Published 1817 (posthumous)

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This unfinished novel centres on Charlotte Heywood, the eldest daughter of a country gentleman. At the age of fourteen, she is invited to stay with Mr and Mrs Parker in the fictional seaside town of Sanditon. As their guest she is introduced to polite society, from Lady Denham to her impoverished ward Clara, and the feckless Sidney Parker and his hypochondriac sisters. Charlotte observes romance around her in many guises but finds it difficult to resist the attractions of her heart.