Captain Wentworth’s Diary
In 1806 the young Frederick Wentworth visits Somerset and meets the young Anne Elliot. It is a meeting of minds and hearts, but there is no happy ending for the lovers. Anne is persuaded by her godmother, Lady Russell, that marriage to a poor naval officer would be disastrous and they part on bad terms.
Eight years later, his fortune made, Captain Wentworth returns to Somerset and finds Anne a spinster still, downtrodden and faded. Initially he looks elsewhere for a young, pretty bride, but soon realises that his feelings for Anne are as strong as ever. She in turn has lived to regret her repudiation of the man she still loves.
In this retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Captain Wentworth’s thoughts take centre stage, and very revealing they are too. His love, rejection, bitterness and ultimate constancy are laid bare, but never in a way that compromises the original.
Amanda Grange has taken on the challenge of reworking a much loved romance and succeeds brilliantly.