I have no guilt or shame in my reading of what is often times referred to as "chick lit." Jane Austin is one of my favorite storytellers and while I have been mostly exposed to her wit, charm, and suspense via video, Persuasion is the second book of hers that I've read, Pride and Prejudice being the first. I first heard references to the story in the movie The Lakehouse and was introduced to the story via a Masterpiece Theater Jane Austin marathon where they covered a different story a night for a week. I found it compelling and later bought a film version of the film (different from the first one I saw). It wasn't until one of my coworkers mentioned that she was reading it that I decided to buckle down and read it as well. I actually finished it a couple of day ago, but haven't had a chance to write the review yet. So, without further adieu, here it is.
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Plot: Anne Elliot is the daughter of Sir Walter, a widowed, very vain baronet who is quickly racking up debts and will lose the ancestral home unless he does allow it to be let out and consolidates his wealth in more frugal surroundings. With their finances in trouble Sir Walter moves to Bath with his oldest daughter Elizabeth. Anne is called to call on her other sister, Mary, who lives in the nearby country with her husband's family and her two sons. While this is not inherently suspenseful, Anne faces a most uncomfortable situation. Her father has lent the house and grounds to the sister (and her husband) of the man who Anne refused to marry eight years previous to the story beginning. A man who has since made his fortune, is still unmarried, and for whom Anne still has feelings for. Captain Fredrick Wentworth asked Anne to marry him before he went to sea and when Anne's friend Lady Russel persuaded her to refuse him all contact was lost between him and Anne. Now, he is in the market for a wife and Anne watches as the young single siblings of Mary's husband vie for the good Captain's attention. Tragedy strikes, jealousy rears its ugly head, and Anne is taken for a ride that taxes her head and her heart.
Personal Favorites: The characters are delightful. Whether it's Sir Walter's excessive vanity, Anne's sensibilities and patience, Wentworth's devotion, Mary's self-suffering or Benwick's dreariness, each of the characters have their own flavor. There are few surprised (but they are there) and the story progress well. Like other Austin stories, there are plenty of happy endings. The thing that this book conveys better then others is Anne's sense of lost love and the state of mind it puts her in. My wife and I broke off our courtship for a period of a couple of months before ultimately getting engaged, so Anne's desire to see Wentworth, but her dread of the pain at seeing him was something I had experienced so I could relate.
Considerations: The only way I can describe some of the characters in this book is ugly. Some may find it hard to deal with Mary's self-suffering, Sir Walter's vanity, and some of the other character's predominate traits. Also, the book does not move at a breakneck pace, but does make good consistent progress. The book and the movie did not perfectly align, but the differences were well done.
The copy I read was part of a complete works collection and totaled about 110 very full pages.
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Plot: Anne Elliot is the daughter of Sir Walter, a widowed, very vain baronet who is quickly racking up debts and will lose the ancestral home unless he does allow it to be let out and consolidates his wealth in more frugal surroundings. With their finances in trouble Sir Walter moves to Bath with his oldest daughter Elizabeth. Anne is called to call on her other sister, Mary, who lives in the nearby country with her husband's family and her two sons. While this is not inherently suspenseful, Anne faces a most uncomfortable situation. Her father has lent the house and grounds to the sister (and her husband) of the man who Anne refused to marry eight years previous to the story beginning. A man who has since made his fortune, is still unmarried, and for whom Anne still has feelings for. Captain Fredrick Wentworth asked Anne to marry him before he went to sea and when Anne's friend Lady Russel persuaded her to refuse him all contact was lost between him and Anne. Now, he is in the market for a wife and Anne watches as the young single siblings of Mary's husband vie for the good Captain's attention. Tragedy strikes, jealousy rears its ugly head, and Anne is taken for a ride that taxes her head and her heart.Personal Favorites: The characters are delightful. Whether it's Sir Walter's excessive vanity, Anne's sensibilities and patience, Wentworth's devotion, Mary's self-suffering or Benwick's dreariness, each of the characters have their own flavor. There are few surprised (but they are there) and the story progress well. Like other Austin stories, there are plenty of happy endings. The thing that this book conveys better then others is Anne's sense of lost love and the state of mind it puts her in. My wife and I broke off our courtship for a period of a couple of months before ultimately getting engaged, so Anne's desire to see Wentworth, but her dread of the pain at seeing him was something I had experienced so I could relate.
Considerations: The only way I can describe some of the characters in this book is ugly. Some may find it hard to deal with Mary's self-suffering, Sir Walter's vanity, and some of the other character's predominate traits. Also, the book does not move at a breakneck pace, but does make good consistent progress. The book and the movie did not perfectly align, but the differences were well done.
The copy I read was part of a complete works collection and totaled about 110 very full pages.
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