Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 For Austen Lovers April 24, 2008
This book answered a lot of questions that came up after I saw the movie i.e. what's with Mrs. Clay and the young Mr. Elliot? A must read if you really want to understand the movie.
Love's Barriers Delightfully Probed in Polite Conversation February 22, 2008
Persuasion is Jane Austen's most sophisticated story and writing. She lovingly and incisively demonstrates the problems of being a well-bred sensitive person in a society that's more intrigued by social standing, money, and polite conversation than by good character.
Persuasion is Anne Elliot's story. The title's initial allusion is to Anne's brush with matrimony when a promising, but not rich, naval officer, Captain Wentworth, proposed and she fell in love with him at 19. But Anne's deceased mother's friend, Lady Russell, persuaded Anne not to make the match. Up until the time of the story, Anne hasn't had another suitor and she's now well past the usual age of marriage at 29 and "her bloom had vanish early." Her father's spendthrift ways mean that Anne could bring little money to a marriage so she's expecting not to marry.
While in her social class that lack of a husband is a drawback, in reality her family is a greater problem. Her father, Sir Walter Elliot, is a baronet who spends too much money, is obsessed by social rank, loves to be around the "beautiful people" and admire himself in a mirror, and keeps company with an unsuitable, scheming widow, Mrs. Clay, who is looking for a husband and has latched onto Elizabeth as friend. Anne's older sister, Elizabeth, is also unmarried and is as equally obsessed with social status as their father. Both Sir Walter and Elizabeth fail to value Anne and looked to her to suit their conveniences. The other daughter, Mary, is married but the connection doesn't thrill either Sir Walter or Elizabeth. Mary sees Anne as a virtual servant who should wait on her every beck and call when Anne is her guest.
Due to Sir Walter's over spending of his income, it is decided he will rent the family estate, Kellynch Hall, while he, Elizabeth, and Anne take up less expensive quarters and a reduced social life in Bath. This change sets lots of new events into motion, not the least of which is Anne being re-introduced to Captain Wentworth who now has a fortune and seems to be looking for a lively, young wife. Only their common commitment to being polite makes time in one another's company tolerable. What strong emotions burn under the surface? She's very embarrassed, but Captain Wentworth is hard to read.
In the course of the book, you'll find out a lot about social climbing in Regency England, the finances of the social elites and those who were up-and-coming, how marriage agreements were struck, and how the naval officers differed from the gentry. You'll also be impressed, I'm sure, by the patina of politeness that served as a social lubricant among people who often didn't care a trifle for one another.
In such a society, people mostly wore masks of being thoughtful, considerate people while in reality they were seldom thinking about very much and didn't care much for others. Anne Elliot is the exception in that her heart and mind are actually devoted to the service of others.
One of the most interesting parts of the story is how it was possible (mostly by accident) to sort out the phonies from among those with glittering manners.
Anne Elliot is one of the most memorable and admirable characters in English literature. Do read this book and find out about the other kinds of persuasion that took place during this year of her fictional life. You'll be delighted that you did.
Her Last Finished Effort... February 22, 2008
When Jane Austen finished "Persuasion" in 1816, she was already suffering from the effects of the disease that would kill her the following year. "Persuasion" is rather shorter than its precessors such as "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice". It is however the polished work of a mature author, and easily holds its own with her other finished novels.
As the story opens, Sir Walter Elliot, a vain and foppish baronet facing bankruptcy, is persuaded to rent his home and move his family to Bath in order to economize on expenses. The middle daughter, Anne, unmarried and ignored by her family, is shocked to learn that the prospective renters are an Admiral Croft and his wife, whose brother is one Frederick Wentworth. Eight years earlier, Wentworth, then a young naval officer lacking wealth and status, had wooed Anne, who was persuaded by her mentor, Lady Russell, to reject his suit on the grounds of his lack of prospects. The kind-hearted but much put-upon Anne is left behind by her family to close up the house and to take care of her hypochondriac married younger sister Mary, who lives nearby.
While visiting with Mary and her husband Charles Musgrave, Anne encounters the now Captain Wentworth, wealthy with prize money and looking for a potential wife among Charles' two sisters. Wentworth is distant and correct with Anne. When Wentworth proposes a visit to the seaside village of Lyme Regis, Anne is included in the group. While there, Wentworth appears to settle on Louisa Musgrave, only to have Louisa be seriously injured in an accident. The practical Anne takes charge in the crisis, causing Wentworth to take renewed notice of her.
Anne ends up in Bath, where her family pursues a meaningless round of social calls. A handsome and long-missing cousin materializes to reconcile with the Elliots and to pay court to Anne. The long-suffering Anne must balance his suspicious attentions with the unclear intentions of Wentworth, who follows Anne to Bath.
Anne still loves Wentworth, but hardly dares to hope that he will pass up younger and more attractive women to renew his relationship with her. The inarticulate Wentworth finally finds his voice in a note to Anne, giving her another chance to make the right choice.
In this final novel, Anne wrestles with a dilemma common to Austen heroines, whether to marry for love or money and security. The younger Anne was persuaded not to marry for love because Wentworth lacked the money and prospects to give her the security of her station in life. In revisiting that choice, Anne concludes that the advice was correct under the circumstances but proven wrong by subsequent events. Anne believes in marrying for love; the further implication of her internal argument is that she and Wentworth should have waited for each other while he acquired the financial security necessary for their successful life together.
"Persuasion" is a well-written and moving story, filled with the usual well-developed characters and often biting social commentary of a Jane Austen novel. It is very highly recommended to her fans and to those readers looking for an excellent period romance.
An enchanting love story February 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Dear Anne Elliot has always done what was most prudent, and as such, when her father and godmother tried to persuade her not to marry her beloved Frederick Wentworth, she complied. But, she never stopped loving Mr. Wentworth, and she zealously followed his heroic career in the Royal Navy. And now, eight years later, when her family falls on hard times and are forced to rent out their home, she finds herself thrown together with the now rich young Captain Wentworth. However, Captain Wentworth was quite hurt by Anne's rejection of him, and as such they are doomed to never be together again, right?
This is actually Jane Austen's last novel. She was working on it as her health declined, and the book was published posthumously. As such, it is said that it does not have the "polish" of some of her better-known works, and that it probably true. But, it is nonetheless an enchanting love story, extolling the self-made man (whom Anne's aristocratic father looks down on) and the constant-as-a-star, Penelope-like woman.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think that it is an excellent story that still reads well even after 190 years! I loved the characters, their trials and tribulations, and love that both separates them and binds them together. I highly recommend this great book!
 Persuasion DVD February 18, 2008
I would recommend reading the book before or after seeing any adaptation of Persuasion. It helps to get to know the main characters a little better. Buying this book is well worth the money, because you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Austen's wit and character analysis is brilliant.
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