Persuasion (review)

Anne Elliot was engaged to Frederick Wentworth, however her father and elder sister, both extremely vain and prideful, did not believe this to be a suitable match and convinced Anne to call it off. 8 years later through various circumstances Anne and the now Captain Wentworth find themselves travelling in the same circles and neither is quite sure how the other feels about them.

Persuasion is only the second Jane Austen book I have read, the other being Pride and Prejudice, but I much preferred this one.

Persuasion's plot is quite formulaic, each chapter serving a very clear purpose which could be summarised in a sentence or two. However this does not mar the enjoyment of reading the story for the characters are varied and interesting. The plot is also steadily moving and the book doesn't suffer from long stints of inactivity or endless personal reflections which some classics can be prone to do.

Anne is a fascinating character. As the protagonist of the novel she is given surprisingly little dialogue which was a clever literary move to help express her character not necessarily as she actually is, but as how she is perceived by others, which itself is a major part of who Anne is.

There are a lot of characters in the story which is overwhelming in the beginning and almost necessitates the inclusion of a family tree for readers. (Here is one but it contains spoilers). These characters often seem to have only one or two values which they have been written around but as Persuasion is very much about Anne and from her point of view this was not a bad thing.

Persuasion is very easy to read and enjoy with an interesting central character and lots of delightful sub-plots for the side characters. The relationships are well built and the resolution is satisfying.

Jane Austen's Persuasion was one of two novels published after her death, the other being Northanger Abbey. There has been a stage production, 2 television mini-series and 2 film adaptations of Persuasion. I think I'll have to watch one.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Until next time.