Persuasion

By Jane Austen

Anne Elliot is a young Englishwoman of 27 years, whose family is moving to lower their expenses and get out of debt, at the same time as the wars come to an end, putting sailors on shore. They rent their home to an Admiral and his wife. Brother of Admiral's wife is Navy Captain Frederick Wentworth, a man who had been engaged to Anne when she was 19, and now they meet again, both single and unattached, after no contact in more than seven years. First time the engagement was broken up because Anne's family persuaded her that Frederick wasn't good enough opportunity. The new situation offers a second, well-considered chance at love and marriage for Anne Elliot in her second "bloom".

• Language: English
• Publisher: e-artnow
• Release date: Jan 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9788026882374

Jane Austen

Born in 1775, Jane Austen published four of her six novels anonymously. Her work was not widely read until the late nineteenth century, and her fame grew from then on. Known for her wit and sharp insight into social conventions, her novels about love, relationships, and society are more popular year after year. She has earned a place in history as one of the most cherished writers of English literature.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Table of Contents

Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the Baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs changed naturally into pity and contempt as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century; and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed. This was the page at which the favourite volume always opened:

"ELLIOT OF KELLYNCH HALL.

Walter Elliot, born March 1, 1760, married, July 15, 1784, Elizabeth, daughter of James Stevenson, Esq. of South Park, in the county of Gloucester, by which lady (who died 1800) he has issue Elizabeth, born June 1, 1785; Anne, born August 9, 1787; a still-born son, November 5, 1789; Mary, born November 20, 1791.

Precisely such had the paragraph originally stood from the printer’s hands; but Sir Walter had improved it by adding, for the information of himself and his family, these words, after the date of Mary’s birth– Married, December 16, 1810, Charles, son and heir of Charles Musgrove, Esq. of Uppercross, in the county of Somerset, and by inserting most accurately the day of the month on which he had lost his wife.

Then followed the history and rise of the ancient and respectable family, in the usual terms; how it had been first settled in Cheshire; how mentioned in Dugdale, serving the office of high sheriff, representing a borough in three successive parliaments, exertions of loyalty, and dignity of baronet, in the first year of Charles II, with all the Marys and Elizabeths they had married; forming altogether two handsome duodecimo pages, and concluding with the arms and motto:–Principal seat, Kellynch Hall, in the county of Somerset, and Sir Walter’s handwriting again in this finale:–

Heir presumptive, William Walter Elliot, Esq., great grandson of the second Sir Walter.

Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character; vanity of person and of situation. He had been remarkably handsome in his youth; and, at fifty-four, was still a very fine man. Few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did, nor could the valet of any new made lord be more delighted with the place he held in society. He considered the blessing of beauty as inferior only to the blessing of a baronetcy; and the Sir Walter Elliot, who united these gifts, was the constant object of his warmest respect and devotion.

His good looks and his rank had one fair claim on his attachment; since to them he must have owed a wife of very superior character to any thing deserved by his own. Lady Elliot had been an excellent woman, sensible and amiable; whose judgement and conduct, if they might be pardoned the youthful infatuation which made her Lady Elliot, had never required indulgence afterwards.–She had humoured, or softened, or concealed his failings, and promoted his real respectability for seventeen years; and though not the very happiest being in the world herself, had found enough in her duties, her friends, and her children, to attach her to life, and make it no matter of indifference to her when she was called on to quit them.–Three girls, the two eldest sixteen and fourteen, was an awful legacy for a mother to bequeath, an awful charge rather, to confide to the authority and guidance of a conceited, silly father. She had, however, one very intimate friend, a sensible, deserving woman, who had been brought, by strong attachment to herself, to settle close by her, in the village of Kellynch; and on her kindness and advice, Lady Elliot mainly relied for the best help and maintenance of the good principles and instruction which she had been anxiously giving her daughters.

This friend, and Sir Walter, did not marry, whatever might have been anticipated on that head by their acquaintance. Thirteen years had passed away since Lady Elliot’s death, and they were still near neighbours and intimate friends, and one remained a widower, the other a widow.

That Lady Russell, of steady age and character, and extremely well provided for, should have no thought of a second marriage, needs no apology to the public, which is rather apt to be unreasonably discontented when a woman does marry again, than when she does not; but Sir Walter’s continuing in singleness requires explanation. Be it known then, that Sir Walter, like a good father, (having met with one or two private disappointments in very unreasonable applications), prided himself on remaining single for his dear daughters’ sake. For one daughter, his eldest, he would really have given up any thing, which he had not been very much tempted to do. Elizabeth had succeeded, at sixteen, to all that was possible, of her mother’s rights and consequence; and being very handsome, and very like himself, her influence had always been great, and they had gone on together most happily. His two other children were of very inferior value. Mary had acquired a little artificial importance, by becoming Mrs Charles Musgrove; but Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister; her word had no weight, her convenience was always to give way–she was only Anne.

To Lady Russell, indeed, she was a most dear and highly valued god-daughter, favourite, and friend. Lady Russell loved them all; but it was only in Anne that she could fancy the mother to revive again.

A few years before, Anne Elliot had been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early; and as even in its height, her father had found little to admire in her, (so totally different were her delicate features and mild dark eyes from his own), there could be nothing in them, now that she was faded and thin, to excite his esteem. He had never indulged much hope, he had now none, of ever reading her name in any other page of his favourite work. All equality of alliance must rest with Elizabeth, for Mary had merely connected herself with an old country family of respectability and large fortune, and had therefore given all the honour and received none: Elizabeth would, one day or other, marry suitably.

It sometimes happens that a woman is handsomer at twenty-nine than she was ten years before; and, generally speaking, if there has been neither ill health nor anxiety, it is a time of life at which scarcely any charm is lost. It was so with Elizabeth, still the same handsome Miss Elliot that she had begun to be thirteen years ago, and Sir Walter might be excused, therefore, in forgetting her age, or, at least, be deemed only half a fool, for thinking himself and Elizabeth as blooming as ever, amidst the wreck of the good looks of everybody else; for he could plainly see how old all the rest of his family and acquaintance were growing. Anne haggard, Mary coarse, every face in the neighbourhood worsting, and the rapid increase of the crow’s foot about Lady Russell’s temples had long been a distress to him.

Elizabeth did not quite equal her father in personal contentment. Thirteen years had seen her mistress of Kellynch Hall, presiding and directing with a self-possession and decision which could never have given the idea of her being younger than she was. For thirteen years had she been doing the honours, and laying down the domestic law at home, and leading the way to the chaise and four, and walking immediately after Lady Russell out of all the drawing-rooms and dining-rooms in the country. Thirteen winters’ revolving frosts had seen her opening every ball of credit which a scanty neighbourhood afforded, and thirteen springs shewn their blossoms, as she travelled up to London with her father, for a few weeks’ annual enjoyment of the great world. She had the remembrance of all this, she had the consciousness of being nine-and-twenty to give her some regrets and some apprehensions; she was fully satisfied of being still quite as handsome as ever, but she felt her approach to the years of danger, and would have rejoiced to be certain of being properly solicited by baronet-blood within the next twelvemonth or two. Then might she again take up the book of books with as much enjoyment as in her early youth, but now she liked it not. Always to be presented with the date of her own birth and see no marriage follow but that of a youngest sister, made the book an evil; and more than once, when her father had left it open on the table near her, had she closed it, with averted eyes, and pushed it away.

She had had a disappointment, moreover, which that book, and especially the history of her own family, must ever present the remembrance of. The heir presumptive, the very William Walter Elliot, Esq., whose rights had been so generously supported by her father, had disappointed her.

She had, while a very young girl, as soon as she had known him to be, in the event of her having no brother, the future baronet, meant to marry him, and her father had always meant that she should. He had not been known to them as a boy; but soon after Lady Elliot’s death, Sir Walter had sought the acquaintance, and though his overtures had not been met with any warmth, he had persevered in seeking it, making allowance for the modest drawing-back of youth; and, in one of their spring excursions to London, when Elizabeth was in her first bloom, Mr Elliot had been forced into the introduction.

He was at that time a very young man, just engaged in the study of the law; and Elizabeth found him extremely agreeable, and every plan in his favour was confirmed. He was invited to Kellynch Hall; he was talked of and expected all the rest of the year; but he never came. The following spring he was seen again in town, found equally agreeable, again encouraged, invited, and expected, and again he did not come; and the next tidings were that he was married. Instead of pushing his fortune in the line marked out for the heir of the house of Elliot, he had purchased independence by uniting himself to a rich woman of inferior birth.

Sir Walter has resented it. As the head of the house, he felt that he ought to have been consulted, especially after taking the young man so publicly by the hand; For they must have been seen together, he observed, once at Tattersall’s, and twice in the lobby of the House of Commons. His disapprobation was expressed, but apparently very little regarded. Mr Elliot had attempted no apology, and shewn himself as unsolicitous of being longer noticed by the family, as Sir Walter considered him unworthy of it: all acquaintance between them had ceased.

This very awkward history of Mr Elliot was still, after an interval of several years, felt with anger by Elizabeth, who had liked the man for himself, and still more for being her father’s heir, and whose strong family pride could see only in him a proper match for Sir Walter Elliot’s eldest daughter. There was not a baronet from A to Z whom her feelings could have so willingly acknowledged as an equal. Yet so miserably had he conducted himself, that though she was at this present time (the summer of 1814) wearing black ribbons for his wife, she could not admit him to be worth thinking of again. The disgrace of his first marriage might, perhaps, as there was no reason to suppose it perpetuated by offspring, have been got over, had he not done worse; but he had, as by the accustomary intervention of kind friends, they had been informed, spoken most disrespectfully of them all, most slightingly and contemptuously of the very blood he belonged to, and the honours which were hereafter to be his own. This could not be pardoned.

Such were Elizabeth Elliot’s sentiments and sensations; such the cares to alloy, the agitations to vary, the sameness and the elegance, the prosperity and the nothingness of her scene of life; such the feelings to give interest to a long, uneventful residence in one country circle, to fill the vacancies which there were no habits of utility abroad, no talents or accomplishments for home, to occupy.

But now, another occupation and solicitude of mind was beginning to be added to these. Her father was growing distressed for money. She knew, that when he now took up the Baronetage, it was to drive the heavy bills of his tradespeople, and the unwelcome hints of Mr Shepherd, his agent, from his thoughts. The Kellynch property was good, but not equal to Sir Walter’s apprehension of the state required in its possessor. While Lady Elliot lived, there had been method, moderation, and economy, which had just kept him within his income; but with her had died all such right-mindedness, and from that period he had been constantly exceeding it. It had not been possible for him to spend less; he had done nothing but what Sir Walter Elliot was imperiously called on to do; but blameless as he was, he was not only growing dreadfully in debt, but was hearing of it so often, that it became vain to attempt concealing it longer, even partially, from his daughter. He had given her some hints of it the last spring in town; he had gone so far even as to say, Can we retrench? Does it occur to you that there is any one article in which we can retrench? and Elizabeth, to do her justice, had, in the first ardour of female alarm, set seriously to think what could be done, and had finally proposed these two branches of economy, to cut off some unnecessary charities, and to refrain from new furnishing the drawing-room; to which expedients she afterwards added the happy thought of their taking no present down to Anne, as had been the usual yearly custom. But these measures, however good in themselves, were insufficient for the real extent of the evil, the whole of which Sir Walter found himself obliged to confess to her soon afterwards. Elizabeth had nothing to propose of deeper efficacy. She felt herself illused and unfortunate, as did her father; and they were neither of them able to devise any means of lessening their expenses without compromising their dignity, or relinquishing their comforts in a way not to be borne.

There was only a small part of his estate that Sir Walter could dispose of; but had every acre been alienable, it would have made no difference. He had condescended to mortgage as far as he had the power, but he would never condescend to sell. No; he would never disgrace his name so far. The Kellynch estate should be transmitted whole and entire, as he had received it.

Their two confidential friends, Mr Shepherd, who lived in the neighbouring market town, and Lady Russell, were called to advise them; and both father and daughter seemed to expect that something should be struck out by one or the other to remove their embarrassments and reduce their expenditure, without involving the loss of any indulgence of taste or pride.

CHAPTER TWO

Table of Contents

Mr Shepherd, a civil, cautious lawyer, who, whatever might be his hold or his views on Sir Walter, would rather have the disagreeable prompted by anybody else, excused himself from offering the slightest hint, and only begged leave to recommend an implicit reference to the excellent judgement of Lady Russell, from whose known good sense he fully expected to have just such resolute measures advised as he meant to see finally adopted.

Lady Russell was most anxiously zealous on the subject, and gave it much serious consideration. She was a woman rather of sound than of quick abilities, whose difficulties in coming to any decision in this instance were great, from the opposition of two leading principles. She was of strict integrity herself, with a delicate sense of honour; but she was as desirous of saving Sir Walter’s feelings, as solicitous for the credit of the family, as aristocratic in her ideas of what was due to them, as anybody of sense and honesty could well be. She was a benevolent, charitable, good woman, and capable of strong attachments, most correct in her conduct, strict in her notions of decorum, and with manners that were held a standard of good-breeding. She had a cultivated mind, and was, generally speaking, rational and consistent; but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them. Herself the widow of only a knight, she gave the dignity of a baronet all its due; and Sir Walter, independent of his claims as an old acquaintance, an attentive neighbour, an obliging landlord, the husband of her very dear friend, the father of Anne and her sisters, was, as being Sir Walter, in her apprehension, entitled to a great deal of compassion and consideration under his present difficulties.

They must retrench; that did not admit of a doubt. But she was very anxious to have it done with the least possible pain to him and Elizabeth. She drew up plans of economy, she made exact calculations, and she did what nobody else thought of doing: she consulted Anne, who never seemed considered by the others as having any interest in the question. She consulted, and in a degree was influenced by her in marking out the scheme of retrenchment which was at last submitted to Sir Walter. Every emendation of Anne’s had been on the side of honesty against importance. She wanted more vigorous measures, a more complete reformation, a quicker release from debt, a much higher tone of indifference for everything but justice and equity.

If we can persuade your father to all this, said Lady Russell, looking over her paper, much may be done. If he will adopt these regulations, in seven years he will be clear; and I hope we may be able to convince him and Elizabeth, that Kellynch Hall has a respectability in itself which cannot be affected by these reductions; and that the true dignity of Sir Walter Elliot will be very far from lessened in the eyes of sensible people, by acting like a man of principle. What will he be doing, in fact, but what very many of our first families have done, or ought to do? There will be nothing singular in his case; and it is singularity which often makes the worst part of our suffering, as it always does of our conduct. I have great hope of prevailing. We must be serious and decided; for after all, the person who has contracted debts must pay them; and though a great deal is due to the feelings of the gentleman, and the head of a house, like your father, there is still more due to the character of an honest man.

This was the principle on which Anne wanted her father to be proceeding, his friends to be urging him. She considered it as an act of indispensable duty to clear away the claims of creditors with all the expedition which the most comprehensive retrenchments could secure, and saw no dignity in anything short of it. She wanted it to be prescribed, and felt as a duty. She rated Lady Russell’s influence highly; and as to the severe degree of self-denial which her own conscience prompted, she believed there might be little more difficulty in persuading them to a complete, than to half a reformation. Her knowledge of her father and Elizabeth inclined her to think that the sacrifice of one pair of horses would be hardly less painful than of both, and so on, through the whole list of Lady Russell’s too gentle reductions.

How Anne’s more rigid requisitions might have been taken is of little consequence. Lady Russell’s had no success at all: could not be put up with, were not to be borne. What! every comfort of life knocked off! Journeys, London, servants, horses, table–contractions and restrictions every where! To live no longer with the decencies even of a private gentleman! No, he would sooner quit Kellynch Hall at once, than remain in it on such disgraceful terms.

Quit Kellynch Hall. The hint was immediately taken up by Mr Shepherd, whose interest was involved in the reality of Sir Walter’s retrenching, and who was perfectly persuaded that nothing would be done without a change of abode. Since the idea had been started in the very quarter which ought to dictate, he had no scruple, he said, in confessing his judgement to be entirely on that side. It did not appear to him that Sir Walter could materially alter his style of living in a house which had such a character of hospitality and ancient dignity to support. In any other place Sir Walter might judge for himself; and would be looked up to, as regulating the modes of life in whatever way he might choose to model his household.

Sir Walter would quit Kellynch Hall; and after a very few days more of doubt and indecision, the great question of whither he should go was settled, and the first outline of this important change made out.

There had been three alternatives, London, Bath, or another house in the country. All Anne’s wishes had been for the latter. A small house in their own neighbourhood, where they might still have Lady Russell’s society, still be near Mary, and still have the pleasure of sometimes seeing the lawns and groves of Kellynch, was the object of her ambition. But the usual fate of Anne attended her, in having something very opposite from her inclination fixed on. She disliked Bath, and did not think it agreed with her; and Bath was to be her home.

Sir Walter had at first thought more of London; but Mr Shepherd felt that he could not be trusted in London, and had been skilful enough to dissuade him from it, and make Bath preferred. It was a much safer place for a gentleman in his predicament: he might there be important at comparatively little expense. Two material advantages of Bath over London had of course been given all their weight: its more convenient distance from Kellynch, only fifty miles, and Lady Russell’s spending some part of every winter there; and to the very great satisfaction of Lady Russell, whose first views on the projected change had been for Bath, Sir Walter and Elizabeth were induced to believe that they should lose neither consequence nor enjoyment by settling there.

Lady Russell felt obliged to oppose her dear Anne’s known wishes. It would be too much to expect Sir Walter to descend into a small house in his own neighbourhood. Anne herself would have found the mortifications of it more than she foresaw, and to Sir Walter’s feelings they must have been dreadful. And with regard to Anne’s dislike of Bath, she considered it as a prejudice and mistake arising, first, from the circumstance of her having been three years at school there, after her mother’s death; and secondly, from her happening to be not in perfectly good spirits the only winter which she had afterwards spent there with herself.

Lady Russell was fond of Bath, in short, and disposed to think it must suit them all; and as to her young friend’s health, by passing all the warm months with her at Kellynch Lodge, every danger would be avoided; and it was in fact, a change which must do both health and spirits good. Anne had been too little from home, too little seen. Her spirits were not high. A larger society would improve them. She wanted her to be more known.

The undesirableness of any other house in the same neighbourhood for Sir Walter was certainly much strengthened by one part, and a very material part of the scheme, which had been happily engrafted on the beginning. He was not only to quit his home, but to see it in the hands of others; a trial of fortitude, which stronger heads than Sir Walter’s have found too much. Kellynch Hall was to be let. This, however, was a profound secret, not to be breathed beyond their own circle.

Sir Walter could not have borne the degradation of being known to design letting his house. Mr Shepherd had once mentioned the word advertise, but never dared

Reviews for Persuasion

[lquilter_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one a lot. I liked that it wasn't about an ingenue; I liked the hints of the world beyond the social circles; I liked the maturity of the relationships; I liked the way Austen slipped in a bit of intrigue.

[patsymurray · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this in an annotated edition which provided some background regarding the Royal Navy, social customs and Bath that enriched the story for me.

[ees4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a tough read for me. I had a hard time relating to the characters - most of whom I found annoying. I also thought the plot was very predictable. I had to force myself to finish this book.

[vfranklyn_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. Right now it's only second to P&P as the best Austen work. In fact, I liked it so much that as soon as I finished it I started it all over again.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Hard to connect or care about the personalities or any of the characters:Anne = weak, timid, always holding back, submissive to other's needs and desires, no backbone -yet loved for her "accomplishments" (which are oddly invisible) - and so fearfulNo wonder Captain Wentworth was attracted to the spirited Louisa.And him = he appears as a 'cad' for his relentless attending to women he did not really want to love,with his last-minute letter a bit of a long plot stretch given his on-going silence.Worse stil is the toleration of the repellant, plot dragging Mary...not that the plot was much going anywhereexcept in the tedious concerns and pretensions of the middle class.Jane should have kept this one in her desk.

[lamour_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Published in 1817 shortly before Austen's death, this novel is a satire on vanity and persuasion. It is also the story of missed opportunities and second chances. Anne Elliot is the middle of two sisters. Elizabeth, the oldest, is only concerned with her status in the community and that of her father who has been given the means to maintain his estate but fails to manage it. In the novel he must rent it out in order to keep it.Anne is the protagonist and eight years earlier turned down the man she loved because her advisor told her he had no money and no prospects. Now he has returned a rich war hero and she is reluctant to approach him to tell him she still loves him. She has another rich gentleman suitor who seems to have it all but her warning bells suggest not all as it seems.As the novel works its way to the denouement, we are treated to many foolish folk who judge others by their social and financial status and not on their character and as a result suffer indignities and failure because of their treatment of others.A little wordy and slow going sometimes but generally a fun read. I did not enjoy this title as much as Pride and Prejudice.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I often find it difficult to review great classic literature -- what can I say that hasn't already been said? And so it is with Persuasion, one of Jane Austen's later works. This novel tells the story of Anne Elliot, an unmarried woman in her late 20s. Several years before, she was persuaded to break off a relationship with Captain Wentworth, and they went their separate ways. She now plays second fiddle to her sisters: Elizabeth, the eldest, has assumed the "lady of the house" role opposite their widowed father. Mary, the youngest, is happily married with young children. Anne moves between both worlds -- navigating the simple country pleasures of Mary's life, and tolerating her father's insufferable vanity and social climbing. Although it seems Anne is often taken advantage of, Austen makes it clear that she is the stronger character in all of her relationships.The story progresses, in typical Austen fashion, on a course that eventually brings Captain Wentworth back into Anne's life. Yet the couple are constrained by the conventions of the day, which make it nearly impossible for two people to express feelings to one another. Much time is spent watching, and second-guessing, the actions and motives of others. How frustrating this must have been! Austen is masterful in describing the tiny movements and expressions that carry so much meaning. As Anne and the Captain slowly dance around each other, Austen uses Anne's family to serve up some delightful satire of society and vanity. To date I have read all but one of Austen's six published novels, and consider Persuasion my favorite.

[fluffyblue_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am wondering now why I haven't read more Jane Austen books. The only two I've read so far, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice, have become firm favourites of mine. I read Persuasion as part of a reading challenge, have owned the book for a long time and not getting around to reading it. I have to say, I loved everything about it - the characters, the story and the writing. Okay, so one could probably predict what was going to happen, but that didn't detract from the strengths of the book in any way.I thought this book was fantastic and would recommend reading it to anybody who asked of my opinion.

[girl_detective · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The slim, sometimes grim tale is filled with jewel-bright and razor-sharp prose as it carries the reader to the typically happy Austen ending. I often stopped to re-read and marvel at sentences and passages along the way.

[koeniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found number two! After reading 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Sense and Sensibility', 'Emma' and this book, I decided that 'Pride and Prejudice' still holds the title of Jane Austen's best book, but 'Persuasion' took 'Sense and Sensibility''s previous number two place.Excessively romantic, Persuasion tells the story of Anne Elliot, the daughter of a nobleman, who was forced to refuse her sweetheart's love when she was nineteen, because of the young man's lowly birth and lack of money. Eight years later Captain Wentworth came back successful, with money and handsomer than ever, and Anne found that she was still in love with him. But it didn't seem that he returned the feelings.If one's a helpless romantic like me, one can't help to fall in love with this book, it has all the perfect ingredients of the perfect recipe - beautiful and elegant girl with high moral and good manner, handsome and perfect gentleman, denied but staunch love. What else could one ask for?As usual Jane's book provides a portrait of life in 18th century British society. Rank matters a lot and people's place in society is often controlled more by their birth than by money, education or personality. But of course Jane shows that it's not always the case.

[readingaria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With as many times as I have tried to start this book and set it down before getting to page 3, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed many of Jane Austen's other books. I was very mistaken, to say the least.Persuasion is the story of Anne Elliot, the middle and often ignored daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, and Captain Fredrick Wentworth. Eight years ago, Miss Elliot and Captain Wentworth met and fell in love. They were going to be married but because of objections from her family and friends, Anne was persuaded to break off the engagement. She is still single, at 27 years old, and at this point in her life, she meets him again.I would love to gush and tell you the whole story but then you might not read this book and you really should. As we all know, Austen is known throughout the world as a masterful story teller and she does beautifully here. The plot is rather small but Austen uses the novel to delve into the minds of her characters, or at least the thoughts of Anne, as the story is told principally from her point of view. This method allows the reader to understand how rediculous Anne's family is, especially her father, as seen in the first chapter:"Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot's character: vanity of person and of situation. He had been remarkably handsome in his youth; and, at fifty-four, was still a very fine man. Few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did; nor could the valet of any new made lord be more delighted with the place he held in society. He considered the blessing of beauty as inferior only to the blessing of a baronetcy; and the Sir Walter Elliot, who united these gifts, was the constant object of his warmest respect and devotion."From access to Anne's thoughts, the reader sees how poor Anne still cares for Captain Wentworth, who seems very bitter towards her, even eight years after she was forced to send him away. All of it is lovely; there is Austen's classic wit that makes us laugh as well as some beautiful passages and speeches of devotion that can make a poor girl's heart flutter (I can't help it! Books like this have made me a hopeless romantic!). While Persuasion does begin slowly and the first chapter or two can seem slow or uninteresting, keep going. It is worth it, truly!

[littlegeek_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Recently reread this book and I'm downgrading it. It's not her best, but then again, she died shortly after it was written.

[libbeth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book way back in 1982 and to be honest, gave it 4 stars purely because I remember loving all Jane Austen but I can't actually remember the story. Time for a re-read I think.

[yesterdays_blue_sky · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favourite Austen book. Quiet, poignant and perfectly written, it has some of the best drawn characters I have ever read. Sir Walter, Elizabeth Elliot and Mary Musgrove are all deliciously aggravating, and Anne Elliot is a compelling heroine. It is perhaps more serious than Pride and Prejudice, and doesn't have the same kick as Emma, but don't let that put you off. It's had me laughing at Austen's seemingly flawless perception of human foibles and aching with sympathy for her heroine. It's also the most romantic of Austen's six novels, without ever becoming sappy.Am I gushing? Yes. But go read the book.

[benmartin79 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel does have some weaknesses, which might be forgivable as Austen was fatally ill during its writing. Its main flaws are superficial: some clunky sentences and an overabundance of background exposition. These may be greater flaws to me than to others. Its strengths are everything else. The characters are solid, believable, and sympathetic, and the plot is poignant (though somewhat idealized - as always for Austen). Thematically, it resembles Austen's wider-read works, as a look at the trials of romance, and is no less relevant today. Definitely worth reading.

[stouthearted_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While "Pride and Prejudice" is my sentimental favorite, I prefer this novel for its mature writing and its powerful romanticism that refrains from being over-the-top. As Austen's last novel, the theme of regret and love lost and reclaimed seem especially bittersweet and beautiful. Our heroine Anne, is the black sheep of her family, which consists of a vain, spendthrift father and selfish sisters. Anne, on the other hand, is good, sensitive of the feelings of others, patient, and kind. Yet her good qualities made her quite impressionable as a young woman, and she allowed herself to be influenced by a close family friend to give up her true love, Wentworth, because he was not a person of consequence. It is a decision she regrets, but she believes too late to fix... until her love returns as Captain Wentworth: rich, with some power, and seriously bitter about being dumped years earlier.The novel follows Anne as she endeavors to maintain her composure throughout Wentworth's return, watching him flirt with her sisters-in-law, believing him completely over her. She could not be farther from the truth, and Wentworth's last-ditch effort to ascertain Anne's feelings is a romantic scene that will have you saying "Darcy who?" Indeed, Wentworth's outburst of feeling is the most aggressively romantic effort that any of Austen's heros have made; few exposed their feelings in such a sentimental manner as Wentworth.The novel is also perhaps Austen's shortest, making it ideal for those not devoted to longer texts. Austen's wit is sharp as ever in this her last novel, rendering it a shame that she could not have blessed readers with more works; we can at least be consoled that she passed at the top of her game.

[jasonlf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's a bit presumptuous to rate Jane Austen on the same five point scale one uses for everyone else. But what can you do? At the risk of seeming low brow, I still prefer Pride and Prejudice and Emma. But I do not begrudge Anne Elliot her much delayed happiness.

[callmecordelia1912 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Persuasion is another classic from Jane Austen. In it, Anne Elliot was once engaged to Captain Wentworth. Years after refusing him, the two are thrust into the same small town's social circle. Anne is slowly dying for one look, one word to know he still loves her. However, both of them engage in the same small talk, and refuse to discuss the one topic which they want more than anything to mention. And to find out if Anne Elliot finally marries him, you shall have to read the book. On that subject my lips are sealed.I very much enjoyed the book! While Captain Wentworth is no Darcy, it still made for a delightful read!

[iammbb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again, true love triumphs over adversity.It's difficult for me to be objective about Austen. I struggle to filter my reactions to her unfamiliar language, her unfamiliar time and class based society, and my aversion to Harlequin romance type sagas. All of that poses obstacles to my unfettered enjoyment of her prose.On an intellectual level, the eighteenth century English preoccupation with class and breeding that is so central to Austen's tales captures my interest even while it engenders a certain amount of disdain.And yet, on an emotional level, I can't help myself. I like her happy endings, her accounts of triumphal love.So, I'm off to read yet another . . .

[nebutron_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This remains my favorite Jane Austen for many reasons, and not just the nautical angle.

[gwendolyndawson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful, autumnal story about Anne Elliot, a woman past her bloom who is ultimately reunited with her past lover. Austen's shortest, and perhaps most introspecitve, novel. This one should not be overlooked as much as it is.

[jesslyncummings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I think the praise for Austen is typically overrated, I still enjoy her books. Persuasion, though lacking the biting wit of Pride and Prejudice and the daintiness of Emma, was still pleasant reading. I had to slog through the first 50 or so pages, but after that re-adapted to Austen's particular style of prose. I may read it again in the future and see even more worth, but for now... 3 1/2 stars.

[sandsing7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely, but certainly not her best. It's a mature work in both content and style, and the last 40 pages were wonderfully engaging (the love letter knocked me out!), but I didn't find that Austen charm oozing from the pages as in her other works, and in that sense, it was somewhat disappointing.

[elphaba71 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautiful love story, may be not one of Austens more well known novels. It has a sadness and delicacy of tone that takes it to a different level. Anne Elliott is a great character, with an intelligence steeped in experience coupled with a good and true heart, and is at the centre of a novel that offers absolutely everything that you could wish for in a novel. Just perfect.

[jaimjane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. It is perhaps the funniest of all of Austen's works although the humor is in the descriptions of people, rather than the dialogue. It is quiet and sweet. I couldn't help rooting for this couple who stayed in love all those years despite what they thought was a hopeless romance. And the family! What a triumph of love over familial pressures!

[singersdd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite of Jane Austen's books, even more than Pride and Prejudice. I have an easy time identifying with Anne Elliott, as I've often felt that I was under-appreciated by those closest to me. I love the constancy of her affection for Captain Wentworth. The ending is all an ending should be.

[alera_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As with all Jane Austen novels, this is a love story. It's a simple tale of a love that was allowed to slip away due to advice from sources outside the relationship and a pride that wouldn't allow either party to attempt to reconnect though their love never died. Thrown together once more, both attempt to pretend they've moved on, but find themselves filled with little jealousies, relying on the other in situations, and pulling away the moment the other takes a step forward, all while not noticing that the other is still madly in love with them as well. It takes a conversation about the differences in how long it takes for a man and woman to move on from losing the love of their life for both of them to realize that neither of them had ever moved on. It's a sweet tale that didn't call out to me as her others have and Anne lacked a bit of the fire I relished in Austen's other main characters, but still managed to tug at my heart strings and make me smile.

[princessponti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Initially, I found this book incredibly difficult to get into. I had been trying to read it on busy commutes and hadn't really dedicated a lot of 'concentrating' time let myself get absorbed by it. I find it difficult to click my brain into the 'classics'; the language and the feeling of these types of books I find somewhat difficult to submerge myself in at the outset. I generally need to dedicate some significant time to them in order switch over and fully appreciate what's going on, which I didn't manage to do with Persuasion. For this reason, I feel I have probably missed some of the important plot points!Saying that though, once I crossed the mid point and started cruising towards the end I truly loved this book. It definitely appealed to my hopeless romantic side! It's very strange (I think it's probably just me), but even though I had read the back cover (which unfortunately gives away the ending), I still was kept guessing as to what was going to happen! Austen managed to write in a couple of twists and turns into the love story which had me thinking 'Noooo!, that can't happen! It's not supposed to go this way!!'. Amazing that she could do that, even when I knew how it would turn out! I found Anne Elliot a great heroine; from the outset I was fully supportive of her plight. I could really feel the unhappiness in her soul of the lost love (having been there myself!). The way that she had shut herself down from the enjoyments of the world and lost her mojo (!), which slowly returned after the re-appearance of Mr (Captain) Wentworth into her life. I loved the re-awakening of the character. The way she realised that the world that she lived in wasn't the world that she wanted, and that she wanted to be around the people of Uppercross (albeit reluctant of the change initially), rather than her regular circle. Wanted to be with the people that actually cared more for life and friendships rather than social standing. The way that her 'sparkle' returned. But, purely the best thing about this book is the letter! It is the pinnacle of romance for me, everything about that scene was magical as I read it, I could have cried! It made all of my romantic hairs stand on end! Oh to have a Captain Wentworth! I picked this book up because of the movie 'The LakeHouse' (starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu 'swoon' Reeves), it was Sandra’s character's favourite book in the movie and so I wanted to see if there were any parallels. Has anyone else read the book and seen the film? Obviously the main theme is 'waiting', for that person who is 'the one'. I also think that the connection between the two people awakens something in the other, making their life more complete, opening their eyes to a different way of living. The movie also expands on the letter writing (quite significantly!). Both tales are told in very different ways, but I think that the same feeling captured in both. All in all this is a magically romantic book, sure to appeal to all those with a big heart. I loved it!

[mchrzanowski_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After watching Mansfield Park on DVD last night, I had the whim to read this novel. I have the movie on DVD (actually two versions) but oddly enough, had yet to read the book. I thought that it was quite lovely. Its not my favorite Austen novel (Mansfield Park is my favorite), but it is close. I think the story could take place today and it would have the same meaning. That is what is great about many of Austen’s novels. They have meaning for us in our lives today.

[librarylou · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Another Austen, same old same old, nothing happens till the end of the book... yes its me again, the Austen hater! Apologies to all Austen fans