This is the face of Captain Wentworth. His mom calls him Ciaran Hinds, but he will always be Captain Wentworth to me. He is the male protagonist in the movie version of one of my favorite Jane Austen novels.... Persuasion.
I most recently read the book while I was in Italy this winter. I was healing a heartbreak, and geez, Miss Austen understands the soul of a woman.
Persuasion is the story of Anne Elliott, a woman of advanced years (she is 28!) who had turned down the great love of her life as a girl on the advise of a family friend because he had no money and no connections. Fast forward to her late 20s.... she has never loved another and is living a fairly bleak existence with her insipid family... and the young man has come back to town, all grown up and quite wealthy due to his efforts in the navy. Plus he wears a hot sailor getup all this time. (swoon). As is the case in all Austen novels, there is a lot of angst and politeness and things not said and just when you think the worst... true love conquers all.
The movie is awesome. ALMOST as good as the A&E Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth. If Persuasion were 6 hours long like the P&P, then maybe they would tie. Also, don't be fooled by the new Persuasion movie that came out fairly recently. If it doesn't have Ciaran Hinds, then it is a cheap imitation. Trust me.
I read it for the first time just before going to England and seeing the actual Cobb in Lyme Regis that Louisa Musgrove fell off of. Or would have fallen off of, were she a real person.
ReplyDeleteThe newer Persuasion bugs me become the last five minutes is Anne running around Bath, trying to find the Captain. Lame.
You should read Amanda Grange's Captain Wentworth's Diary. It's Persuasion from his point of view; the beginning focuses on their first courtship. It's wonderful!