Sunday, November 19, 2006

Captain Wentworth's Diary

I was browsing on Amazon this morning when I noticed that Captain Wentworth's Diary is now available for pre-order - it will be out June 2007.

Writing Captain Wentworth's Diary was a brilliant experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. I'd always wondered what happened the first time Anne and Wentworth met, in 1806. Where did they meet? How did it happen? Was it at a ball, at dinner, on a picnic or in the village? What did they think of each other? And what exactly happened?

When I came to write Captain Wentworth's Diary, I decided to try and answer those questions by writing what is in effect a prequel to Persuasion as the first part of Captain Wentworth's Diary. I'm really looking forward to finding out what readers think of it!

Amanda

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I should like to read this - he comes over as a rotter in austen's book. Can you save him from himself? Anne

Anonymous said...

I've never thought of him as a rotter, although I've always wondered why he didn't come back for Anne when he made his fortune - or, at least, part of his fortune.

But looking at it from his point of view, his reasons were obvious. She'd accepted his hand, then changed her mind. He was feeling hurt and rejected.

I think it would take a lot of courage for a man to ask a woman to marry him twice. I think he would be afraid that she would reject him again, particularly as he was probably not ashore for very long.

When he meets her again in 1814, they're together a lot, but Anne avoids him. From Persuasion, we know it's because she still loves him. But I think his inference is that she has no interest in him any more . . . until he finds out that she rejected Charles Musgrove, and can't help asking himself, 'Was this for me?'

Anonymous said...

Oh, I can't wait for this book! I loved Darcy's Diary and Mr Knightley's Diary!