Friday, April 11, 2014

Persuasion, Jane Austen

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0141197692/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_img?_encoding=UTF8&colid=12L6H2Q6CKT2X&coliid=I1KBGKVF8DIMJ8


Persuasion

 

Jane Austen


Category: Fiction & Classics

Synopsis: Many years after refusing Captain Wentworth’s hand, Anne Elliot remains unattached. Will she accept him the second time?

Date finished: 13 March 2014

Rating: ****

Comments:
Okay, I hate to say this because I really do love Jane Austen’s novels, but I’m coming to the conclusion that if you’ve read one, you’ve kind of read the others. I never come away with one remembering much about the characters or situations. They all blur together for me. But truthfully, that doesn’t bother me a bit. I read Austen for the feeling, for the language, for the slow stroll through romance.

I’ve seen many bloggers call Persuasion their favorite Austen novel. So, I hoped I’d like it as well as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Frankly, while I enjoyed it a great deal, it didn’t seem to have the depth of the others. It was short—my copy was a mere 200 pages—and it didn’t feel full enough. There wasn’t as much of Austen’s sparkling wit here, and I missed it. It had all the usual Austen characters: the proud, the dastardly, the passionate, the sensible, the naïve, plus a heroine to love and a captain to fall for. There were carriage rides, visits to Lyme, a family move to Bath, cousins marrying cousins. Alas, no grand balls in this one. And way too many characters named Charles.

It’s hard to give much of a critique without spoiling the plot. It you enjoy Austen, you’ll enjoy Persuasion. If you have never read Austen, read Pride and Prejudice first. I’ve read that was Austen’s favorite, and I’d have to agree.

Would you recommend this to a friend?
Yes.

You might also enjoy:
Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility

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