A Collection of Soul-Piercing Letters from Captain Wentworth
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Source: Gift from Publisher
TYPE OF NOVEL: Persuasion Sequel
THE PREMISE: Anne and Wentworth have been married around ten years when Anne discovers a false bottom in Frederick’s old navy trunk filled with a packet of letters addressed to her. What does reading them reveal about the past? What joy and challenges are the Wentworths facing in their married life together…
WHAT I LOVED:
- More Letters: Give me all the epistolary novels! I adore them! I love the intimacy and candidness of letter writing, and as a fan of Captain Wentworth’s letter professing his co-mingled agony and hope, I was eager to see more of him baring his soul when he put pens to paper. In addition, I loved how Anne had Wentworth’s permission to read these letters, and I loved witnessing her reactions to them as she read of Captain Wentworth’s emotions, confessions, and experiences.
- Frederick Baring His Soul: I’ve said it before, but I’m not Captain Wentworth’s biggest fan. He spends so much time being resentful and unjust that I just cannot warm to him completely in the pages of Persuasion. But this story is working to change that. Through Frederick’s eloquent letters filled with his personal professions and reflections readers witness Frederick’s grief about losing Anne, his attempts to condole with his disappointment, his understanding for her actions, and his placing the blame on others in her life instead of her. This shed such a sympathetic and compassionate light on our dear lovelorn captain that I completely lost any of my dissatisfaction I previously had with his character.
- Naval Adventures: I love learning about life at sea, and I am so glad Captain Wentworth’s letters contained so many tidbits and portrayals of what he was experiencing aboard the Asp and the Laconia on his naval missions. There was quite a lot of excitement with powerful storms, dangerous enemy encounters, unruly officers, and even pirates! I was riveted to it all. And I was especially happy to see some unexpected action at the end take place on page. Anne is a quick study…😏
- First Encounters and New Friends: In addition to seeing firsthand accounts of Captain Wentworth’s actions aboard the ships in his command, we witness his first encounters with his brother officers – Captain Harville and Captain Benwick. I loved hearing Captain Wentworth’s first impressions of these men – his respect in their integrity and capableness, his reliance on them, his interest in their personal well-beings. And a delightful bonus surprise were the other two naval men Captain Wentworth encountered that are familiar to us Austen devotees. Well done, Ms. Constable!
- Happily Married: I loved witnessing the Wentworths as a married couple – their happiness, their endearing playfulness with each other, their unconditional love and acceptance of each other. Their happiness is extremely hard-won, and I’m so glad we could see their steadfast love continue to thrive after all these years, even with the questionable support and association from most of Anne’s family. In addition, I appreciated seeing evidence of Anne’s continued growth in this last decade – how she doesn’t cater anymore to her family’s whims and how she views a persons’s prerogative to not yield to the decisions/recommendations of others.
WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:
- That Captain Wentworth didn’t write more letters. 😆
CONCLUSION: An abundance of praise and applause for Lyndsay Constable and this remarkably reflective Persuasion sequel! Never Inconstant is a poignant and pensive tale that opens up Captain Wentworth’s heart and reveals his innermost agonies and hopes. This artful and eloquent Austenesque work is a must-read for any Austen admirer who professes to love Captain Wentworth’s famous letter. ✍🏼
I’ve had my eye on this for a while so I greatly appreciate your thoughts Meredith. I look forward to reading Wentworth’s thoughts and experiences while they were apart and that he’s happy for Anne to read them. I will no doubt enjoy reading them myself when I get round to it. Many thanks.
Thanks for checking out my review, Glynis! This one is a gem. I highly recommend!
I agree. Lovely review!
Thank you, Samara!
I read this book and loved every minute of it.
So glad to hear this, Elodie!
I LOVED this story. I agree completely, his letters were amazing. The other point that struck me was the difference in Anne as the Captain’s wife vs Anne the sheltered ignored and put upon daughter of Sir Walter. These were two very different women and I loved the mature Anne. She grew into her womanhood standing proudly beside her husband, the Captain. It was such a pleasure watching her manage things with a different attitude than we saw how she handled things in Persuasion. I loved it. It was certainly never boring. Our author inserted a letter just at the right time to move the story along. If it had been just a story about Anne stuck on land during her confinement, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. Excellent review, Meredith.
Oh, and I forgot… just look at that cover.
Yes! Anne’s strength and surety sure did evolve. I completely agree!
sounds endearing
It is. A very moving sequel.
Persuasion is my second favorite of JA’s stories. I borrowed this from KU but have not yet read it. With your excellent review I shall have to get to it next.
I hope you love it as much as I did! I’m always so happy to encounter Persuasion reads, but this one is a gem!
Great review! I’m going to add this one to my wish list right away!
That makes me so happy to hear!
Great review, Meredith! I loved this story as well, especially for the letters, but also for the adventure!
Thank you, Carole! Yes – this one has a wonderful blend of romance and adventure.
Persuasion is my second favorite JA book – This is a wonderful sequel & I highly recommend it as it gives great insight to appearances not being the whole story. I give it 5 starts plus.
Yes! It really changed my perspective on Captain Wentworth. I’m so happy to hear you rate it so high!
Thank you so much for your review, Meredith! I see this novel is worth reading because it’s a treasure 🙂
I’ll put it in my wishlist!
It is a treasure! I hope you love it as much as I did, Teresa!
Thank you for this review Meredith! I’m really glad to see you loved this book because this is probably the book from Q&Q that I most want to read at the moment. You review made me want to hit that buy button sooner rather than later 🙂
I’m so glad that you found my review helpful, Rita! I think you would love this one!
What a wonderful story, I loved this one! Your review makes me want to reread it. I agreed with everything you said, and what J.W. Garrett said. One of my favorite parts of the book was the relationship and interaction father and son had. The little boy stole my heart.
Aww, yes. Wasn’t it so lovely to see these glimpses of their happy life together.