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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
3.5 for me because the first half was a bit slow for me and dragging along. Not much was happening between Anne and Wentworth, and I found myself waiting for more emotional payoff. I really wish there had been more pining or tension between them early on.
That said, I really enjoyed Anne’s conversations with Captain Benwick and Harville. Their friendships had depth and gave her space to actually express herself.
And then… *the letter*. Wentworth’s profession of love totally made up for the slow build. “You pierce my soul”?? Instantly iconic. I’m a sucker for a heartfelt letter!!!
That said, I really enjoyed Anne’s conversations with Captain Benwick and Harville. Their friendships had depth and gave her space to actually express herself.
And then… *the letter*. Wentworth’s profession of love totally made up for the slow build. “You pierce my soul”?? Instantly iconic. I’m a sucker for a heartfelt letter!!!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
This was a reread of Persuasion for me, but it's been a long enough time that many plot points were new to me. So I guess that merits a review?
Austen wrote this shortly before she died. Her sister, Cassandra, has a famous annotation of the following passage:
"How eloquent could Anne Elliot have been! how eloquent, at least, were her wishes on the side of early warm attachment, and a cheerful confidence in futurity, against that over-anxious caution which seems to insult exertion and distrust Providence! She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning."
Next to this quote, Cassandra wrote, "Dear dear Jane! This deserves to be written in gold."
While we may never know for sure what made this so powerful for Cassandra, it's fair to suggest that Jane's young flirtation with Tom Lefroy and Cassandra's own heartbreak at losing her fiance at sea may both have had an influence on this story.
To me, personally, when I read this story, I see a novel fraught with Austen's personal experience about regret and longing. In many ways, that makes this a very beautiful, extremely romantic story. It's really interesting to contrast this with the first novel she ever wrote, Sense and Sensibility, which has second love as major theme and a course of action she clearly supported. I always find myself wondering if her opinion of second romance changed as she grew older and never married.
I think this is perhaps where the modern viewer will almost always have a different experience than Austen. Young me definitely had a disposition for longing and a hopeless romantic heart that could have stayed in love with the right man forever. But I've also traveled more and Men more people from a much further reaching range than the people of Austen's time period had the chance to. To me, the idea of staying in love for eight years is, while deeply romantic, also unrealistic and silly. But even for the extremely social people of the Regency era, they still would have met vastly fewer romantic options than the average modern person does.
I haven't really decided what to take away from that discussion, but it has given me lots to think about. I recently saw a @nytbooks post that recommended Persuasion as having "a more realistic view of love," and I still just don't think that's accurate. For my experience, and the experiences I've seen for just about every person I know, Sense and Sensibility is the most realistic view of love.
Returning to the quote from Austen above, I also think this reread was the first time I noticed how strongly Austen encouraged having faith in divine guidance and hard work when approaching one's own romance. To me, this adds quite a few ideas to her portrayal of love than I hadn't considered. She's not talking about just any young romance. She's talking about the rare case where people find the best match for themself and reject marriage out of fear.
While I wouldn't consider this to be Austen's deepest novel, thematically, I can certainly see why some people consider Persuasion to be her best written novel. Her, arguably, best written chapter is in Persuasion, the pacing is polished, the characterization is as always great, and the emotion is incredibly powerful (despite being a realist, I still cried during ch. 23). I also enjoyed looking deeper into the question of whether or not it is good or bad to have a persuadable nature.
I don't think Persuasion will ever be in my top favorite Austen novels (though I will always think all of them are great), but I enjoyed getting to take another look into it.
Austen wrote this shortly before she died. Her sister, Cassandra, has a famous annotation of the following passage:
"How eloquent could Anne Elliot have been! how eloquent, at least, were her wishes on the side of early warm attachment, and a cheerful confidence in futurity, against that over-anxious caution which seems to insult exertion and distrust Providence! She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning."
Next to this quote, Cassandra wrote, "Dear dear Jane! This deserves to be written in gold."
While we may never know for sure what made this so powerful for Cassandra, it's fair to suggest that Jane's young flirtation with Tom Lefroy and Cassandra's own heartbreak at losing her fiance at sea may both have had an influence on this story.
To me, personally, when I read this story, I see a novel fraught with Austen's personal experience about regret and longing. In many ways, that makes this a very beautiful, extremely romantic story. It's really interesting to contrast this with the first novel she ever wrote, Sense and Sensibility, which has second love as major theme and a course of action she clearly supported. I always find myself wondering if her opinion of second romance changed as she grew older and never married.
I think this is perhaps where the modern viewer will almost always have a different experience than Austen. Young me definitely had a disposition for longing and a hopeless romantic heart that could have stayed in love with the right man forever. But I've also traveled more and Men more people from a much further reaching range than the people of Austen's time period had the chance to. To me, the idea of staying in love for eight years is, while deeply romantic, also unrealistic and silly. But even for the extremely social people of the Regency era, they still would have met vastly fewer romantic options than the average modern person does.
I haven't really decided what to take away from that discussion, but it has given me lots to think about. I recently saw a @nytbooks post that recommended Persuasion as having "a more realistic view of love," and I still just don't think that's accurate. For my experience, and the experiences I've seen for just about every person I know, Sense and Sensibility is the most realistic view of love.
Returning to the quote from Austen above, I also think this reread was the first time I noticed how strongly Austen encouraged having faith in divine guidance and hard work when approaching one's own romance. To me, this adds quite a few ideas to her portrayal of love than I hadn't considered. She's not talking about just any young romance. She's talking about the rare case where people find the best match for themself and reject marriage out of fear.
While I wouldn't consider this to be Austen's deepest novel, thematically, I can certainly see why some people consider Persuasion to be her best written novel. Her, arguably, best written chapter is in Persuasion, the pacing is polished, the characterization is as always great, and the emotion is incredibly powerful (despite being a realist, I still cried during ch. 23). I also enjoyed looking deeper into the question of whether or not it is good or bad to have a persuadable nature.
I don't think Persuasion will ever be in my top favorite Austen novels (though I will always think all of them are great), but I enjoyed getting to take another look into it.
emotional
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:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
challenging
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
My first Jane Austen! I chose audio expecting a challenge and kept it at normal speed—every word felt intentional and beautifully descriptive. Anne Elliot won me over: intelligent, strong-willed, and quietly observant. Mary, on the other hand, might be one of the most insufferable characters I’ve ever read—so sharply written she still made an impact. Themes of class and longing for a second chance run throughout, with the final letter delivering a gentle, earned payoff. The pacing is slower than modern standards, but rewarding when you settle into the rhythm. I spent more energy tracking the prose than feeling the emotions, but it’s made me excited to read more classics and find that flow.