Blurb: During his shore leave from the Navy, Frederick Wentworth falls in love with the elegant and intelligent Miss Anne Elliot—only to see his hopes of marrying her dashed by her godmother.
Eight years later, Wentworth has realized his ambitions. A wealthy captain, he has pushed his memories of Anne to the furthest recesses of his mind—until he sees her again. And though Anne's bloom has faded, Wentworth is surprised to find that his regard for her wit and warmth has not.
Review: Alas, there have been a plethora of Austen ‘spin-off’’ novels written in recent years that it really should be its own genre by now. Some of them are great and other’s not so much. When I learned that a new retelling of Persuasion had been written by the same author as Mr. Darcy’s Diary, I was immediately intrigued. You see, Persuasion is my very favorite book and Captain Wentworth, my favorite literary hero of all time. I very much wanted to love this book, yet I worried whether this author would be able to deliver the Captain that I had learned to know and love through the writing of Miss Austen.
I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed. Ms. Grange presented the Captain just as I had imagined him in my mind. I was completely wrapped up in the story from beginning to end even though I knew exactly how it would conclude. I mean, I had read the original book after all.
The Diary books are all written from the point of view of the heroes from each of Jane Austen’s novels. Since those were primarily written from the heroine’s POV, this gives us insight into the personal thoughts of the hero. In this addition to the series, Wentworth is written just as he should be: good natured and humorous with a bit of an edge at certain moments.
Any fan of Austen and especially Persuasion will love this book. The author allows you more intimacy with the characters and into scenes we never got to see in the original. For instance, the book begins in 1806, the year Wentworth and Anne meet and fall in love. In fact, over a hundred of the first pages of the book are dedicated to this part of the story. It’s wonderful reading Wentworth’s thoughts and following him as he experiences falling in love with all his youthful ardor. In the middle of the book, we switch to the year 1817 which is where J. Austen actually began her story, and we see Wentworth and Anne older and more mature but just as much in love.
I must applaud Ms. Grange for creating such a well-written and researched retelling of a story I love so dearly. Her tone and language compliment the Regency-era original to perfection. This book will entrance and enthrall. I know it held me captive to the very end. This is a bookshelf keeper to be read over and over.
I give it 5 out of 5!
Jane Austen’s first published work came about in 1811 with Sense and Sensibility. At that time she was just about to turn 36 and would ultimately die only six years later. Not many people were reading her books during her lifetime as compared to now. The affluent were able to purchased her works. This included the Prince Regent, later to become King George IV, who requested that she dedicate her next novel to him (To him Emma was “respectfully dedicated.”), The slim middle class could not afford to buy her books, but they did borrow them from the popular circulating libraries. Because of this, though not world renowned, she did even as now have an enthusiastic group of supporters. 
Emma Thompson starred and wrote the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility in 1995. (By the way, she won the Oscar and Golden Globe for said screen play.) Persuasion starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds also appeared in 1995. And of course the BBC miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle also premiered in 1995. And I will have to throw this one in just for fun. Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone which was loosely based on Emma came to theaters in 1995 as well. Even People magazine admitted her notoriety when they included Jane Austen as one of the Most Intriguing People of 1995. 
And the good news is that the Austen movie making is still growing strong. A new film version of Pride and Prejudice released to theaters in 2005, this time starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. The British television channel ITV produced three films based on the Austen novels in 2007: Persuasion (starring Sally Hawking and Rupert Penry-Jones), Mansfield Park (with Billie Piper and Blake Ritson), and Northanger Abbey (Felicity Jones and JJ Fields) for which we have been awaiting a remake for twenty years. And the BBC gave us a mini-series of Sense and Sensibility in 2008. And dare I even mention the two Austen bio-pics, Becoming Jane (2007) and Miss Austen Regrets (2008)?
As an author, she may have had a slow start; but Jane Austen is a force to be reckoned with today. I only wonder what she might have said about all this notoriety. I mean, during her lifetime, she saw to it that her books were authored only by “A Lady.” Put that together with what she wrote to James Clarke in 1815, “I think I may boast myself to be, with all possible vanity, the most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an authoress.” I am sure in private she probably would have had some witty, insightful, and possibly even insulting remarks about the way the world has turned out over these past two hundred years. It’s been a long time since someone came around who understood their society so well as to characterize them with as much humor, satire, and compassion. Maybe today we are ready for another such commentator. Maybe…but then again, maybe not.
I thought it might be fun to start compiling favorite Jane Austen quotes, whether they be from her letters or her books. Here are a few of my favorites on the topic of her observations, definitions, and witticisms.
"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." Pride and Prejudice
Having read most of the Austen novels between the ages of 14 and 18 and a couple of them again in my early twenties, I decided to begin reading them once again in 2005 just before the new Pride and Prejudice film adaptation released. And I’ve read several of them every year since. The most recent of which was Mansfield Park. So, the question most JA fans discuss amongst themselves is which of her novels is their favorite.
This is hard for me. I suppose P&P was always my favorite growing up, but now I find Persuasion to be a fav read. Yet P&P is probably her most popular. Why do you think that is?
To begin with, it’s the characters—especially Elizabeth and Darcy. A couple years ago, I took a fiction writing class where we had to choose three literary characters and tell what we liked about them. I used Elizabeth Bennett as one of my choices. And to give reason for my choice, I used a quote from the book. She was described as having a “lively, playful disposition.” I love these kind of playful, free thinking, independent characters and I find myself writing my characters in the same way. Jane Austen loved her Elizabeth character, as well, when she wrote, “I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least I do not know.” She needn’t have worried. Elizabeth Bennett is now considered one of the most beloved heroines in all of literature. Elizabeth was unusual for a Georgian period character because she was interested in more than just getting a husband. She was a woman way before her time.
Darcy also is a likeable character; although, he may not appear to be so much at the beginning. Just like Elizabeth, we the reader have to take the time to get to know Darcy and peel back his layers before we too can fall in love with him. There is a complexity about him. It must be true because so many people have so many different takes on his character. If he were simpler, we would have all come to the same conclusions on him. Some see him as proud, aloof, and a snob. I see much more in Darcy. There's a lot of smoldering passion there. I love reading this book more than watching the movies because you get a whole lot more of what Darcy is feeling and struggling with in the text. This is especially true throughout the chapters when he and Elizabeth are guests at the Bingley home of Netherfield. He is constantly struggling and convincing himself to give up this nonsense, but this is when he falls in love. He’s wonderful!!
But those aren’t the only well-crafted characters in the book. The secondaries really bring this tale to life. Mrs. Bennet, Jane, Bingley, Wickham, Caroline Bingley, on and on. I think this is the reason so many of the recent Jane Austen spin-off novels have failed. They weren’t able to capture the essence of these characters. A few talented authors have pulled it off and those are the ones I will read, but it really is hard emulating a master at the craft.
Other than the characters, the best part of this book is the love story. The interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy (the spark) is terrific. JA plotted a tale of two characters who seem to dislike each other upon first meeting but eventually come to the conclusion that they are made for each other. Austen is good for a whole lot more than a simple love story, but you must admit she can spin a great romance. And I have always been more moved in that respect with this book than most others.
If you’ve read Austen, do you have a favorite novel? Please share.
I try to read several classic novels every year. Most of the time I'm reading a...that's right a Jane Austen novel. At the moment though I'm reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Many Americans think of the North and South from our Civil War but Gaskell's North and South takes place in England. It is about the a Northern manufacturer, John Thornton and a middle class Southern woman, Margaret Hale. The North was very much turning to manufacturing at this time and the South is where you had more of the landed gentry and agriculture. These two just clash when they meet with their differences of opinion. It's a very romantic book. The author really gets into the head of the John Thornton character more than was usual in those days. But it is also a social commentary of workers and owners (or masters as they call them), unions and rights, and the plight of the poor . This is the second time I am reading this book. It's a good one not to be missed. I'll talk about it more in the future.
