I first read Persuasion in 2013, I didn't really like it then yet I just reread it. Why? I didn't hear you ask. Because subsequent to that I went on to read all her other novels, there are not that many of them, I am not sure how that happened either, I think it was because I like her prose regardless of the story, and most importantly, there are some great reading of her books on Librivox, either by Elizabeth Klett or Karen Savage, two nice ladies who have sweet voices. In spite of not being English, Ms. Klett does very pleasant readings of Jane Austen books, with all the cadences nuances and warmth that I could reasonably ask for. I recently enjoyed Northanger Abbey, loved Mansfield Park,  Sense and Sensibility,  Emma and of course  Pride and Prejudice. So I thought I would loop back to Persuasion as I have a better appreciation of Austen now. Unfortunately, I am still unable to give my approbation to this particular volume as it is still not sufficiently felicitous.

The most popular Austen novels seem to have alliterative titles along the line of “Something and Something else”. Perhaps Persuasion would work better if it was called “Persuasion and Persecution”? However, while reading the first half of the book I thought a more suitable title would be:


Honestly, this book is overpopulated by what my English friends charmingly call silly cows; not that the protagonist Anne Eliot is of bovine intellect but she seems to make her life unnecessarily complicated. She used to be engaged to Captain Frederick Wentworth but Mrs. Russell, another silly meddling woman, persuaded her that he is not quite up to snuff, financially. That was enough persuasion for Anne to break off the engagement. Seven years later Freddy comes back to England from the Napoleonic Wars, a successful, rich and respected naval officer. Anne’s sister Mary Elliot and sister-in-law Louisa Musgrove compete for the silliest cows on the British Isles, the former never stops talking nonsense, the other hilariously jumps off some stairs for a laugh and knocks herself out*. Louisa has a sister called Henrietta who is engaged to a man called Charles Hayter. Charles takes an instant dislike to Freddy Wentworth who he sees flirting with his fiancée, and besides Hayter’s gonna hate. Soon, William Elliot, a slightly mysterious distant cousin of Anne’s shows up and starts flirting with her just to add more complication for the Freddy-Anne relationship. William is from Austen’s stock of charming bad boy/cad characters so he is soon sent packing. Captain Freddy is pissed off with Anne for dumping him, and Anne feels guilty as hell but still fancies the dude who also secretly carries a little torch for her. So how will these two crazy kids get together?

For me, Persuasion is Jane Austen’s weakest novel. The prose is as beautiful as ever, but the storyline is something of a non-event, and the protagonist is not as lively or acerbic as Austen’s best characters like Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood, Captain Fred, the love interest is standard Austen po-faced fellow. I think the novel’s main theme is "don’t be so damn impressionable!" (i.e. easily persuaded, hence the title). Is mehsome a word? If it is this book is mehsome.

Notes:
* As seen in this dramatized video clip.

• Very nice free Librivox audiobook edition read by Elizabeth Klett,

• There are too many characters in this book, most of them don’t contribute very much to the narrative. Look at this damn family tree!

Quotes:
Personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has as good a right to be in deep affliction, as the most graceful set of limbs in the world. But, fair or not fair, there are unbecoming conjunctions, which reason will patronize in vain--which taste cannot tolerate--which ridicule will seize.

I did not understand you. I shut my eyes, and would not understand you, or do you justice. This is a recollection which ought to make me forgive every one sooner than myself.

I must endeavour to subdue my mind to my fortune. I must learn to brook being happier than I deserve.

Persuasion is said to be the best work of Jane Austen. While I have reservations on that point, I do see why it is said so. Persuasion is quite different from most of her preceding work. In many of them, her writing is light and glows with "sparkle and spirit". But in Persuasion, her spirited and sparkle writing is replaced by more mature writing. It is still light but there are more warmth and emotion in her writing as well as more depth and colour. In short, Jane Austen has written Persuasion with so much feeling to make it stand tall among all her other work.

The main female protagonist, Anne Elliot, is a mature heroine who has lost her "youth and bloom" over the years as a result of her pining for a lost love. She is unloved and neglected by the family except by the dear friend Lady Russel. But she is courageous and has a superior, cultivated mind to bear all indifference and to endure her loss without resentment. Anne reminded me of Cinderella; the only difference was that she had an indifferent father instead of a wicked stepmother. Anne is strong. She is self-made, kind, and has a keen intelligence. She secures her happiness more or less by her means supported by circumstances rather than any support rendered by family or friends. Anne stands out from most of Austen heroines. Perhaps she is equal in stamina to the much loved Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. And I don't know if it is because of my partiality and obsession with Elizabeth Bennet over the years, but I couldn't help feeling that Anne is sort of a mature version of Elizabeth, only that Elizabeth would not have been easily persuaded.

Captain Wentworth is yet another beloved hero and could easily be placed in line with Darcy, Knightley, and Colonel Brandon. I'm amazed at Jane Austen's ability to create these heroes and heroines who are felt so real and who would undoubtedly occupy a place in all reader's hearts. No Austen hero or heroine is ever forgotten and for centuries they have survived to become "immortal".

Like in all Jane Austen's work, Persuasion too has a sweet love story. But unlike in others, it is a mature love; one that was found, lost, and found again; one that has endured an eight and half years of separation. And what is more striking is Austen's excellent and emotional writing of Anne's feelings: her pain and suffering for having given up the man she loved; her painful situation at having to meet him after eight and half years; her pain at his cool reception of her; her agony in watching of him pursue another woman very much younger than her; her knowledge that her once pretty looks and youth have been robbed over the years and she would no longer be attractive in his eyes.; her knowledge that she has lost her chance to be happy again; and above all her profound realization that she still loved him deeply and dearly. All these emotions are detailed and beautifully and touchingly expressed that they almost broke my heart.

In addition, there is also Austen's social commentary, criticism, and realism. Through the characters of Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Mary, she exposes the vanity of the titled and mocks them for their air of superiority. At the same time, she gently hints at the decline of superiority maintained by the titled class through the declining in a wealth of Sir Walter and shows the emergence of a new wealthy class in Naval Officers who would gradually elevate their position in the society with their wealth, gaining respect and admiration. Two brothers of Jane Austen were Navy officers and perhaps, this was her tribute to them.

Overall, it is a beautiful book. I loved every minute of reading it. And I believe this will be my most favourite of Jane Austen novel.

One of my favourite second-chance romances, and my favourite Austen.

I’m going there. I do not like Jane Austen.

Oh, Persuasion. Persuasion.

He was the most cheerful, agreeable, respectful, charming, hospitable, warm, friendly, kind, pleasant, courteous, delightful person who ever lived.

This is how Jane Austen writes. It is so over the top. Can anyone just be normal?

Also, the dialogue. It is so unrealistic. Why do the characters have these huge monologues when they are supposedly speaking to someone else? It is so boring.

In Persuasion, Anne Eliot once held a flame for Frederick Wentworth. She was all set to marry the poor guy, but she was persuaded that he wasn’t rich enough. Now, it is 8 years later, and she bumps into him again.

What will the predictable Jane Austen do?

The only redeeming quality of Persuasion is Anne’s family. They think that they are so great, but the only thing that they have managed to do is run their estate into the ground and tell themselves how awesome they are for doing next to nothing.

As for the Netflix video that was such a scandal, I thought it was great. At least it was shorter than the book.

Well, another book off the 100 Books to Read According to the BBC AND 1,000 Books to Read by James Mustich.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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This is one of my top two favourite Jane Austen novels. (Pride and Prejudice being tied with it for first place!)





Knowing that an element of this story actually happened to Jane Austen in her own life - Austen was briefly engaged to be married, but with no chance of a reconciliation because her betrothed died shortly after the engagement was broken off - brought another level of poignancy to this understated drama.



Anne's stoicism, her ability to endure watching the man she loved court another, her nobility despite her deep suffering - these are a few of the reasons I am drawn back to this book again and again.

The 1995 movie version, with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, is by far the best and is very faithful to this beautiful story. Enjoy!

. . . . . . . . .

Shiftless layabouts lay about shiftlessly, search for love in all the wrong places, find it.

Okay, so, it's not Jane Austen's best work. But, it's still Jane Austen. Which means it's pretty great, even if you feel icky actually caring about characters who are, by and large, pretty useless when it comes to actually making any sort of meaningful contributions to the world beyond doing a really good job of not clearly communicating their feelings.

I picked this book up because I was desperately looking for something to transport me from my daily life, and, "Wow," I forgot just how good Austen is. Soon I found myself up at 1 a.m., pouring over this story.

The last time I read this story was about 8 years ago and it's always interesting to see what aspects of a book come through, dependent on my current mood or perspective. This time, Anne seemed so very tender. That tenderness came forth as the source of her deep appeal to both men and women. She also seemed not quite as over-the-hill as the various film versions of the story seem to portray her. Throughout the novel, multiple men fall for Anne. She clearly still has many of her charms. Austen also uses jealousy as a lever to propel the story forward.

But it's that tales of second chances, of early misunderstandings being surmounted and atoned for that makes this book so romantic and perennial. Everyone has a what-might-have-been in their past. And Austen cheerfully creates an alternative ending.

4.5 stars

I was nervous that the hype surrounding Jane Austen would make this book seem subpar to me. I'm not a huge reader of classics-- a fact i'm working on rectifying-- so when I wasn't very much enjoying the first two chapters, I got nervous. But as soon as I pushed through to the heart of the storyline, I began to crave in-class discussions over this book. I absolutely loved Anne as a main character, and Captain Wentworth was such a fitting companion for her that I was hooked, dying to find out how their lives played out. This book made me feel a lot of things-- especially the feeling that comes with crying at 4 AM about fictional men-- and I'm thoroughly surprised that such an old book still remains touching and relatable. I just wish that Austen implemented more dialogue in her writing, which is why I took off half a star; I feel like sometimes the book was bogged down with too many paragraphs of thought and not enough spoken word. But regardless, I am definitely intending on picking up Pride & Prejudice soon to see if it grabs me just as much as this one!

"Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter."

Anne Elliot broke her engagement to Frederick Wentworth at the age of 19 following pressure from her family. Now 27, Anne’s father rents their family home to the Admiral and his wife (the sister of Wentworth), meaning that Wentworth now re-enters her life all these years later...

Persuasion is a really lovely book about second chances. It’s about overcoming obstacles through maturity, and how although people can change in some ways, they stay just the same in others.

Anne Elliot is such an enchanting protagonist, she’s quiet and demure, a sensitive soul, and is almost considered to be over the hill at the ripe old age of 27(!)- how I’m glad times have changed!! LOL. Anne’s sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, were also great characters that seemingly always brought some drama or eye-rolling moments!

This is only my second Austen after having read Pride and Prejudice back in school, and I do really enjoy her social commentary on the topic of marriage in the early 1800s and how women pursued it as a means to gain economic stability as well as social standing. Sometimes I do struggle with the writing and I’m positive some parts simply go right over my head, but for the most part I have a good time.

Persuasion is quite romantic, although my complaint would be that we really don’t get to know a lot about Wentworth. I wish we could have seen why Anne had fallen in love with him in the first place, as this would have made me root for the couple more. But the letter (if you’ve read the book, you know the one I’m referring to!) is just so beautifully written and touching that you can’t help but be moved by it.

All in all, a heartwarming book about the persistence of true love. I’m glad Jen @bluestockingbookshelf pushed me to read it! 3.5 stars.

2020 was made for comfort re-reads, and ofc i am rereading this with my br soulmate <3

*

Wentworth’s love letter is the single most beautiful piece of writing that has ever and will ever exist, and no one can convince me otherwise.

Note, Sept. 19, 2024: I've just edited this review to insert an omitted apostrophe in the word "it's."

Of the three completed Austen novels that I've already read, this is the only one that I haven't reviewed until now. Since I'm currently reading Emma, this seemed like a good time to remedy that!

My first acquaintance with the storyline here actually came from seeing one of the several movie adaptations, the 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/ ), on TV. I read the book subsequent to that (2004 is a best guess); it was a selection read by the now-defunct Bluefield College Literary Society, though of course it had been on my radar decades before that. As an adaptation, my impression at the time from comparing the two (and my memories of both now admittedly aren't fresh) is that the movie is essentially faithful to the book and deserves recommendation, with the caveat that some of the dialogue in the former isn't in the latter. (It is, though, decidedly "Austen-esque" in its dry humor and unconscious revelation of the speakers' character and attitudes; I was actually surprised, and disappointed, that some lines from the film weren't in the novel!)

Our heroine here is thoughtful and bookish 27-year-old Anne Elliott, daughter of a pompous country baronet in southwestern England. Some eight years ago, Anne was engaged to a young naval officer, Frederick Wentworth; but she was persuaded, primarily on the advice of her older friend and confidante Lady Russell, to break the engagement. For whatever it's worth, I'm not among those readers who consider Lady Russell a malevolent villainess on that account, and I don't think Austen, whose views of her characters are more often nuanced, viewed her in that light either. Her advice, IMO, was sincere and well-meant; but that doesn't mean it was necessarily good advice, or well-taken. Indeed, the question of whether it was or wasn't is the central question that occupies the book --that is, besides the question of whether or not Anne and Capt. Wentworth will get a second chance at matrimony, since circumstances have now brought him back into her sphere of acquaintance, and she's had nearly a decade to realize that her feelings for him are strong and genuine. This philosophical quandary of when it's wise for a young woman (or, by extension, any person) to heed advice and when it's wiser to make one's own decisions, and why, adds a deeper dimension to the novel then the simple romantic plot would possess by itself. (Though Persuasion was not necessarily Austen's own title for the novel --it was supplied by her brother Henry when the book was posthumously published-- it's definitely a major theme.) The same could be said for the moral and social commentary that runs through the novel and gives it fiber. (This is why I've characterized it as "serious" romance, not the kind of modern "romance" fiction that has nothing to offer but predictable romantic plot, and tends to give the genre a bad name!)

Opinions about the book, in my friend circle, varied widely, from many five-star ratings to a couple of two stars. My own reaction tended, as it often does, to be more middling; I liked Anne and rooted for her, but I didn't find her quite as vibrant, quite as alive as a full-blooded friend, as I did Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood. For me, then, this was second-string Austen, really a three and 1/2 star read, rounded up to four because this is Austen --it has her classy prose, ready wit, masterful characterization, and precise social observation. (Indeed, this was her last completed novel, so her technical skill as a writer is here at its most mature level.) Even second-string Austen, if you like the qualities that she offers, is going to be a good read; it's a pretty good hypothesis (and perhaps even "a truth universally acknowledged" :-) ) that she probably couldn't have written a really bad book even if she tried.

A bit of background information, though not essential to enjoying the book, is interesting for the light it sheds. Austen's brother, Captain Charles Austen, was a British naval officer whose career and character has significant parallels to that of Captain Wentworth; and Captain Austen's wife Fanny (whom Jane greatly admired) exhibited the same personal qualities that Wentworth's sister, Mrs. Croft, does in the novel. It's a very plausible inference that the real-life couple were the models for the fictional characters. Jane's interest in the whole subject of persuasion as it relates to engagements also probably had a real-life stimulant, in her ponderings and second-guessings over her own advice on that subject to her beloved niece, Fanny Knight, who broke off an engagement at least partly because of her aunt's advice. (Wikipedia has an in-depth discussion of this background, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuas... , though I don't recommend reading Wikipedia's plot summary before reading the book, since it has spoilers.)

I simply adore reading books from different time periods, getting lost in the mannerisms and way of thinking the characters have, or noticing words and phrases that could just as well show up in the 21st century and no one would bat an eye. And Persuasion, despite being a slow-paced and somewhat melancholy book about two past lovers finding their way back to one another, supplied me with all of that. Having said all that, I still felt something was missing; Anne and Wentworth (especially Wentworth, who isn't even present for a good chunk of the book) are not as fleshed-out, nor as fun to read about, as their counterparts in Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Mr Elliot also seemed like a somewhat pointless inclusion since Anne never considered him a possible match (though he did some good by making Wentworth jealous).