Persuasion (1817)

I thought I'd read all the Jane Austen books, but this one came up for book club and I didn't have it on my shelf and it rang no bells when I read it. It's the usual love story with some twists and turns along the way. The characters are a good mix with plenty of light relief in the shape of Anne's awful family. The letter Wentworth writes to Anne is one of the great romantic letters - You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. ( )

A lively, short read that is Jane Austen's final complete work. Anne Elliott is older than the norm for marriage, and eight years before this novel begins she was engaged to young Wentworth. Sadly, her best friend (her only friend, let's face it) and the person who stands between Anne and her loveless family has "persuaded" Anne to break off the engagement.

Neither party fully recovers and when Sir Elliott finds himself in straightened circumstances and forced to rent out the family estate, Anne finds herself with a larger group of adults in the town of Bath. And who should show up but (now) Captain Wentworth??

So while manners must be followed and Empire-era protocols must be observed, Anne is able to thwart the intrusive attentions of Mr. Elliott, save her school friend Mrs. Smith, calm her never-quiet sister Mary, and find herself accepted back into Captain Wentworth's heart. While there are some persons whose later mention I had forgotten from earlier in the book, I was much more easily able to grasp the threads of this story than I had with earlier stories. ( )

When Louisa stumbled, I sighed and, yet, continued through the remainder of the book. I knew that Mr. Scott would be unmasked and that all would be well. The flimsy layers did trouble me greatly. I don't know whether it is national chauvinism or some maudlin coddling but how is it that most consider Austen to be superior to Balzac?

On a personal level, this was likely the only book given to me by the mother of a woman I was seeing. ( )

Overwhelmed with a choice in what to read on the eve of my trip to London I ended up packing three books - and buying a dozen or so when I was over there - but 'Persuasion' was the one I ended up reading in the terminal and during the long flight over. I'd been holding out on reading this one, knowing there were only scraps of first impressions of her writing left after this, but it was worth the wait. The humor and irony were the perfect compliment to the tensions of modern travel.

In 'Persuasion', Anne had some years ago been convinced by her selfish family and a well-meaning friend to refuse a marriage proposal. In ensuing years the fortunes of the family have necessitated a retrenchment to Bath, but none other than the close friends of her former suitor have taken the lease of her family's house, and Anne is forced into contact with her magnificently successful former love, Wentworth. It seems, however, that he has moved on and is more interested in others close to herself.

The family dynamics, the social commentary, the view of Bath through Austen's particular lens were wonderful to experience. It isn't my new favorite, but I can appreciate the care that the childless give to other people's furniture! It was a treat to read, especially when I was able to so shortly after have tea in the pump room, take the waters and promenade about the assembly rooms. ( )

I enjoyed this book so much more on my second read. In my opinion, it still doesn't beat Pride and Prejudice, but it it a good one! ( )