Austen, Jane: Persuasion. New York: Barnes and Nobles Inc., 2007. Print. Pages 1041-1174.
(I read the novel out of a Barnes and Nobles compilation edition of all seven of Austen's major works, given to me by one of my dearest friends.)
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SETTING: 19th century England, mostly in the towns of Bath and Lyme Regis, but also Kellynch and Uppercross Halls (those two homes/estates are located somewhere in the English countryside, but I wasn't able to figure out exactly where).
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SUMMARY: Anne Elliot, an intelligent woman whose intellectual worth is in no way appreciated by her idiotic father and sisters, leads a mundane life. Apart from constantly being unappreciated in her own home, she has been harboring a secret pain for the last eight years after losing her love, Frederick Wentworth. As chance would have it, she is to once again meet Mr. Wentworth, and the emotional rollercoaster that results, for both parties, is one that brings the reader joy and heartache, all at the same time.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "'...Here and there, human nature may be great in times of trial; but generally speaking, it is its weaknesses and not its strength that appears in a sick chamber; it is selfishness and impatience rather than generosity and fortitude, that one hears of. There is so little real friendship in the world! and unfortunately' (speaking low and tremulously) 'there are so many who forget to think seriously till it is almost too late.'" - Chapter 17, page 1122.
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After finishing my last novel, Death Comes to Pemberley, I had this deep desire to read Persuasion. As I wrote in my last blog entry, Death Comes to Pemberley wasn't written as well as I'd hoped, and it left me wanting to envelope myself in the writing style of Jane Austen. You'd think I'd revisit Pride and Prejudice, but for some inexplicable reason, it was Persuasion that was the chosen Austen novel. I've read it only once before, but all I remembered was the ending and that I liked it. As usual, I forgot the details of the story and why I liked it. But now my likes and dislikes will forever be eternalized in this blog!
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Things I liked about this book:- Anne's attitude towards the breakup that occurred with Wentworth when she was a teenager. Although she is still very sad about it, she is not resentful towards her godmother, Lady Russell, who persuaded her to break up the relationship, or herself for following through with the advice. She understands that the premises upon which the decision was made were sound and that, had she been the one advising a young woman in the same situation, would probably have voiced similar reasoning.
- The Musgroves. Kind people who treat Anne the way she deserves.
- The way Jane Austen presents the emotional journey Anne and Mr. Wentworth experience after becoming reacquainted. It's beautifully written, with the right amount of highs and lows. More importantly, the reader is able to fully appreciate these emotions because we all have experienced them at one point or another in our lives, whether with a past or a current love. The emotions that Austen touches on in this novel, indeed in all of her novels, are ones that are a part of the human experience and something that all her readers can relate to.
- Anne's character. Such a beautiful person.
- Mr. Wentworth's character. The definition of a gentleman and the only character worthy of Anne, in my opinion.
- The ending. Without a doubt, I was fully satisfied with how the story ended.
Characters I disliked:
- Mary Musgrove, Anne's youngest sister. Gah, such an idiot! I would not have the patience to deal with a personality like that.
- Sir Walter Elliot, the idiotic patriarch.
- Elizabeth Elliot, the idiotic oldest sister.
- Mr. William Elliot, the idiot cousin who is to inherit Kellynch Hall.
As you can see, apart from Anne, I disliked the entire Elliot family. They were all selfish idiots. I could have come up with a better descriptor than "idiot" but I disliked them so much that I decided it wasn't worth the effort.
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I love this book! Not more than P&P, of course, but it has definitely occupied the #2 spot. I've had plans to stop by the used bookstore in Dupont Circle since coming back to DC from winter break, but considering it's been four weeks already and I've been getting progressively busier, I'm not sure when that trip will happen. So, being realistic about when I'll get another book to read, I've decided to reread another Austen book in the meantime. Sounds like a good use of time to me!
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Recommend? Yes!
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A side note: I decided to make a separate "Jane Austen" label :P
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