A review by withlivjones
Persuasion by Jane Austen

funny lighthearted reflective 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

3.0

This novel has a very slow start and I struggled to get into it. It only picks up really during the second half, but once it did I enjoyed it. The tension between Anne and Captain Wentworth is so clear and the narration of their interactions by Austen gives a real sense of pining and suppressed emotions. I actually let out a gasp at the letter Wentworth writes! When there is drama within the novel, Austen certainly knows how to write it. 

Despite this tension, I found that the main couple don’t actually have much personality. Wentworth spends most of the novel brooding while Anne has Mary-Sue qualities (i.e. being fair, accomplished and good-tempered while also being ignored and pushed around by everyone around her) and only realises halfway through the novel that she can develop different opinions to other people. I actually found the most entertaining character to be Mary, who is annoyingly self-centred but at least has a personality. I think this is what caused me to struggle to get into the novel at the beginning, before the plot really kicked in. 
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