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A review by aayjaysbookshelf
Persuasion by Jane Austen
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was my second Austen read after Pride and Prejudice, so I'd say I already had some sort of bias in my mind as to what I anticipated in this book.
Persuasion is a slow novel. The writing is beautiful, as expected of Austen, and the characters diverse. Uh, a little too diverse for my liking, though, for I'd find myself struggling to remember which is which, and how are they all related, which they were, in complicated ways.
Unlike the majority who regard Austen's novels for their romance mainly, I find the intricate description of societal and family ways in them more amusing. And in many many ways, the resemblance of the societal microbehaviours as described back in 1800s English culture, with the current Desi or South Asian one is too uncanny for me to not notice. And that, for me, is the true delight of classic novels; that close look into societal frameworks, the family structures, the expectations and reactions, make you learn about a society in a very different light than what anthropological texts can tell. Will definitely be diving more into Austen to discover more of this.
As for the romance part, it's the mature type, and a realistic one. Austen explores the story of two lovers who called off their engagement in their youth, because of 'persuasion' (gettit, gettit??) from friends and family who didn't approve of their union, only to come back to each other much later and find out that their love, though crumpled by the time, hasn't faded completely.
I've given it a 3.75, because the plot was too slow and the storyline too thick at few points. Moreover, I felt the male protagonist (Captain Wentworth) is not drawn as clearly as the hero should have been. We instead get detailed description of Benwick and Mr. Elliott, but not much about Wentworth, neither of the past nor present , to really understand how he had been like. The female protagonist, though wise and mature, was a bit too soft and mellow, almost tilting to the people-pleasing side. I understand that's part of what makes Austen's characters so real and relatable; not all of them can be strong willed or witty or clever, and with that, the story does do justice to being real. A good read, all in all, though I won't like to read it again very soon.
Persuasion is a slow novel. The writing is beautiful, as expected of Austen, and the characters diverse. Uh, a little too diverse for my liking, though, for I'd find myself struggling to remember which is which, and how are they all related, which they were, in complicated ways.
Unlike the majority who regard Austen's novels for their romance mainly, I find the intricate description of societal and family ways in them more amusing. And in many many ways, the resemblance of the societal microbehaviours as described back in 1800s English culture, with the current Desi or South Asian one is too uncanny for me to not notice. And that, for me, is the true delight of classic novels; that close look into societal frameworks, the family structures, the expectations and reactions, make you learn about a society in a very different light than what anthropological texts can tell. Will definitely be diving more into Austen to discover more of this.
As for the romance part, it's the mature type, and a realistic one. Austen explores the story of two lovers who called off their engagement in their youth, because of 'persuasion' (gettit, gettit??) from friends and family who didn't approve of their union, only to come back to each other much later and find out that their love, though crumpled by the time, hasn't faded completely.
I've given it a 3.75, because the plot was too slow and the storyline too thick at few points. Moreover, I felt the male protagonist (Captain Wentworth) is not drawn as clearly as the hero should have been. We instead get detailed description of Benwick and Mr. Elliott, but not much about Wentworth, neither of the past nor present , to really understand how he had been like. The female protagonist, though wise and mature, was a bit too soft and mellow, almost tilting to the people-pleasing side. I understand that's part of what makes Austen's characters so real and relatable; not all of them can be strong willed or witty or clever, and with that, the story does do justice to being real. A good read, all in all, though I won't like to read it again very soon.