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diana_raquel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you."
Persuasion was the last fully completed work by Jane Austen...and it shows! And while this is one of the author's lesser-known novels, it is undoubtedly one of my favorites.
If Northanger Abbey was the odd one, this novel is the most mature. Of the six main novels, this is the only one that features an older protagonist (Anne is 27 years old) and, it's also, the only one where the plot doesn't focus on a love story between the protagonists, but rather on their re-encounter. It isn't a love story, it's a story about lost love and how, over time, people can change in some ways. So, it's a much more mature and refined novel, with more level-headed characters (well, some of them are more mature).
And we have to talk about Anne. Because of her position in society (even if she's the daughter of a baronet, she's single at 27), is a very quiet, shy character that hardly ever speaks her mind. And although she's very intelligent and kind, she's very quiet and rarely speaks up. I usually don't like this type of character, but Anne is the exception that proves the rule. Although she's a quiet character, we never forget that she's in the room (something that happened with Fanny in Mansfield Park). She begins by being presented as a sweet and kind person, incorporating the feminine ideal of the time but little by little she turns out to be a strong and mature character, always remaining faithful to her ideals and morals. Definitely, Anne is one of my favorite heroines created by Austen.
My only problem with the book was the pacing in the early chapters. And while I understand that these chapters introduced some background that the reader needs to know, the pacing is a little slow for my taste.
Overall, I strongly recommend this book. You're not gonna regret it.
Final note: I strongly recommend that you watch the 2007 movie adaptation starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. In addition to remaining quite faithful to the original material, this adaptation perfectly captures the melancholic atmosphere of the book. It's perfect in every aspect.
"There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison..."
Persuasion was the last fully completed work by Jane Austen...and it shows! And while this is one of the author's lesser-known novels, it is undoubtedly one of my favorites.
If Northanger Abbey was the odd one, this novel is the most mature. Of the six main novels, this is the only one that features an older protagonist (Anne is 27 years old) and, it's also, the only one where the plot doesn't focus on a love story between the protagonists, but rather on their re-encounter. It isn't a love story, it's a story about lost love and how, over time, people can change in some ways. So, it's a much more mature and refined novel, with more level-headed characters (well, some of them are more mature).
And we have to talk about Anne. Because of her position in society (even if she's the daughter of a baronet, she's single at 27), is a very quiet, shy character that hardly ever speaks her mind. And although she's very intelligent and kind, she's very quiet and rarely speaks up. I usually don't like this type of character, but Anne is the exception that proves the rule. Although she's a quiet character, we never forget that she's in the room (something that happened with Fanny in Mansfield Park). She begins by being presented as a sweet and kind person, incorporating the feminine ideal of the time but little by little she turns out to be a strong and mature character, always remaining faithful to her ideals and morals. Definitely, Anne is one of my favorite heroines created by Austen.
My only problem with the book was the pacing in the early chapters. And while I understand that these chapters introduced some background that the reader needs to know, the pacing is a little slow for my taste.
Overall, I strongly recommend this book. You're not gonna regret it.
Final note: I strongly recommend that you watch the 2007 movie adaptation starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. In addition to remaining quite faithful to the original material, this adaptation perfectly captures the melancholic atmosphere of the book. It's perfect in every aspect.
"There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison..."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Toxic relationship
pencilspeaker's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Misogyny
Moderate: Colonisation and Injury/Injury detail
themis_biblos's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My first Austen. I loved Anne.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
sarasreading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm so happy to have finally read this one! I think I like it even better than Pride and Prejudice. It's not as witty as the latter, but it's full of tension and yearning and emotion. I flew through it, and now I'm wishing that I had taken a little more time to savor it. My new favorite Austen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Classism
Minor: Death
annabeth_jackson's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Body shaming, Ableism, Grief, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Gaslighting
Minor: War
anjasshelf's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Death, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Grief, Sexism, Classism, and Death of parent
Minor: War
silverthorn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Incest
pandorasirens's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Fatphobia
clevermird's review
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Jane Austin is kind of my classical literary nemesis. I really like the plots of her books and I find her ability to draw engaging characters in just a few sentences amazing. But somehow I never find myself quite loving the result.
Anne Elliot is the middle child of minor British nobility and still unmarried in her late 20s. Her whiny younger sister has been married for years, but calls on her whenever she feels short on attention, while her father and older sister are both too concerned with their own shallow flaunting of their petty title to pay much attention to her. Her only companion is her late mother's closest friend, who many years ago talked her out of an engagement due to fears that the man's dangerous profession and lack of familial wealth would leave her a penniless widow. But now the Elliots are in dire financial straits, their estate is being rented out, and who should come to visit the new tenants than her ex-fiance, still single and looking?
As I mentioned in the intro, the prose is typically nice, with witty commentary and really amusing characterization. I really enjoyed seeing a romantic story with an older (relatively speaking) protagonist and the premise was great. Anne was a nice girl and I found myself genuinely rooting for her to succeed.
However, the book is quite slow and definitely drags in places. Not that I was expecting the end of the world, but even compared to Pride and Prejudice, there's relatively little that happens. I feel like for as much as the relationship between Anne and her ex-fiance is the focus of the book, we see comparatively little of them together until (spoiler alert) they decide that they are okay with each other again at the end - there was buildup there, for sure, but it would have been more satisfying if we'd seen more of them together. Similarly, the antagonist is solved by a sudden revelation from a character introduced in the third act, and while again, it all makes sense and fits with what we know, it would have worked better if we'd seen more of said character before that moment.
I don't know, this one just didn't quite work for me despite me really wanting it to.
Anne Elliot is the middle child of minor British nobility and still unmarried in her late 20s. Her whiny younger sister has been married for years, but calls on her whenever she feels short on attention, while her father and older sister are both too concerned with their own shallow flaunting of their petty title to pay much attention to her. Her only companion is her late mother's closest friend, who many years ago talked her out of an engagement due to fears that the man's dangerous profession and lack of familial wealth would leave her a penniless widow. But now the Elliots are in dire financial straits, their estate is being rented out, and who should come to visit the new tenants than her ex-fiance, still single and looking?
As I mentioned in the intro, the prose is typically nice, with witty commentary and really amusing characterization. I really enjoyed seeing a romantic story with an older (relatively speaking) protagonist and the premise was great. Anne was a nice girl and I found myself genuinely rooting for her to succeed.
However, the book is quite slow and definitely drags in places. Not that I was expecting the end of the world, but even compared to Pride and Prejudice, there's relatively little that happens. I feel like for as much as the relationship between Anne and her ex-fiance is the focus of the book, we see comparatively little of them together until (spoiler alert) they decide that they are okay with each other again at the end - there was buildup there, for sure, but it would have been more satisfying if we'd seen more of them together. Similarly, the antagonist is solved by a sudden revelation from a character introduced in the third act, and while again, it all makes sense and fits with what we know, it would have worked better if we'd seen more of said character before that moment.
I don't know, this one just didn't quite work for me despite me really wanting it to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Chronic illness
paigeinabook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Gaslighting, Body horror, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Stalking