Which Jane Austen novel is your perfect summer read?

Hopefully, the sun is still shining wherever you are. If you’re lucky, you might still have time to jet off to somewhere warm or peaceful for a little bit of well-earned rest and relaxation. If you’re anywhere near as tightfisted and thrifty as I am, the question of which books to cram into the limited real estate of my carry-on is a perplexing one. Though I have caved to the e-Reader convenience for travelling these last few years, nothing beats shielding your face from the sun with a good old paper book. 

If you’ve been struggling to pick which Jane Austen novel you should pack for your holidays, this post is for you. I’m going to look at each of Jane Austen’s novels and consider what kind of trip you might take to best accompany each.

The bucket list items: Emma and Pride and Prejudice

Are you the type of holiday-goer who likes to cram it all in? Maybe you like a self-improvement project, or marching round a city taking in all of the sights. This one is probably me - I work in a school, so have the luxury of long stretches of holiday that I can use to unwind from the hectic work weeks. The summer break presents something of a challenge as it is easy to while away the whole six weeks doing absolutely nothing. More power to you if you want to do that, but eventually that starts to get to me. 

One of the best ways to get around this feeling of lethargy is to have a bit of a project, or at least plenty of plans to get out of the house, or even the city. Emma and Pride and Prejudice are Austen’s two most famous novels and there’s a decent chance that these would represent a reread for many Austen blog readers. This makes them perfect for busy trips where you only have time to dip in and out of a familiar story, or a perfect part of a bucket list project to read as many classics in one summer as you can. The themes of learning from your mistakes and prejudices present in both novels make both Pride and Prejudice and Emma the perfect candidates for a summer of self-improvement and exploration! 

Recommended for: city breaks, yoga retreats and hiking holidays.

The beach reads: Persuasion and Mansfield Park

Maybe you’re all about relaxing and unwinding whilst you’re on holiday. You’re looking for a Jane Austen novel that you can get immersed in, perhaps one of the ones you haven’t picked up yet. Persuasion is possibly Austen’s most emotionally mature reads, which benefits from a slow pace and careful reading. It also is set by the seaside for a good chunk, featuring British seaside holiday mainstay Lyme Regis. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a chunkier read to get stuck into, Mansfield Park is Austen’s lengthiest work, with most editions clocking in over 400 pages. If you want to really get to know a character and stay with them through their coming-of-age, Fanny Price is the character to stay with.

Recommended for: Seaside stays and fly-and-flop type holidays 

The rainy day reads: Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility 

You don’t have to go anywhere fancy to take some time to yourself this summer. Unfortunately, if you’re staying here in rainy Britain, this might mean cosying up in the house instead of reclining in the sun. We can still make the most of it, though! If you’re staying at home, or maybe not getting some time off until the summer starts to turn to autumn, I’d recommend Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility.

Northanger Abbey is, in my humble opinion, the closest Jane Austen comes to writing a genre novel. A gothic pastiche and coming-of-age novel, Northanger is one of Austen’s most fun and silly novels, with a little bit of spookiness sprinkled in. This has all the romantic and social interest Jane Austen is known for with an escapist twist. 

Sense and Sensibility is on the other end of the spectrum of Austen’s work, but still a valuable read for a rainy day. Sense and Sensibility was Austen’s first published novel, so it is interesting to read it in conjunction with her later work to see how the themes and topics she chooses to explore are beginning to develop in her earlier work. Perhaps combine a reading of Sense and Sensibility with another of Austen’s novels, to see if you can identify any similarities or progressions with her other work.

Recommended for: Staycations and coffee shop trips

What do you think? Did I get these recommendations right or am I totally off-base? Will you be reading or rereading any Austen this summer? Let us know!