Persuasion by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
I am trying so so hard to like Jane Austen's books, but I don't think these books are ever going to speak to me the way they do to others. It disappoints me but although I'll make myself read (or listen via audiobook) to all of her books before I give up, I just don't think this is in the cards for me to enjoy Austen's books.
I like the premise of this book, how Austen focuses on lost love and how people change somewhat over the years, but still remain the same person overall. I liked that Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth have a long, winding road of finding themselves and each other once again. This makes it seem more relatable and timeless than some of Jane's other novels, as many readers can relate to Anne and Frederick's plight.
Unfortunately, these good ideas of Austen's were lost within everything I did not like about the books. Austen is notorious for writing these over-caricatures of different personalities. Although I understand some people can be so outlandish, it seems like every single character in this novel is over the top in their personalities. I appreciate it to a certain extent as you can easily tell who is talking based on the dialogue, but it also feels untrue and gets a bit exhausting reading their diatribes and opinions on literally every single thing.
This book also felt like a drawn out play-by-play. Now these characters are heading to this location, they get to this location, they meet people and talk, they head back to their original house, they now go to another house. I know the time was different and this is what people in higher society spent their days doing, but there wasn't much scene setting other than the dialogue between characters of let's go here to meet these people. I think the novel could have been improved by adding just a bit more than the characters' dialogues.
My least favorite part of this book is that you never understand the love between Anne and Frederick, or Captain Wentworth. You are told they were betrothed and loved each other so dearly. But the characters have very little conversation throughout the book, nor do you even receive flashbacks from the time they were truly together. For a book that is almost all dialogue, you couldn't add some extra pieces where Anne and Frederick really converse and get to know each other once again? Instead, we are to assume they both realize the love still holds strong based on the conversations they hear each other having with other characters, or just seeing some of their actions. Again, I know it's a different time and people fell in love and got married very quickly, but I'm just asking for a little dialogue not even very much! And you are mostly getting Anne's inner thoughts and emotions throughout the book, but you really never get to know much about Frederick and his character. In fact, the parts you do see of him, he seems a bit disrespectful and oblivious, flirting with girls but not noticing that they may be expecting marriage, something he was not even thinking of giving.
So overall, I just did not like this book.
Synopsis: Eight years before the story proper begins, Anne Elliot is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?