My favorite Austen novel is Persuasion. I identify with Anne Eliot and know what it is like to feel pressure from a loved one. I am thankful there are a lot more options for women now than there were in Jane Austen’s time. There are not a lot of sequels to Persuasion; P&P seems to have the lion’s share. However, Captain Wentworth’s Diary by Amanda Grange is a wonderful look into the motivations and feelings of Frederick Wentworth.
From the author’s website:
It is 1806, and the Napoleonic wars are ravaging Europe. Frederick Wentworth, a brilliant young man with a flourishing career in the navy, is spending his shore leave in Somerset, where he meets and falls in love with Anne Elliot. The two become engaged, but Anne’s godmother persuades Anne to change her mind, leaving Wentworth to go back to sea a bitter and disappointed man.
Eight years pass, and peace is declared. Wentworth is no longer a young man with his way to make in the world, but a seasoned captain with a fortune at his disposal. He is ready to marry anyone with a little beauty who pays a few compliments to the navy – or so he says – until he sees Anne. Anne’s bloom has faded, yet she has the same sensibilities and superior mind she had eight years earlier, and before he knows it, he is falling in love with her all over again.
Can there be a happy outcome for them this time around, or have they lost their chance of love forever?
Amanda Grange is a popular author of historical fiction in the U.K. She specializes in creative interpretations of classic novels and historic events, including Jane Austen’s novels and the Titanic shipwreck. Her novels include Lord Deverill’s Secret, Mr. Knightley’s Diary and Titanic Affair. She lives in England.
I loved this book! I always wanted to know what Wentworth thought when he saw Anne again after all that time.