Captain Wentworth's Diary [Hardcover]

Amanda Grange (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2007

Amanda Grange continues her series of much-loved Jane Austen retellings with "Captain Wentworth's Diary". 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?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Ms Grange manages the tricky balancing act of satisfying the reader and remaining respectful of Jane Austen's original at the same time, and like Miss Woodhouse herself, we are given the privilege of falling for Mr Knightley all over again.' www.austenblog.com"

About the Author

Amanda Grange lives in Cheshire. Robert Hale has published twelve of her novels, including Lord Deverill's Secret, Stormcrow Castle, Darcy's Diary and Mr Knightley's Diary. Visit her website at www.amandagrange.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd (June 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709082819
• ISBN-13: 978-0709082811
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,471,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some interesting ideas about Captain Wentworth., May 17, 2008

By 

J. Lesley "(Judy)" (Midsouth, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Captain Wentworth's Diary (Paperback)

This novel is Amanda Grange's attempt to fill in some of the blanks left for the reader of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion. It gives us the perspective of the happenings in that novel from Captain Frederick Wentworth's point of view.

I enjoyed reading this book. I did not realize that the first 117 pages would all be this authors imaginings of the meeting and then gentle courtship between Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth. We are given much detail of the meetings between these two characters and are allowed to see how their admiration for each other turns to love. Commander Wentworth (his rank at that point in the story) was understandably stunned when Anne Elliot told him that she could not accept his offer of marriage after all. He reacted in a completely normal way, he was hurt, surprised, and very angry. So angry that he immediately left the area determined never to think about her again.

The story picks up eight years later. I am glad that the author did not give us any details of what happened to Wentworth (now having the rank of Captain) during the time of his battling the French in the war with Napoleon. Instead, we see what he was doing during these years through reminiscences with Harville and Benwick. When Frederick goes back into Somersetshire he feels Anne has lost her youth, her beauty and her bloom. Yet after only a short time of being around her he finds himself wondering if he has actually managed to erase all tender feelings for her after all.

I have now read three of these 'interpretations' of Jane Austen novels as written by Amanda Grange. Of Mr. Darcy's Diary, Mr. Knightley's Diary, and Captain Wentworth's Diary, I can definitely say that I enjoyed Mr. Darcy's Diary the most. After that would have to come Captain Wentworth's Diary. I thought Ms Grange managed to write about the time when Anne and Frederick were meeting and falling in love very well. She made me see Frederick as a caring, concerned, loving suitor for Anne. As always, Ms Grange followed the original novel very closely except in places where there was no information given in the original. I enjoyed this book and can say that I think Jane Austen fans who are not quite so determined in having an author follow the exact example set down by Miss Austen will be able to enjoy this book. Anyone expecting to read an exact extension in wording and thoughts of the Austen works will not be quite so satisfied.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the money I spent to get it from the UK to the US!, December 6, 2007

By 

Christina Boyd "Great Reader & sometimes gues... (Custer, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Captain Wentworth's Diary (Hardcover)

I was too anxious to wait for the US release so I impatiently paid a small fortune early September to get a hardback from the UK. From the time UPS delivered it until I finished it sometime around 3 am, I was thoroughly engaged. As in Mr Darcy's Diary, Amanda Grange masterfully writes Captain Wentworth with a strong, clear voice lightly seasoned with a sense of humor. I so enjoyed reading his observations and his interpretations of each situation. My heart was all static each time Anne and he would have any conversation or when he would recall anything about her. It was most delightful to read his innermost thoughts as he discovered, or admitted rather, his unyielding love for Anne. Most satisfied and highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Persuasion from the eyes of Captain Wentworth, February 24, 2009

By 

Meredith "Austenesque Reviews" (Wilmington , NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Captain Wentworth's Diary (Paperback)

If you are a fan of Jane Austen and Persuasion (Oxford World's Classics) I am sure you have wondered about how Captain Wentworth and Anne met, how they fell in love, what happened eight years ago and how does what happened eight years ago affect them later on. I have read Persuasion by Jane Austen and I admire it very much, but I have always felt unsatisfied not knowing how the story began. Of course we may never know what Jane Austen had in mind for Wentworth and Anne, but Amanda Grange makes a bold attempt at how the first meeting between the two went.

This is my third book by Amanda Grange and by far my favorite. I like this book the most because it gives such new insight into the character of Captain Wentworth. The story starts in the year 1806 just before he meets Anne for the first time. This was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting it to start like "Persuasion" did with Kellynch hall being rented by the Croft's. The first 100 or so pages were like a "prequel" to "Persuasion."

My favorite thing about this book is how well we got to know Captain Wentworth, we got to see other sides of him. In "Persuasion" he is mostly angry, proud, resentful. Now we see his character develop. We see more history, depth, passion. He is a more well-rounded character.

Of course the writing is not in the style of Jane Austen, Captain Wentworth is our narrator, and I don't think anyone will argue with me when I say he does not have Jane Austen's wit and language! The author does a great job portraying Wentworth's thoughts and feelings and the story (when it resumes in the year 1814) follows very closely the timing and events taking place in Jane Austen's "Persuasion."

I highly recommend this to any Jane Austen, "Persuasion," or Captain Wentworth fan!