First published in 1818, Persuasion was Jane Austen’s last work. Its mellow character and autumnal tone have long made it a favorite with Austen readers. Set in Somersetshire and Bath, the novel revolves around the lives and love affair of Sir Walter Elliot, his daughters Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary, and various in-laws, friends, suitors, and other characters, In Anne Elliot, the author created … created perhaps her sweetest, most appealing heroine.
At the center of the novel is Anne’s thwarted romance with Captain Frederick Wentworth, a navy man Anne met and fell in love with when she was 19. At the time, Wentworth was deemed an unsuitable match and Anne was forced to break off the relationship. Eight years later, however, they meet again. By this time Captain Wentworth has made his fortune in the navy and is an attractive “catch.” However, Anne is now uncertain about his feelings for her. But after various twists and turns of fortune, the novel ends on a happy note.
In Persuasion, as in such novels as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma, Austen limned the plight of young women who could escape the constraints of family life only by marrying, and suggest the foolishness of women who believed they were free and not dependent on the financial and social resources of men. At the same time, Persuasion offers an ironic and subtle paean to the true love that enables one woman to rise above straitened economic circumstances and the stifling social conventions that restricted women to narrowly circumscribed lives in the common sitting room.
Sure to appeal to admirers of Jane Austen, Persuasion will delight any reader with its finely drawn characters, gentle satire, and charming re-creation of the genteel world of the 19th-century English countryside.
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In response to the question of the day, I would have dinner with Jane Austen. I bet she would be delightful. We’d drink rosé, people watch and talk about feminism and her characters. I’d ask her how she writes social commentary without becoming cynical.
Love the question of the day!
I first read Persuasion when I went through round one of Austen as a young teen. It wasn’t my favorite at the time, although the shortest of her six novels — I thought it less exciting and romantic than my favorite, P&P, or Emma.
But when I reread it again recently, I had a completely different perspective. Perhaps that’s because I, like …
I reread this book every year. Every.Year. The letter still sweeps me away and I love all the characters, even the inconsistent Mr Eliot. It’s arguably Austen’s best work and certainly her most mature. I’ll take Anne Eliot over Emma Woodhouse any day of the year, and even Lizzie Bennet – and I’ll argue that to anyone who shows up. I love a Regency …
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. After the last Austen book I read (Nothanger Abbey), in which I was less than impressed, I didn’t know what to expect with this one. I adored Pride and Prejudice so she had two books on opposite ends of the spectrum for me. I am quite pleased to report that this book falls directly behind Pride and Prejudice, quite …
Apparently this was the last book Jane Austen ever wrote, rather than one of the first, as I had supposed. I definitely notice a formula in Austen’s stories: the unlikely protagonist who is quiet, retiring, but deep and intelligent. The wealthy suitor who doesn’t seem to pay her any attention at first. The bubbly fluffy pretty girl who seems to …
My favorite of Jane Austen’s books
This is probably Jane Austen’s most mature novel and was published posthumously. Not an easy novel to read, but certainly worth it.
This is a Jane Austen book, suitable for all ages, and is one of my all time favorite books. This is the original second chance romance tale.
Everyone has a favorite Jane Austin novel. This one is mine. Watch the movie the Jane Austin Book Club. It’s charming.
The last of Austen’s books I read was Northanger Abbey, which I loved. But I think Persuasion may be my new favorite. Her writing style is refined and matured. Really easy to get caught up in. I’ve been so engaged with all the characters, and for the first time, can’t think of a single character that I don’t vividly see in my mind as I’m reading. …
Oh, where do I begin with how much I loved this book? Okay. Two words: CAPTAIN WENTWORTH. Swoon!
One of Austen’s best IMHO. Reflects how the choices we make to please other people can have resounding effects on our lives and our own happiness.
Anne and Captain Wentworth love each other deeply but are pulled apart by her disapproving family.
Anne exists for years just going through the motions and doing for others until one day their paths …
My favorite Jane Austen, I read it every year, every deserves a 2nd chance
While I love all Jane Austen’s novels, over the years this one has become my favourite. Its heroine has known loss and disappointment, and has a maturity and self-awareness that’s grown out of those experiences. Undervalued to the point of being ignored by those who should cherish her; alone even when she’s surrounded by noise and bustle; Anne is clear-eyed without being judgmental, and self-possessed rather than self-pitying.
I’ve often wondered if Jane Austen wanted to give Anne the happy ending she herself was denied. But idle speculation aside, Anne is such a lovable heroine that from the moment I met her I felt she deserved the happiest of endings.
OH. I enjoyed this WAY more than I thought I would. I am so glad that I gave it another try. I think watching the movie over and over has helped me understand the language and flow of the book and brought a greater enjoyment of it as well. Makes me want to read ALL of Austen now. And I never thought THAT would happen….
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My second reading of this book was just as delightful as the first. I really truly enjoy this book. So glad that I had the opportunity to read it again.
Believed to be Jane Austen’s last complete manuscript, Persuasion is her best novel. It’s not romantic, in the sense that the hero and the heroine start the story in love; rather, Anne is persuaded by her family to turn down Captain Wentworth’s offer of marriage, and she regrets it; years later, she meets him again, and he gets romantically enough involved with a flighty young woman that, but for a timely fall, during which time another man falls in love with her, Captain Wentworth would have been obliged, by the rules of that time and age, to marry her. But for Louisa’s obstinate insistence on jumping the steps, Anne would have missed her second chance with Captain Wentworth, but all ends well, in this beautifully written novel, which is, quite frankly, one of Jane Austen’s most realistic novels.
I think this is my favorite Jane Austen. Anne is wonderfully patient, ladylike, intelligent, and brave, and Captain Wentworth, after overcoming his pride, does turn out to be worthy of her. There is just enough angst and uncertainty to keep you wondering, and the excellent depth of all the side characters makes everything so interesting, and the ending so satisfying.
My favourite Jane Austen. The letter from Captain Wentworth is one of the most romantic pieces of writing ever.
This is Jane at her most enjoyable,with exquisite word choices on practically every page, amazingly quick prose, descriptive and sharp, and not a word too few or too many. Every character is nuanced to such degree that you fancy recognizing them if they were to stride past. Anne Elliott is perhaps a tad too perfect, but in my opinion the heroine who most closely resembles Jane at her best, morally and otherwise. A wonderful, fun read not to be missed, and which only gets better upon each reading.