Book info

• Title Persuasion
• Author Jane Austen
• Year 1817
• Genre Classic

The story follows Anne Elliot, a young woman who is persuaded by her family to reject a marriage proposal from a man she loves, due to his lack of wealth and status. Years later, the two cross paths again, and Anne must navigate her feelings while dealing with the consequences of her past actions. The novel explores themes of love, societal expectations, and the consequences of pride and persuasion.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this, but a few chapters in, I was suddenly really engaged with the characters. It helps that it’s nice and short, which limited the amount of people involved. Some of the classics are so long and sprawling, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.

This one had none of that trouble, and entertained with a really interesting story. I loved that we came in halfway through - really important parts of Anne and Captain Wentworth’s story had already been and gone and we just had to imagine what happened and how they were feeling about it now.

The twists and turns along the way were fascinating, particularly the events at Lyme which I hadn’t seen coming at all. The way Mrs Smith holds the key to a significant change of perception is also really fascinating, when she first appeared to be quite an inconsequential character.

Very much enjoyed and one I’d consider reading again to see if there is any more I can get from it on a second outing.

Rating: 4 / 5