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lindseyhall44's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.25
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”
Persuasion, Jane Austen’s last completed novel, is commonly referred to as her most adult work. While I wholeheartedly agree on this front, I also believe that the beloved nature of Persuasion throughout generations stems not only from the maturity of the protagonist, but the bittersweet love story.
Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, an unmarried woman of 27, as she encounters the man who’s marriage proposal she refused years ago. As there relationship rekindles into a gray area of attachment, Anne is forced to reflect on the choices which led up to her refusal.
I think my favorite part of the novel was the yearning itself. It felt tangible as their relationship digressed, and added essential components to the complexities of Anne’s characters.
Since Austen was battling sickness at the time of her drafting Persuasion, this novel can at some points feel rushed, however I would highly recommend to any Austen fans!
Persuasion, Jane Austen’s last completed novel, is commonly referred to as her most adult work. While I wholeheartedly agree on this front, I also believe that the beloved nature of Persuasion throughout generations stems not only from the maturity of the protagonist, but the bittersweet love story.
Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, an unmarried woman of 27, as she encounters the man who’s marriage proposal she refused years ago. As there relationship rekindles into a gray area of attachment, Anne is forced to reflect on the choices which led up to her refusal.
I think my favorite part of the novel was the yearning itself. It felt tangible as their relationship digressed, and added essential components to the complexities of Anne’s characters.
Since Austen was battling sickness at the time of her drafting Persuasion, this novel can at some points feel rushed, however I would highly recommend to any Austen fans!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia
moonieness12'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
Content Warnings
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and War
annamania99'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
5.0
Pride and Prejudice was the first Austen book I read, the first I watched as films, and the first I really loved. Reading Persuasion is not like reading Pride and Prejudice. They have similarities, in that the books focus on the flaws of the main characters, but the approach Austen takes in Persuasion is much different. The tone is much more melancholy, much less "bright and sparkling" as Austen described Pride and Prejudice. Anne, the book's heroine, is not witty and self-confident like Elizabeth, but she has a sureness in knowing herself that Elizabeth lacks. She is older than Elizabeth and has faced a great deal more in terms of loss and disappointment. Mainly, I think, Anne is isolated in a way Elizabeth is not. While Elizabeth has Jane, Charlotte, her father, and her aunt Gardiner to support her, Anne only has a pseudo-aunt in the form of her late mother's friend, and this changes how she interacts with the world a great deal.
Persuasion was the last book Austen wrote before she died, and was published by her sister after her death, making the themes of loss, regret, and lost time even more poignant.
This book doesn't hold the same place in my heart as Pride and Prejudice, but then it is for a very different mood. I think Anne's belief in and integrity to her own morals and her determination to find joy in small things during some of the most depressing times of her life make her an incredibly strong character; though, like in the book, I don't think these are things many people might notice.
Persuasion was the last book Austen wrote before she died, and was published by her sister after her death, making the themes of loss, regret, and lost time even more poignant.
This book doesn't hold the same place in my heart as Pride and Prejudice, but then it is for a very different mood. I think Anne's belief in and integrity to her own morals and her determination to find joy in small things during some of the most depressing times of her life make her an incredibly strong character; though, like in the book, I don't think these are things many people might notice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, Grief, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
jupitermond'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
uranaishi's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Animal death, Death, War, Ableism, Alcohol, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
amymcphrsn's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent
kirame's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
solouncapitulomas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
yes, I enjoy second chance romance and yes, I did love this one more than sense and sensibility (if that is even possible)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Ableism
Moderate: Fatphobia and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content, Body shaming, and War
daryn's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent
anna_wa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
5.0
This semester, I have learned better than to reduce Jane Austen's works to simply love stories. They are stories of female agency/self-growth, packed with social/political/class commentary. And this one is no different - with the focus on those of Inherited Wealth losing celebrity status in Britain, and the ones of Earned Wealth (like the navy) gaining the public's love and affection instead.
However, having said all of that, I am a sap at heart and my heart was very full at the love story. I think a lot of that has to do with the way she structured it, starting 7 years after they had tried to get engaged and then given into the pressure by family to cancel their engagement. The way in which so much time has passed and yet there is still affection on both sides and neither has been able to find another, is something that warms my heart as a set-up. And then the way they find their way back to each other... it was so wonderful. I think this is my favorite of all the Austen love stories (yes, more than Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth).
Again though, it's not just a love story. It's also a story of Anne growing into herself, learning that her thoughts and feelings matter (something that her father and sister definitely never taught her), learning to speak up for herself, and learning awareness of her position in the changing society (an awareness that her sister and father never learn; they seem to be perpetually lost in the times when the title baronet actually meant something, which it definitely doesn't now in the time of Earned Wealth calling the shots). I loved and appreciated all of that, I did, but I am more than a little biased to the beautiful romantic ending despite it all. :3
Will definitely be keeping this one, not giving it back to the bookstore when my rental runs out.
However, having said all of that, I am a sap at heart and my heart was very full at the love story. I think a lot of that has to do with the way she structured it, starting 7 years after they had tried to get engaged and then given into the pressure by family to cancel their engagement. The way in which so much time has passed and yet there is still affection on both sides and neither has been able to find another, is something that warms my heart as a set-up. And then the way they find their way back to each other... it was so wonderful. I think this is my favorite of all the Austen love stories (yes, more than Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth).
Again though, it's not just a love story. It's also a story of Anne growing into herself, learning that her thoughts and feelings matter (something that her father and sister definitely never taught her), learning to speak up for herself, and learning awareness of her position in the changing society (an awareness that her sister and father never learn; they seem to be perpetually lost in the times when the title baronet actually meant something, which it definitely doesn't now in the time of Earned Wealth calling the shots). I loved and appreciated all of that, I did, but I am more than a little biased to the beautiful romantic ending despite it all. :3
Will definitely be keeping this one, not giving it back to the bookstore when my rental runs out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
Cousin-cest never happens, but it is talked about as a desired outcome multiple times. The R word is used in its original (obsolete) way, as in "slowing down".