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Title:
Persuasion
Series: ----------
Author:
Jane Austen
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Classic
Pages: 193
Words: 85K
This is my
4th read of this novel since 2003. Suffice to say that I
really enjoy it.
It is
shorter than Pride
and Prejudice as well as Sense
and Sensibility and is
significantly shorter than Emma
(which comes in around the 340page mark). Unfortunately, it
“feels” shorter too. While I am a big fan of a short novel,
sometimes it isn’t the best. I think the interactions between Anne
(with an “E”, hahahaha) and Wentworth could have been longer and
more drawn out. Or even more of them. It’s not that they didn’t
meet and interact, it just felt rushed. Which ties into the shortness
of the novel. But that is my only complaint.
I have
always liked this novel because of the age of the protagonists. Anne
is 26/27 and Wentworth is 30something? (an OLD man if you listen to
Marianne Dashwood ;-) ). Mrs B was younger than Anne when we got
married. The calm and collected way that Anne and Freddie (I am not
typing Frederick more than once!) went about reconnecting was
enjoyable to me. There was very little drama and they proceeded
pretty calmly and rationally and allowed their minds to be in control
instead of their emotions. They allowed their emotions to influence
them, but the emotions weren’t in control. I really, really like
that aspect. I see too much of people giving their emotions sway over
their lives and then bad things usually happen, either to them or the
people around them. So seeing a maturity in the romance is just
refreshing.
Despite
having read this four times (now), I never can remember which Austen
novel it is where a young girl gets head strong and jumps and gives
herself a concussion. It is this novel. The scene has always made a
strong impression on me but for some reason I simply cannot keep it
attached to Persuasion. I’m
always convinced it is one of Austen’s other novels and I keep
waiting for that scene in other books and am always disappointed it
isn’t there; but that only enhances my enjoyment of it when I DO
read it here :-)
I did
notice that I no problem getting into the story or the manner and
style of writing. Reading S&S last year was a bit of a chore as
my mind had to switch mental gears for the 1800’s literary style.
But now that I’ve got three of Austen’s novels under my belt (the
three mentioned at the start of this review), my mental gears are all
well oiled and I sailed through this with nary a hiccup or stickage.
That’s always a good feeling and it is how this book made me feel,
ie, good.
★★★★★
From
Wikipedia.org
The
story begins seven years after the broken engagement of Anne Elliot
to Frederick Wentworth: having just turned nineteen years old, Anne
fell in love and had accepted a proposal of marriage from Wentworth,
then a young and undistinguished naval officer. Wentworth was
considered clever, confident and ambitious, but his low social status
and lack of wealth made Anne's friends and family view him as an
unsuitable partner. Anne's father, Sir Walter Elliot, and her older
sister, Elizabeth, maintained that Wentworth was no match for a woman
of Kellynch Hall, the family estate. Furthermore, Lady Russell, a
distant relative whom Anne considers to be a second mother to her
after her own died, also saw the relationship as imprudent for one so
young and persuaded Anne to break off the engagement. Sir Walter,
Elizabeth, and Lady Russell are the only family members who knew
about the short engagement, as Anne's younger sister Mary was away at
school.
Several
years later, the Elliot family are in financial trouble on account of
their lavish spending, so they decide to rent out Kellynch Hall and
settle in a cheaper home in Bath until their finances
improve. Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's new companion, Mrs
Clay, look forward to the move. Anne, on the other hand, doubts she
will enjoy Bath, but cannot go against her family. Mary is now
married to Charles Musgrove of Uppercross Hall, the heir to a
respected local squire. Anne visits Mary and her family, where
she is well-loved. As the Napoleonic Wars are over, Admiral
Croft and his wife Sophia (Frederick's sister) have become the new
tenants of Kellynch Hall. Captain Wentworth, now wealthy from his
service in the war, visits his sister and meets the Uppercross
family, where he crosses paths with Anne.
The
Musgroves, including Mary, Charles, and Charles's sisters Henrietta
and Louisa, welcome the Crofts and Captain Wentworth, who makes it
known that he is ready to marry. Henrietta is engaged to her cousin,
clergyman Charles Hayter, who is absent when Wentworth is introduced
to their social circle. Both the Crofts and Musgroves enjoy
speculating about which sister Captain Wentworth might marry. Once
Hayter returns, Henrietta turns her affections to him again. Anne
still loves Wentworth, so each meeting with him requires preparation
for her own strong emotions. She overhears a conversation in which
Louisa tells Wentworth that before marrying Mary, Charles Musgrove
first proposed to Anne, who turned him down. This news startles
Wentworth, and Anne realises that he has not yet forgiven her for
letting herself be persuaded to end their engagement years ago.
Anne
and the young adults of the Uppercross family accompany Captain
Wentworth on a visit to see two of his fellow officers, Captains
Harville and Benwick, in the coastal town of Lyme Regis. Captain
Benwick is in mourning over the death of his fiancée, Captain
Harville's sister Fanny, and he appreciates Anne's sympathy and
understanding, helped by their mutual admiration for the Romantic
poets. Anne attracts the attention of Mr William Elliot, her cousin
and a wealthy widower who is heir to Kellynch Hall despite having
broken ties with her father years earlier. On the last morning of the
visit, Louisa sustains a serious concussion after jumping from the
Cobb seawall expecting to be caught by Wentworth. Anne coolly
organises the others to summon assistance. Wentworth is impressed
with Anne's quick thinking and cool-headedness, but feels guilty
about his actions encouraging Louisa's attraction to him. This causes
him to re-examine his feelings for Anne. Louisa, due to her delicate
condition, is forced to recover at the Harvilles' home in Lyme for
months. Captain Benwick, who was a guest as well, helps in Louisa's
recovery by attending and reading to her.
Following
Louisa's accident, Anne joins her father and sister in Bath, with
Lady Russell also in the city, while Louisa stays at the Harvilles'
in Lyme Regis for her recovery. Captain Wentworth visits his older
brother Edward in Shropshire. Anne finds that her father and sister
are flattered by the attentions of their cousin William Elliot,
thinking that if he marries Elizabeth, the family fortunes will be
restored. William flatters Anne and offhandedly mentions that he was
"fascinated" with the name of his future wife already being
an "Elliot" who would rightfully take over for her late
mother. Although Anne wants to like William, the attention and his
manners, she finds his character opaque and difficult to judge.
Admiral
Croft and his wife arrive in Bath with the news that Louisa is
engaged to Captain Benwick. Wentworth travels to Bath, where his
jealousy is piqued by seeing William trying to court Anne. Captain
Wentworth and Anne renew their acquaintance. Anne visits Mrs Smith,
an old school friend, who is now a widow living in Bath under
straitened circumstances. From her, Anne discovers that beneath
William's charming veneer, he is a cold, calculating opportunist who
led Mrs Smith's late husband into debt. As executor to her husband's
will, William has done nothing to improve Mrs Smith's situation.
Although Mrs Smith believes that William is genuinely attracted to
Anne, she feels that his primary aim is to prevent Mrs Clay from
marrying Sir Walter, as a new marriage might mean a son for Sir
Walter, displacing William as heir to Kellynch Hall.
The
Musgroves visit Bath to purchase wedding clothes for Louisa and
Henrietta, both soon to marry. Captains Wentworth and Harville
encounter them and Anne at the Musgroves' hotel in Bath, where
Wentworth overhears Anne and Harville discussing the relative
faithfulness of men and women in love. Deeply moved by what Anne says
about women not giving up their feelings of love even when all hope
is lost, Wentworth writes her a note declaring his feelings for her.
Outside the hotel, Anne and Wentworth reconcile, affirm their love
for each other, and renew their engagement. Lady Russell admits she
was wrong about Wentworth and endorses the engagement. William leaves
Bath; Mrs Clay soon follows him and becomes his mistress, making it
more likely that he will inherit Kellynch Hall as the danger of her
marrying Sir Walter has passed. Once Anne and Wentworth have married,
Wentworth helps Mrs Smith recover the remaining assets that William
had kept from her. Anne settles into her new life as the wife of a
Navy captain.
