all of course in the context of some lovable (and some not-so-lovable) characters behaving ridiculously. Mr. Parker is a gem, totally devoted to making Sanditon a hot resort town. I would have loved to see what Austen could do with that idea!