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rara2018's reviews
559 reviews
Persuasion by Jane Austen
5.0
This could very well be a case of recency bias but this is a very strong contender for my favorite Jane Austen book currently, and Anne is decidedly my favorite protagonist in terms of just earnestly liking her. The book was hilarious in a very cutting way, and I found some of the social and personal critiques of the characters to be even more obvious here. The whole Elliot family was incredibly silly with Sir Walter's (and Elizabeth's) perpetual vanity and Mary's very frequent, but sometimes valid, dramatics. Austen's ability to capture the intricacies of the human experience and to make each character so distinct never fails to impress me. Anne's voice felt clear to me from the very first page and I really appreciated both the intense periods of longing and overthinking contrasted with a very thoughtful and kind way of interacting with the world made her both complex as a character but simply human as a whole. Captain Wentworth was also an excellent Austen love interest and while he felt like a fairly minor character, he managed to discretely permeate the story throughout every moment, making for the ending feeling extra impactful. The ending almost had me crying in the club (my bed) because I was just so happy for Anne, the oldest Austen heroine, for getting just about the perfect ending that could have been offered. Also, hats off to her for defending her own breaking off of the engagement 8 years prior. She was right! Also the scene with her explaining how women feel more deeply and Wentworth just sitting there scribbling furiously is chef's kiss. As I have said before, and still stand by, everyone should read Jane Austen, but Persuasion very well may be her best. Also, as an aside and like the rest of her books, it is quite aptly named. Jane deserved better and we don't deserve her.