Persuasion

Rating:
Summary: I'm persuaded!
Review: Having read all of Jane Austen's books, I've been very impressed with her style. Reading Persuasion, I immediately noticed the difference between shy Anne Elliot and Jane Austen's other characters: Emma, Elinor and Marianne, Elizabeth Bennet, Fannie Price, and Catherine Morland. Anne is not the most beautiful, the cleverest, or the most-spirited. She is shy, quiet, thoughtful, somewhat plain, and honest. She reacts to emergency situations calmly and clearly, proving that she does have a backbone. I think the fact that she is older and more mature than Austen's other characters shows a maturity in Austen's writing. I highly recommend this book to those who love Jane Austen and can understand being shy and strong.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Pride and Prejudice, but still good
Review: As a big fan of Austen's, I read this book and wasn't disappointed. All of Austen's trademarks are there: her witty commmentary of the British elite, silly men and women who both exasperate and amuse you, and a good love story. Persuasion is about Anne Elliot, who after breaking off an earlier engagement with Captain Wentworth, is suddenly in his company 8 years later, and longing to rekindle the romance. This book wasn't as fun as Pride and Prejudice, mainly because the struggle between Anne and Wentworth doesn't resonate the same way as that between Elizabeth and Darcy. Neither characters are particularly arrogant (though Wentworth is hostile at being rejected before), but it's still interesting to see how the two will find one another among the silliness of the people and situations around them. Jane Austen just has a way of keeping her reader in suspense, no matter if you feel sure you know the ending. The question is always How will they get together rather than if, and the How here will please any romantic reader satisfactorily.

Rating:
Summary: Love Jane Austen!!!
Review: This is my favorite Jane Austen's book (and Pride and Predjudice). Is so beautiful, and charming, and I love the characters,the way of writing and everything. If someone say to you that its boring, forgive him/her: it's because he/she's not a good reader.

Rating:
Summary: A Romantic Read
Review: Austen's novels are characterized by their limited plot and their freedom from deep philosophical musings, complicated image patterns and symbolism. As a result the reader is presented with a skilfully crafted novel in which setting, character delineation, acute observation of social interaction, accuracy and realism are all very important. The early novels were characterized by the use of irony, humour and satire. These are much less evident in Persuasion, as Austen seemed more concerned with the sympathetic and sensitive expoloration of her heroine's character and situation. Persuasion is a simply structured novel, for its plot is concerned only with bringing Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth together. A major theme of the novel is Austen's examination of pride and vanity - pride in one's social position and vanity of one's personal appearance. The idea of persuadability is tied up with another major concern of the novel - the right quality of mind. As the novel develops, Austen strives to achieve a right balance between contrasting opposites. I started to read the book reluctantly (as it was for school); but when I was familiar with the characters and the language, it was very enjoyable. If you have ever been in love, or thought yourself to be, or even had a crush on someone; you will identify with Anne Elliot's behaviour when she is around Captain Wentworth. It was amazing how real the characters came to be, and the events which occured can be compared of those today. I recommend the book to anyone with an interest in love stories. It was the first Austen book I have read, and it will not be the last.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book EVER!
Review: I know a lot of teens who, when I tell them I am reading Jane Austen, say, "What are you thinking?" because they have read Sense and Sensibility first, before trying any of her easier works. Persuasion is the easiest book of Austen's to get into, to follow, and to love. She makes the characters real by explaining them in many situations. When I read this book, I instantly became friends with Anne Elliot, the family outcast, because she was an outcast. Then she became even more my friend when she became the beloved and desired friend and love of Captain Wentworth. I loved seeing Anne go through the difficulties of dealing with her past actions, and instead of wanting to go back and change the past, she wanted to go forward and decide the future. Austen masterfully portrays all of her characters, and I would love to go to Lyme and see where Anne met her cousin, and to Bath to see where she and Captain Wentworth decided their future together. Persuasion is my favorite book of Austen's, and if you read it, it will be yours, too.

Rating:
Summary: Wherefore art thou, Captain Wentworth......
Review: This story is heart-wrenchingly agonising. This is a good thing! Never have I been so moved by a love story. When Anne and Captain Wentworth finally overcome their own guardedness and the pressures of society and re-declare their love for each other...... It is the most wonderful scene ever written. I have never read a more wonderful love story. I think this to be the most romantic of Jane Austen's novels. The mercenary marriage market Jane Austen ridicules in "Pride and Prejudice" is portrayed in a darker and more destructive light in "Persuasion". Two lovers torn apart by a society fixated on class, wealth and position, only able to find happiness together once this obstacle has been overcome, but in the mean time..... OH THE HEART ACHE!!!!! I recommend this one for a rainy day when one can lie in bed, or sit in the favourite arm-chair, and wallow in the brilliance of this timeless and heart stirring romance. Don't forget your tissues!

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book of All Time....
Review: Over the years, I have read "Persuasion" by Jane Austen at LEAST 10 times. Simply put, it is my favorite book. While not everyone holds this novel with the same high esteem that I do, I urge those who have NOT read "Persuasion" to buy it.

This book has meant different things to me at different times in my life. I have often reflected why I find the story so fascinating and believe it is because it so accurately portrays the human spirit and exposes our flaws and strengths with such transparency.

Jane Austen reveals those who are so superficial that they see no goodness or worth other than beauty and wealth (Anne's father and sister); those who are so dependent that they do not listen to their own heart - but instead leave their most important decisions for others to make (Anne herself); and those whose pride has been wounded.

And perhaps what is so captivating, Austen lets the reader vicariously "undo" an error in judgment. This is an excellent and timeless novel.

Rating:
Summary: Not Austen's best
Review: I am a fan of Jane Austen's work, but this is definitely not her best novel. It was written later in her life and lacks the emotion and plot that are so captivating in her earlier works. Read 'Pride and Prejudice' instead.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliance Audio edition a disappointment
Review: I'm a longtime Persuasion fan, and know the novel well. I bought the Brilliance Audio edition because it's tough to find unabridged versions and I like hearing my favorite old stories aloud.

The tapes are certainly sturdy for repeated library lendings, and the narrator is easy to hear and understand, but otherwise Michael Page is the wrong reader for this story! His vocal characterizations are quavery and pinched, and don't usually fit the characters--or degrade them to farce level. The music signalling the end of each cassette is distracting, jarring even.

Not a great reading of Persuasion. Not even a good intro to the novel for first timers, and terrible for those of us who know the characters already.

Rating:
Summary: An enchanting and entertaining read
Review: Jane Austen's "Persuasion" accomplishes the feat of rewarding both extremely casual and deeper, more analytical readings. It certainly contains enough genuine insight into humanity, and social relationships in particular, to be considered a "serious" novel. But "Persuasion" defies the stereotype that accompanies this genre. Rather than being ponderous and solemn, it is instead a work of sheer joy to read. Readers are treated to a complex novel that reads like a summer beach book.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of "Persuasion" is how it balances the depth and richness with pure entertainment. Anne, her sisters, her father, and of course Captain Wentworth, are all very complex and fully fleshed-out characters. At the same time, however, they are all delightful people to read about. Anne in particular is charming and compassionate. Austen's prose is wonderful; witty, intelligent, and clear. And the story itself, a tale of people in love, is universal in its appeal and yet never once becomes formulaic. The novel, then, is a fantastic success in every possible way. It provides the richness of great literature with the charm of the greatest writers. I can't recommend "Persuasion" highly enough.