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Jane Austen and Her Captain
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
What if, after spending years of creating unions of perfect happiness and “marriages of true minds,” Jane Austen decided to pen a novel that closely mirrored her own experience with love?
What if Jane Austen had a great love affair where she experienced both undying, all-consuming love and heart-wrenching pain and disappointment?
What if Jane Austen’s last completed novel about lost love and second chances was more than just a little bit autobiographical?
Could you imagine it?!? How wonderful would it be to learn that our beloved authoress had known such love! To discover that someone appreciated, adored, and ardently admired her genius and person! While we may never know for sure the details of Jane Austen’s love life, it is always a merry diversion to imagine the possibilities…Crafting an alternative reality from known events and people in Jane Austen’s life and blending it with events and characters from Persuasion, Shannon Winslow creates a fantastic fictional tale of Jane Austen’s love affair with her very own Captain Wentworth that satisfyingly “reveals” the unknown love life of Jane Austen.
Utterly brilliant – this story is utterly brilliant! There just isn’t a better word to describe the thoughtful care and deliberation Shannon Winslow put into writing this story, her clever and credible blending of fact and fiction, and her exquisite way with words. Having read Persuasion several times, being familiar with Jane Austen’s biography and timeline, and reading other fictionalized accounts of Jane Austen’s life (Just Jane by Nancy Moser and The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James), you’d think that I’d find the events of this tale easy to predict. Nope, not so much…Shannon Winslow capably keeps readers on their toes with her skillful and intricate weaving of the plot. This story encompasses so much more than a tale of love lost and parallels to Persuasion!
While I’ve always admired Shannon Winslow’s elegant prose and voice, I feel shel has elevated her talents to new heights through this novel. Stepping into Jane Austen’s shoes and trying to emulate her voice is no easy accomplishment, but Ms. Winslow does an incredible job capturing the essence of Jane Austen’s narrative voice and echoing her exceptional command of language. The narrative voice was illuminating, contemplative, and honest – it was our dear Jane bravely bearing her soul to us. The descriptions of events and emotions felt poetic and rich with the frequent usage of imagery, similies, and other poetic devices. The words just seemed to effortlessly tumble from the author’s pen, here are some favorites:
“For the moment, all I could see was the overwhelmingly bleak picture Madam Lefroy had painted of my future. It loomed large and ominous as a sky full of thunderclouds, obscuring everything else from view, even Captain Devereaux’s especial radiance.” – page 51
“Daily, the sea drew us like a powerful magnet, with not one amongst us able to resist its hypnotic attractions.” – page 98
“So shall their love be, the captain and his lady: bright, never ending, a life-giving force. It will warm all those who gather round them, bless all those who wish them well, and scorch with unquenchable fire any person who dares attempt to come between them. Anne and Captain Wentworth are incandescent; they are untouchable, living on forever in a state of bliss beyond the reach of most mere mortals. This is my gift to them.” – page 163
“His influence is everywhere apparent…to me, at least. His fingerprints and mine mingle on each page. The books are become our true offspring – his and mine together – for I could not have produced them without his help.” – page 173
*sigh* such evocative prose!
This poignant and powerful tale of fiction is the kind of story I hope to learn one day is proven true for our dear Jane. An incredibly well-written plausible reality that perfectly gratifies any reader’s desires for Jane Austen’s love life. I emphatically recommend!!
Does Shannon live in Seattle? I will be traveling there next summer to visit my daughter and son-in-law. Would love to meet and have tea with any JAFF fans and/or authors in that area. They live in Shoreline, just north of the city.
What a wonderful review, Mrs. Bingley!! I love your enthusiasm. I’ve just started reading it and agree that it’s enchanting. Congratulations, Shannon!!
Aww, thank you Monica! I hope you enjoy reading Shannon’s latest as much as I did, Monica! Just wait until you see what she does! 😉
You highlight many of the excellent qualities of this book so eloquently Meredith. Shannon’s creative genuios is at it’s best. The twist at the end was amazing. Thanks for the thoughtful review.
Thank you, Laurel Ann. It was a magnificent book in all respects! Yes, the ending gave me nothing but pure satisfaction and bliss. 😉 Would that it could be so…
You make me want to run out and read this this very second and I can’t. 🙁 Nice review, Meredith!
Thank you, Sophia Rose! 🙂 I hope you get the chance to read it soon. I know you won’t regret it!
What a beautifully written review Meredith. I loved the excerpts you added and the last one really touched me. Thank you and I am so looking forward to reading this book of Shannon’s.
Thank you for reading my review, Carole! It was an easy and fun one to write. 🙂 I just had to share some excerpts. My praise about Shannon’s writing wasn’t enough, I needed to display some of her excellent prose to convey how lovely the writing is. 🙂
I’m blushing from such praise, Meredith. Thank you for the lovely review. I’m thrilled you liked the book so much, and it was delightful to see which passages you chose as your favorites. I’m practically giddy!
The thanks goes to you Shannon! This book is wonderful! Can’t wait to see what you do next! The last two passages I can hardly read without tears gathering in my eyes.
The little tidbits you added for us to read really touched hearts and minds. I like others want to just run out and get a copy of this. This was so beautifully written. As Meredith and others have “eloquent”.
I had a hard time narrowing it down to just four! The writing was filled with beauty everywhere. 🙂 Hope you get a copy to read soon!
This looks like a must-read for me. I particularly like the idea that there could be a happy ending. I read the book by Syrie James, ‘Jane Austen’s First Love’ and I found myself feeling sad a few times knowing that the teenage heroine wasn’t going to get a happy ending long-term. Thanks for your review. Meredith 🙂
I’m always trepidatious about reading these kinds of books about Jane Austen’s life for that very reason, Ceri. I’m poor sentimental, romantic heart always has a hard time when reality hits. I’d love to know your thoughts on this one should you read it. 🙂
Great review, Meredith! I can’t wait to read this book! Sounds fantastic and 5 stars from Meredith is good enough for me!! Loved the excerpts.
Thank you, Catherine! It truly was fantastic! 🙂
Oh Meredith fantastic review! I have wanted this book since hearing about it and reading excerpts. Now you’ve just given me the seal of approval I needed to press my Amazon one click button 🙂
Thank you, Tamara! I know you will love it! 🙂 Happy reading!