You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Persuasion is written very beautifully and is definitely one of Austen’s most poetic novels.
I probably would have liked a bit more interaction between Anne and Captain Wenthworth throughout the novel, as I would have loved seeing more of their relationship.
Overall a very good reading experience.
3.75/5 stars
I probably would have liked a bit more interaction between Anne and Captain Wenthworth throughout the novel, as I would have loved seeing more of their relationship.
Overall a very good reading experience.
3.75/5 stars
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Now that I'm the same age as Persuasion's spinsterish protagonist Anne Elliot, this book hits much closer to home than when I first picked it up as a preteen. Unlike the isolated orphan girls who take the starring role in other 19th-century English novels (e.g., Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre), Anne Elliot belongs to a family of considerable size (especially if you count her numerous in-laws and honorary family members, such as Lady Russell), and in Persuasion Jane Austen shines a light on both the negative and positive aspects of "belonging" to a group of people whose wants and needs don't always align with one's own. The novel focuses on the constitutionally timid Anne's years-long struggle to weigh her own desires (in particular, her desire to marry the man she loves, Captain Frederick Wentworth) against the competing desires of her selfish and demanding relatives, whose collective obsession with wealth and social status causes them to view the noble-hearted Frederick with unwarranted disdain. Persuasion is a gloomier novel than all of Austen's other five: illness and injury are frequent occurrences, widows and widowers abound, and there's not a single scene in the whole book that arouses laughter or even a mirthful smile. In its own way, though, Persuasion is a Cinderella story with a happy ending, a surprisingly sweet wish-fulfillment dream, in which an older-but-wiser heroine is given the much-longed-for chance to undo the regrettable actions she took at age nineteen.
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
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved getting all these glimpses into the culture and priorities of the time. It feels like another world, and yet behind the facade and visits and society politics, in the end it is about survival in the midst of all that. And then, about more than that- finding the earnestness and honesty and integrity that stand in contrast to the masks everyone is wearing, and learning to pursue them instead.
I find Anne a fascinating main character in that she is very observant and knows exactly what part to play to best please those around her. This makes her both agreeable and often overlooked. And yet, more and more I discovered, with her, that she did have a voice, and importance, and that she was making a huge difference in the lives of thise around her all along.
Paired with the love story and the slow decline of her family's status at the same time, all these things make for a very fascinating read. It was social commentary, romance, thinkpiece, and family drama all in one, and I was very invested.
I especially enjoyed the shade Austen continually threw in Anne's family's direction, they both drove me up the wall and were quite amusing.
I find Anne a fascinating main character in that she is very observant and knows exactly what part to play to best please those around her. This makes her both agreeable and often overlooked. And yet, more and more I discovered, with her, that she did have a voice, and importance, and that she was making a huge difference in the lives of thise around her all along.
Paired with the love story and the slow decline of her family's status at the same time, all these things make for a very fascinating read. It was social commentary, romance, thinkpiece, and family drama all in one, and I was very invested.
I especially enjoyed the shade Austen continually threw in Anne's family's direction, they both drove me up the wall and were quite amusing.
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was such a pleasure to read a book by the brilliant Jane Austen that I didn’t know the plot of beforehand (unlike Emma or Pride & Prejudice). Her writing is truly extraordinary & I was unreasonably giddy while reading this because it’s just the best. My only complaint is that I wish we’d gotten to know Captain Wentworth more.
(Teetering between 4 & 5 stars on this one…rating is subject to change based on how I feel about it in days/weeks to come. But either way, I loved it.)
(Teetering between 4 & 5 stars on this one…rating is subject to change based on how I feel about it in days/weeks to come. But either way, I loved it.)
lighthearted
relaxing
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