Rating: 
Summary: Not a purist, but disappointed all the same...
Review: I am always eager to read completions of Jane Austen's work, unlike those who find it unthinkable that anyone should touch the gems she left behind. I find Ms. Barrett's work disappointing, however, because it appears to me that it lacks the subtlety and charm so characteristic of Jane Austen's: the minimal changes of place and scene, the delicate development of character through conversation and observation, the wry humor she employs and the focus of thought and action through the eyes of her primary characters. This Charlotte is too full of inconsistencies of characterization and plot (Lady Denham throwing lavish entertainments? Lurid tales of piracy and gambling?) for me, and I didn't enjoy reading it. I liked Sanditon by Another Lady much better - I think she did a lovely job of capturing JA's essence and finishing the novel in a manner more consistent with it's original author's style and pattern.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time, not worth reading
Review: I found this novel terrible and was a waste of time. I can't bare reading another page after chapter 11 where Austen had left it. This is by far the worst novel I've ever read. If you want to read the completed version of Sanditon, I would suggest Sanditon by Another Lady. It's a good novel and was well done compare to this clumsy one. This novel is not at all worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Unwanted and Distgusting display of Writing
Review: I have never read anything so awful in my life. My eight year old cousin could write a better continuation of this book. The diction and use of words in the novel make confusing and difficult to read. I was more than half way through the book and could hardly continue. The plot of the story stopped where Jane Austen had stopped. Julia Barrett dwelled too long on the thoughts of other characters and avoided the main character. The writer would not get on with the story. I suggest the novel Sandition. It is far more superior than this book.
Rating: 
Summary: jane's auten 's charlotte
Review: i read the pages of the book and found it to be a very
exciting book to be read.
thank ,lisa
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I really wanted to like this book, but it pains me to say that is was terrible. I am mystified why the author chose to call the book Charlotte because after JA's portion, Charlotte is rarely mentioned. The rest of the story is a collection of rambling, tedious speeches by minor characters. The story becomes ridiculous when the author introduces piracy and horse racing into Sandition. It ends with the inevitable, but unbelievable uniting of Charlotte to Sidney. It is unbelievable because they have barely had 2 or 3 superficial conversations in all of the author's addition to JA's fragment. Don't waste your time on this one, check out Sandition instead.
Rating:
Summary: Worst book I've ever read cover to cover
Review: I received this as a gift because I am a huge JA fan. I read it through to the end because I read all books related to JA. I cannot believe this book has a rating of 3/5 stars. The plot, as continued by Barrett is absurd in the extreme, and, as others have pointed out, inconsistent and capricious. There is almost no dialogue, a distinct departure from Austen's usual style. A smarmy, confused, verbose narrator conveys most of the "story line." Adding insult to injury is the unnatural and awkward writing style. Barring a few grammatical constructions and vocabulary changes, Austen's language is not so different from our own. Barrett would have us believe that people, in truth, fly everywhere and use the conditional every other word. Would that eager JA readers could but be warned away from this unhappy collection of words!
Rating:
Summary: Kudos to Ms. Julia Barrett for Jane Austen's Charlotte
Review: I truly enjoyed this novel, as much as I did its predecessors "Presumption" and "The Third Sister", I think, though each of the three had its own individual, special delights. Though by no means an expert myself in Jane Austen or late 18th Century England, it seemed to me that "Jane Austen's Charlotte" like the two others, did indeed "engage and entice" back into that world, and I believe they kept to the "great lady's" own standards of wit, warmth, and intelligence.I think the aspect of these novels, and most recently "Charlotte", that impresses me the most is the prodigious imagination required of a writer in today's world to imagine and bring to life these very real-seeming characters in an age not like ours at all in so many ways, especially in language. Julia Barrett definitely has a "felicity" with language much like the "great lady". I loved the turns of phrases, the chapter beginnings, the extremely insightful observations on human nature, both its strengths and foibles, and above all, the way she, like her wonderful predecessor, makes the characters individualistic and memorable without a lot of physical description or observation. And, the satirical asides and situations in "Charlotte" seem to have more contemporary resonances than in the previous novels or even in Jane's. I was constantly smiling and even laughing out loud at Lady Denham and Mr. Parker and how they got caught up in the seashore health fads and get-rich-quick enthusiasms of the "new day" dawning in England in the early 1800s. If they could only see the modern world mania for "development" and dubious investments as well as today's corruption and avarice gone wild almost everywhere. Like Jane Austen, Ms. Barrett brought the story to a close most satisfactorily with the heroine getting her fairly predictable education in life and a fine, upstanding husband to boot, and with little collateral damage to those relatives and loved ones least guilty of the shenanigans that brought Sanditon to near ruin. Barrett really did open up "Charlotte" to the rest of the world, hinted at in her two previous works as well by the "great lady" herself in her later novels, but she also somehow maintained the high level of wit and charm and intelligence that are so enjoyable in her mentor. So, kudos and many thank yous for another very enjoyable visit to Jane Austen land. As with a few other books I've really enjoyed, I'm sure I'll take them down in a couple of years to re-read. And, I'll definitely recommend them to whomever I run into who seems capable of enjoyment of such a high order. To those who think no one should "sully" Jane Austen's memory or tread on her legacy, I say nonsense and challenge them to give Julia Barrett a try. Jane Austen has indeed a worthy successor these days. I eagerly await an addition to the canon.
Rating:
Summary: Barrett destroyed Austen's story
Review: Jane Austen's fragment is a delightful story which is ruined with the first sentence Julia Barrett writes. In it she has Charlotte repeat the joke the narrator has just told. The language becomes convoluted and flowery. All the characters sound like Sir Edward Denham but without the poetry quotations. There is very little action of any kind in the book. Jane Austen's characters fade into the background and the new ones introduced by Barrett take over the story. Charlotte, Lady Denham and Sidney Parker seem to change character completely as soon as Barrett takes over the writing. She takes six or more pages to say what Austen would have put in a couple of sentences. What plot there is bears little resemblence to anything Jane Austen seems to have had in mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Jane Austen Would Be Proud
Review: Julia Barrett has done a wonderful job capturing the imagery set out by Jane Austen. Austen would be proud, and if she were still with us, would probably be posting her own rave on Amazon!
Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Novel
Review: Julia Barrett's 'Charlotte' is a great treat! I had prepared myself for a let-down when I passed from the first twelve chapters, written by Jane Austen, and embarked on those Barrett wrote. Who can complete with Jane Austen? No one can, of course, but Barrett has the wisdom not to complete. She doesn't try to ape Jane Austen. She keeps her own integrity by writing in a style and manner that harmonize with Jane Austen's. You turn the page from Austen to Barrett without a jolt, and the narrative runs on smoothly and neatly. Whatever Jane Austen herself intended to do in 'Sanditon' (as her twelve chapters are usually called) is a secret she took to her grave. Julia Barrett has of course followed Austen's clues in particulars, but more importantly she perceptively realized that Austen was distinctly moving in a new direction, intending to write a novel quite different from her earlier ones. A writer with less skill and insight, less perspicacity, would have ignored this and wrenched the narrative back into Austen's familiar old pattern. Julia Barrett has trusted her own instincts, bringing real inventiveness and originality to 'Charlotte.' Her boldness provides surprises and is vivid with a sense of fun that captivates the reader!
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