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Persuasion

Jane Austen

Start date: September 1, 2024

Finish date: October 31, 2024

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What Members Thought

May 18, 2019 Werner rated it really liked it

Shelves: general-fiction, classics

Note, Sept. 19, 2024: I've just edited this review to insert an omitted apostrophe in the word "it's."

Of the three completed Austen novels that I've already read, this is the only one that I haven't reviewed until now. Since I'm currently reading Emma, this seemed like a good time to remedy that!

My first acquaintance with the storyline here actually came from seeing one of the several movie adaptations, the 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/ Note, Sept. 19, 2024: I've just edited this review to insert an omitted apostrophe in the word "it's."

Of the three completed Austen novels that I've already read, this is the only one that I haven't reviewed until now. Since I'm currently reading Emma, this seemed like a good time to remedy that!

My first acquaintance with the storyline here actually came from seeing one of the several movie adaptations, the 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/ ), on TV. I read the book subsequent to that (2004 is a best guess); it was a selection read by the now-defunct Bluefield College Literary Society, though of course it had been on my radar decades before that. As an adaptation, my impression at the time from comparing the two (and my memories of both now admittedly aren't fresh) is that the movie is essentially faithful to the book and deserves recommendation, with the caveat that some of the dialogue in the former isn't in the latter. (It is, though, decidedly "Austen-esque" in its dry humor and unconscious revelation of the speakers' character and attitudes; I was actually surprised, and disappointed, that some lines from the film weren't in the novel!)

Our heroine here is thoughtful and bookish 27-year-old Anne Elliott, daughter of a pompous country baronet in southwestern England. Some eight years ago, Anne was engaged to a young naval officer, Frederick Wentworth; but she was persuaded, primarily on the advice of her older friend and confidante Lady Russell, to break the engagement. For whatever it's worth, I'm not among those readers who consider Lady Russell a malevolent villainess on that account, and I don't think Austen, whose views of her characters are more often nuanced, viewed her in that light either. Her advice, IMO, was sincere and well-meant; but that doesn't mean it was necessarily good advice, or well-taken. Indeed, the question of whether it was or wasn't is the central question that occupies the book --that is, besides the question of whether or not Anne and Capt. Wentworth will get a second chance at matrimony, since circumstances have now brought him back into her sphere of acquaintance, and she's had nearly a decade to realize that her feelings for him are strong and genuine. This philosophical quandary of when it's wise for a young woman (or, by extension, any person) to heed advice and when it's wiser to make one's own decisions, and why, adds a deeper dimension to the novel then the simple romantic plot would possess by itself. (Though Persuasion was not necessarily Austen's own title for the novel --it was supplied by her brother Henry when the book was posthumously published-- it's definitely a major theme.) The same could be said for the moral and social commentary that runs through the novel and gives it fiber. (This is why I've characterized it as "serious" romance, not the kind of modern "romance" fiction that has nothing to offer but predictable romantic plot, and tends to give the genre a bad name!)

Opinions about the book, in my friend circle, varied widely, from many five-star ratings to a couple of two stars. My own reaction tended, as it often does, to be more middling; I liked Anne and rooted for her, but I didn't find her quite as vibrant, quite as alive as a full-blooded friend, as I did Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood. For me, then, this was second-string Austen, really a three and 1/2 star read, rounded up to four because this is Austen --it has her classy prose, ready wit, masterful characterization, and precise social observation. (Indeed, this was her last completed novel, so her technical skill as a writer is here at its most mature level.) Even second-string Austen, if you like the qualities that she offers, is going to be a good read; it's a pretty good hypothesis (and perhaps even "a truth universally acknowledged" :-) ) that she probably couldn't have written a really bad book even if she tried.

A bit of background information, though not essential to enjoying the book, is interesting for the light it sheds. Austen's brother, Captain Charles Austen, was a British naval officer whose career and character has significant parallels to that of Captain Wentworth; and Captain Austen's wife Fanny (whom Jane greatly admired) exhibited the same personal qualities that Wentworth's sister, Mrs. Croft, does in the novel. It's a very plausible inference that the real-life couple were the models for the fictional characters. Jane's interest in the whole subject of persuasion as it relates to engagements also probably had a real-life stimulant, in her ponderings and second-guessings over her own advice on that subject to her beloved niece, Fanny Knight, who broke off an engagement at least partly because of her aunt's advice. (Wikipedia has an in-depth discussion of this background, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuas... , though I don't recommend reading Wikipedia's plot summary before reading the book, since it has spoilers.) ...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Petra rated it really liked it

I love me an Austen book.
This one is quite different from the others I've read. It deals more with inner maturation and knowing what one wants than the others. In that sense, it's more serious and sedate. However, Austen's wit and humour shine through. For example, Anne's younger sister, Mary, is always ill....except when there's a party to go to or a theatre act to catch. Then she's right there: healthy and able.
Wouldn't we all like a second chance now and then? This book shows us that it can ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, classics

I can see why many say this is their favorite Austen. As you would expect, this is a feel good book. I loved Anne's character; if she were a bit more sassy she would take Elizabeth Bennett's place as my favorite. ...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Shelli rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2012

I enjoyed this one! It is probably more like 3.5 stars...I still liked P&P the best, but I liked this more than Emma. I really liked Anne Elliot and of course Frederick Wentworth. While most of the other characters in the story were ridiculously comical, I really enjoyed the real emotions I felt from the two main characters.

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Feb 13, 2008 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read-before-you, hf-19th-century-europe, 3ms, british-literature, fiction-19th-century, classics, historical-fiction

Persuasion is the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen. It was published at the end of 1817, six months after her death.

The story concerns Anne Elliot, a young Englishwoman of 27 years, whose family is moving to lower their expenses and get out of debt. They rent their home to an Admiral and his wife. The wife’s brother, Navy Captain Frederick Wentworth, had been engaged to Anne in 1806, and now they meet again, both single and unattached, after no contact in more than seven years. This set ...more

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Oct 26, 2016 Ipeh Alena added it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016

Sir Walter Elliot dan Elizabeth ini memang kompak ya. Tapi membayangkan perilaku mereka pada Anne, rasanya kok kejam sekali. Belum lagi perilaku Anne ini top banget. Mungkin karena terbiasa tak dianggap sehingga dia tidak memusingkan hal tersebut. Tapi ada satu orang yang membuat saya gregetan, MARY adiknya Anne.

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