What is it about Jane Austen’s heroes that makes them so very much more articulate on paper than in speech?
It is not just Fitzwilliam Darcy but also my other favorite Austen hero, Captain Frederick Wentworth who excels in the written word.
Another characteristic those men share: constancy.
Darcy remains in love from Hertfordshire to Hunsford to Pemberley and back to Hertfordshire.
Wentworth lasts even longer — through eight long years at sea separated from his love by half a world. In canon “Persuasion,” he proves his ability to persuade on paper: “You pierce my soul.”
Years after Anne Elliot finally married her Captain, she discovers letters written during the eight long years.
Quote from the book: When I returned to the trunk, my eye was arrested by the sight of a plank ajar inside.
A false bottom? I reached down and lifted gently. It wobbled up easily, not very securely in place. Another fine Frederick Wentworth woodworking masterpiece, I thought, smiling. A packet of folded letters, many times secured with red ribbon, lay under the plank. Curious, I pulled it out and untied it to find them all addressed to me, in Frederick’s familiar hand.
The letters are addressed to Anne — but should she read them?
Nothing is more noble, nothing more venerable than fidelity. Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences and endowments of the human mind. ~ Cicero
Quote from the book: If I proceeded without my husband’s permission, I ran the risk of steering my happy marriage into uncertain waters.
Anne receives permission and opens the letters, one by one.
The early letters are angry, despairing, and maybe even suicidal. Later letters detail life aboard the ship, becoming a journal of Wentworth’s naval career, including battles at sea and phenomena of nature.
First Lieutenant Conner came into my cabin, asking permission to speak. He related that ‘something’ was off the port bow that required my attention. I gave a good show of grumbling about the interruption and followed him slowly.
There, in the distance, far away but not far enough for my ease, were two towers snaking towards us. I wish you had been there, Anne, to see it. My words can hardly do it justice. It makes my heart flutter at the remembrance of such a display. The rotating towers stretched up, from the water to the sky far above …
My heart raced and seemed to move up to my mouth as I gazed calmly at the twin goliaths.
‘Ah,’ I said, ‘ ’tis nothing more than a few waterspouts. Wind and rain in a tower, running together before that bank of clouds.’ As I nonchalantly informed those around me of the nature of the beasts, before our eyes another spout reached up from the sea and reached down from the sky to meet in the middle. An audible gasp emerged.
The letters are also a testament to Wentworth’s constancy:
I wish I could see how you are faring, Anne. Has another won your heart already? Are you well? Are you happy?
Sometimes, as I walk the decks, during a spectacular sunset or as our ship slices among a racing pod of dolphins, I cannot help but ask myself, ‘What would Anne say, if she were here by my side?’
Should anyone ever wish to discover what vice that Captain Frederick Wentworth hides from the world, it would be that I cannot defeat the desire to put pen to paper and pour my soul out to you.
I wish your gentle hand were here to rest on my arm and ease my anxiety on this point. But, barring that, I do seem to derive some measure of comfort from writing to you. For that small solace, I am grateful, dearest Anne.
Those Marriages generally abound most with Love and Constancy, that are preceded by a long Courtship. ~ Joseph Addison
What a rousing story from a newly published author! Fidelity, Passion, Adventure! Everything I could want in a book. If you look for a little swoon in your reading, this is a sure-fire hit.
Also, a shout-out to the cover designer. Loved it!
Prosperity asks for fidelity; adversity exacts it. ~ Seneca the Younger
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Reviews with images
It's like a sequel and prequel in one!!!
If you are a fan of Jane Austen, especially Persuasion, you will LOVE this! It's wonderful! It's like a sequel and a prequel in one! It's something I have been waiting for but didn't know it!This story gives us a glimpse into the Wentworth's married life after the events of Persuasion, so it's a sequel, as you know from the subtitle. Also, further details on Wentworth's life at sea while they were separated for those eight awful years, via letters he wrote but never sent to Anne ar the time, make it seem like a prequel to me!I loved the historically accurate depiction of British naval seafaring. On a personal note, the insights into Wentworth's character which he revealed in his unmailed missives made me love him even more. SWOON! In reading these emotional letters, Anne also learned more about how selfish her friend Lady Russell actually was when she convinced her to break their first engagement.In addition to the flashbacks, there are both adventures in which Anne and Captain Wentworth are together and some in which they are separated again. Recurring separations seem a common theme in their relationship, which can be challenging, but a very relatable situation to many readers with spouses in the armed services, law enforcement, or other careers requiring long-distance travel. As they say, distance often makes the heart grow stronger!In this case, time between the original and the sequel also made the book how stronger. I loved it!
Top reviews from other countries
digger
great sequel to my favourite of Austen’s books, Persuasion
Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2022
Adriana
To Dear Anne, from Yours Frederick
Reviewed in Brazil on September 27, 2022
