Persuasion

Rating:
Summary: Romance-- clear-eyed, tender, true
Review: The experience of reading _Persuasion_ is closer to that of reading _Jane_Eyre_ than it is to reading _Emma_ or _Pride_and_Prejudice_. Anne, our heroine, is a cut above those around her. She suffers through her social life and keeps her observations to herself. As in Austen's other books, there's plenty of wit to enjoy from the outside. But there's also a deep identification with Anne that brings out the poignancy and suspense of the romance until by the last twenty pages I could hardly stand it. And ahhhh, the payoff. Wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: Persuasive tale of a second chance at love
Review: Though not as well known as the novels that established the author's name (Pride and Prejudice, Emma), Persuasion is certainly worth your time. It's extremely well-written with superb characterization. The plot isn't too original by today's standards, but is interesting nonetheless. Anne Elliot, the smartest and most pleasant by far of three upper class sisters, is 28 and still single. At 19 she fell in love with and almost married a dashing naval officer named Frederick Wentworth. However, great pressure from her family and relations "persuaded" her to reject Frederick due to his lower station in society. Frederick was greatly hurt and promptly went off to engage his energies in naval action.

Eight and a half years later, Anne still hasn't met another guy she likes as much as Frederick and remains single. But now Frederick returns from war, retired, extremely wealthy from privateering with mercenaries, and more mature. He's ready to settle down and a chance family connection puts him back in the same neighborhood as Anne! He's still upset with Anne. And this time, other women are catching his eye too...

While not up to the standards of Anne Bronte's outstanding The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Persuasion is a good classical romance novel. I think it beats out Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd on plot and characterization, though Hardy's prose is generally more powerful. Nevertheless, Austen can be quite poignant when she wants to be: Wentworth's shocking letter to Anne at the end of the book moved even me, a generally left-brained emotionless creature!

A highlight of the novel is the illuminating social commentary that Austen subtly inserts into the prose. Clearly, she felt that the class system entrenched in British society at the time had its shortcomings. The endnotes in the Penguin edition do a good job of explaining the finer points of Austen's many jabs at class-conscious folks including Anne's self-absorbed father Walter and hopeless sister Elizabeth. Anne's other sister Mary is rendered superbly by Austen as a basically good-natured woman unfortunately marred by a touch of vanity. I personally know a Mary or two.

Recommended to all adult readers!

Rating:
Summary: Jane Austen's good
Review: Though not as well known as the novels that established the author's name (Pride and Prejudice, Emma), Persuasion is certainly worth your time. It's extremely well-written with superb characterization. The plot isn't too original by today's standards, but is interesting nonetheless. Anne Elliot, the smartest and most pleasant by far of three upper class sisters, is 28 and still single. At 19 she fell in love with and almost married a dashing naval officer named Frederick Wentworth. However, great pressure from her family and relations "persuaded" her to reject Frederick due to his lower station in society. Frederick was greatly hurt and promptly went off to engage his energies in naval action.

Eight and a half years later, Anne still hasn't met another guy she likes as much as Frederick and remains single. But now Frederick returns from war, retired, extremely wealthy from privateering with mercenaries, and more mature. He's ready to settle down and a chance family connection puts him back in the same neighborhood as Anne! He's still upset with Anne. And this time, other women are catching his eye too...

While not up to the standards of Anne Bronte's outstanding The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Persuasion is a good classical romance novel. I think it beats out Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd on plot and characterization, though Hardy's prose is generally more powerful. Nevertheless, Austen can be quite poignant when she wants to be: Wentworth's shocking letter to Anne at the end of the book moved even me, a generally left-brained emotionless creature!

A highlight of the novel is the illuminating social commentary that Austen subtly inserts into the prose. Clearly, she felt that the class system entrenched in British society at the time had its shortcomings. The endnotes in the Penguin edition do a good job of explaining the finer points of Austen's many jabs at class-conscious folks including Anne's self-absorbed father Walter and hopeless sister Elizabeth. Anne's other sister Mary is rendered superbly by Austen as a basically good-natured woman unfortunately marred by a touch of vanity. I personally know a Mary or two.

Recommended to all adult readers!