Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange

Yet despite being a completely new take on the story, the author does manage to retain the spirit of the original story and the other characters even though it is told from a new angle.

This being said, it would have been lovely to linger over certain elements of the story more, particularly in during his early meetings with Marianne as well as his growing acquaintance with the other characters. It is a light and breezy read that moves with great pace, while focusing on Colonel Brandon’s emotions – for example focusing how he feels that Marianne brings him back to life after years of being unhappy. More specifically, Colonel Brandon’s heartbreak before he meets Marianne Dashwood and how he came to have a ward is all included in the story and makes it possible for the reader to feel as though they are able to understand the character a lot better than previously, particularly when he is presumed to be one of Austen’s quieter heroes. What is lovely about this book is not only the simplicity of the storytelling and the way in which the character is brought to life, but also the way in which Grange has given additional depth to parts of the character’s history.

This is very much the case in Amanda Grange’s own takes such as this one in which we see Colonel Brandon relating the events of Sense and Sensibility from his perspective through the means of a diary. If you are a Jane Austen fan then reading other authors takes on these classic stories will often allow you to see the story through a different perspective and give the well known characters a chance to be seen differently.

Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange