Persuasion Author:Jane Austen Persuasion is Jane Austen's final completed novel before her death, and was published posthumously. "Persuasion" deals with the social issues of the times and paints a fascinating portrait of Regency England, especially when dealing with the class system. Rigid social barriers existed - and everyone wanted to marry 'up' to a higher station - and... more », of course, into wealth. This is also a very poignant and passionate story of love, disappointment, loss and redemption. The point Austen makes here, is that one should not ever be persuaded to abandon core values and beliefs, especially for ignoble goals. There are consequences, always.
Sir Walter Elliot, Lord of Kellynch Hall, is an extravagant, self-aggrandizing snob, and a bit of a dandy to boot. He has been a widower for many years and spends money beyond his means to increase his social stature. His eldest daughter, who he dotes on, is as conceited and spoiled as he is. The youngest daughter, Anne, is an intelligent, sensitive, capable and unassuming woman in her late twenties when the story opens. She had been quite pretty at one time, but life's disappointments have taken their toll and her looks are fading. She and her sister are both spinsters. Anne had once been very much in love with a young, and as yet untried, naval officer. A woman who had been a close friend to Anne's mother, persuaded Anne to "break the connection," convincing her that she could make a much better match. After much consideration, Anne did not follow her heart or her better instincts, and she and her young officer, Frederick Wentworth, separated. She has never again found the mutual love or companionship that she had with him. Anne's older sister never married either, because she hadn't found anyone good enough! She still hopes, however, for an earl or a viscount.
The Elliot family is forced to financially retrench because of their extravagance. They lease Kellynch Hall to...of all people...Wentworth's sister and her husband. Elliot, his oldest daughter and her companion, move to a smaller lodging in Bath for the season, leaving Anne to pack up their belongings before joining them. She gets the Cinderella treatment throughout the book. Anne decides to first visit with her middle sister, an abominably spoiled, whiny hypochondriac, Mrs. Musgrove. She has made a good, but not brilliant match to a local squire. Her husband, Charles Musgrove, his parents, and their two younger, eligible daughters, Louisa and Henrietta, are delightful. They all tolerate Mrs. Musgrove, barely, and adore Anne. It is at the Musgrove estate that Anne meets Frederick Wentworth again, after his absence of seven years. He is in the neighborhood, because his sister is now in the area, residing at Kellynch, of course. Wentworth is now a Captain in the Royal Navy and quite wealthy. When their eyes meet for the first time, you can absolutely feel Anne's longing and remorse. He is aloof with Anne, although civil. The man was hurtfully rejected once before and it appears that he still feels her snub. Now Wentworth is on the marriage market and Louisa sets her cap for him. Accidents and various adventures ensue, from the resorts of Lyme and Bath to the Musgrove estate, bringing Anne and Wentworth closer together.
This remarkable novel, and the issues it tackles, is just as germane today as it was when written. And the romance...well, no one does romance better than Jane Austen."« less
If you're a Jane Austen fan, you can't miss this. The story of love lost and then found again in the style that only Jane Austen can write. Keep the kleenex handy.
Probably my favorite Austen novel! It was her last book and critics agree it is her most romantic. I adore the heroine (even more than- gasp- Elizabeth Bennett) because she is just an all-around good hearted lady who endures her family's indifference towards her. I, too, was in tears at the end after reading Cpt Wentworth's letter. Such a romantic book.
After reading two other novels by Jane Austen, this is my only favorite so far. I didn't care much for Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy was o.k., Emma entertained me but not enough to make me love the story but I did love Anne Elliot as the highly principled, smart, kind, and soft spoken moderate woman I will always admire.
This is my 3rd Jane Austen read and the 3rd. was the winner, she won me with this story. This is the most romantic book I've read recently and I'm glad I persevered in my search of the the perfect Austen novel for me. Captain Wentworth's love declaration to Miss Anne Elliot will forever be regarded as a masterpiece of love perpetuated in words:
"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago."
This book showed more emotion than any other of Jane Austen's work. For once, I didn't mind all the walking and sighing and reciting lines of romantic poetry to oneself. It was charmingly comic, romantic and full of hidden, repressed desire for the one the protagonist refused.
The second Austen I read, and how dearly do I love her men! Wentworth's letter to Anne had me in tears. This is easily relatable to anyone today, and half the time you'll be thinking, "LOOK AT EACH OTHER, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" (At least, I was.) An excellent book that will most definitely hold a special place in my heart.
I really wanted to like this book, but I'm just not an Austen fan. Give me a Bronte any day. It may be because I'm a newspaper copy editor, but I just wanted to shorten her sentences and use more periods, fewer semicolons.
The story line is nice, but I didn't feel I coould relate to Anne.
This is one of my favorite Jane Austen books. This has to be one of the most amazing love stories in literature. You cannot call yourself a well read person if you have not read Persuasion by Jane Austen.
When the story begins, the heroine has been persuaded by a family friend to turn down the hero's offer of marriage for he is not as wealthy or as well connected as her family wanted for her. They are parted for eight years. She regrets being persuaded to refuse his marriage proposal. He returns eight years later as a Captain in the Royal Navy. He's now a wealthy, sought after bachelor. The story begins here. Upon his return, there is amazing tension between the two. The famous note he gives her is one of the sweetest declarations of love that I've come across in literature. Captain Wentworth declaration of love is written so differently from the declarations of love by other heroes in Austen's books. Austen's other heroes don't have the same intensity or passion that Wentworth has. One can see that this final book by Jane Austen is a more nuanced look at love from a mature author.
This book was harder to read than the other Jane Austen books I've encountered. Usually page-turners, I'm having a difficult time getting through this one.
I have not read Jane Austen for years but was attracted to this book based on the subject: woman and man fall in love, plan marriage, then woman feels duty bound to break engagement because of family displeasure. Years later the couple meet again and..... Read the book to find out what happens next. Persuasion seems to be the last book Austen wrote before her death at age forty-two. In this book she not only explores complicated relationships but changing views on women and men's roles arising in the early 19th century.
In this, Jane Austen's last novel, appears her most memorable herioine -- Anne Elliot, a young woman of perfect breeding, profound depth of emotion, and unswerving integrity. These virtues, however, exist in a world, the world of country gentry in Regency England, in which shallowness and hypocrisy thrive and ever threaten to win domination.
"Persuasion" represents the crowning achievement of Jane Austen's career, the final unfolding ofg her matchless art. Marvin Mudrick
This 2004 edition came as a supplement to the dvd of Persuasion.
From Amazon.com: Anne Elliot, heroine of Austen's last novel, did something we can all relate to: Long ago, she let the love of her life get away. In this case, she had allowed herself to be persuaded by a trusted family friend that the young man she loved wasn't an adequate match, social stationwise, and that Anne could do better. The novel opens some seven years after Anne sent her beau packing, and she's still alone. But then the guy she never stopped loving comes back from the sea. As always, Austen's storytelling is so confident, you can't help but allow yourself to be taken on the enjoyable journey.
Of the six Jane Austen novels, this one is my favorite. Its subtlety is charming yet effective, and I enjoy re-reading it every few years. Both this novel and NORTHANGER ABBEY were published after Austen's death.
Even after her demise in 1817, the works of Jane Austen have remained a constant presence in the literary world. Unlike many authors, Austen's popularity has only grown with time. Like many of her others, this novel is a tale of second chances. Austen's enduring popularity may be due to her ability to capture human behavior types that are not only timeless but also continue to shape our society today.