Persuaded to Sail

Jane Austen's Fighting Men, Book 3

By: Jack Caldwell

Narrated by: Jonathan Roberts

The long-awaited sequel to Jane Austen’s final novel, Persuasion. After an eight-year separation and a tumultuous reunion, Anne Elliot marries the dashing Captain Frederick Wentworth. The pair looks forward to an uneventful honeymoon cruise aboard the HMS Laconia.

But the bride and groom find the seas of matrimony rough. Napoleon has escaped from Elba, the country is at war with France again, and the Admiralty imposes on Wentworth a mysterious passenger on a dangerous secret mission. The good captain is caught between duty to his country and love for his wife. All eyes are trained for enemies without, but the greatest menace may already be on board....

©2020 Jack Caldwell (P)2020 Jack Caldwell

Great naval adventure and romance

This book is set in the author's universe of "Jane Austen's Fighting men", which includes many well known characters of several Jane Austen novels as well as some original characters, imagining a continuation of their lives as they interact with each other and as historical events influence them. Persuaded to Sail features Captain Frederick Wentworth and his new wife, Anne Elliot Wentworth as they finally marry and start a journey together on Frederick's ship, the Laconia just as they begin the journey of married life. it appears that just as sailing the High Seas requires hard work and dedication, so does navigating the waters of marriage, getting to know one's spouse and adjusting one's expectations and preconceptions.The Laconia's journey is complicated by secret orders involving a mysterious and unconventional passenger and the mischief caused by some villainous crew members, but this is countered by others who are devoted and loyal supporters of the Captain and his wife. We see the everyday life aboard ship, the sometimes happy, sometimes grim life of captain, officers, midshipmen and crew members. The adventures include a naval battle as well as some espionage intrigue where nothing is quite as it seems at the beginning. I enjoyed all this vivid picture of a naval adventure during the Napoleonic wars as well as the imagined continuation of the life of Jane Austen's characters who were described true to the originals. The narrator was excellent in portraying the various characters, nuanced feelings and the humor lurking in the background. I can heartily recommend this audiobook!