Anne Elliot is 27 and is unlikely to ever make a good match. When she was 21 and supposedly much more beautiful, she had been engaged to a naval officer, Captain Wentworth, and, despite of her overwhelming love for him, she had been persuaded to break the engagement because he was deemed not worthy of her hand. Now she lives with her (also unmarried) 29 year old sister and her father in a house that they can no longer afford and which in any case is entailed to a cousin as the three Elliot children who survived to adulthood were all female. Forced to lease the house a naval officer and her wife (who turns out to be Captian Wentworth's sister), the family relocates to Bath though Anne first goes to visit her youngest sister, her husband and her brother-in-law's extended family. The society of Henrietta and Louisa Musgrove (the younger sisters of Anne's brother-in-law, Charles) attracts visits from Captain Wentworth- returned to England and looking for a wife, any wife as long as it isn't Anne whom he is still yet to forgive for breaking their engagement. Anne living for the time with Musgroves and Captain Wentworth visiting them begins to often bring them into contact with each other, and Anne starts to wonder at her lingering feelings for the captain. Tragedy strikes Louisa Musgrove just shortly before Anne moves to her new home in Bath and as Anne leaves she is faced with the possibility that following the tragedy, Captain Wentworth may propose to Louisa. In Bath, she finds her sister and father trying to lean on wealthier relatives in order to appear better off, she reacquaints herself with an old school friend who has fallen on bad times, and she gets to know her cousin who seems to be pursuing her but who she suspects has dubious motives. Then Captain Wentworth arrives in town and......
A while ago, a friend of mine who is more than mildly Austen obsessed suggested that people get together and watch an Austen miniseries one afternoon. Going through her massive collection, we picked an adaptation of Persuasion and I mentioned (possibly ill-advisedly) that I had not read the book. She was shocked as have been others of my acquaintance (including my mother who counts it as her favourite Austen novel). I have always liked Austen but it was just unfortunate for Persuasion that there wasn't a Hollywood version of or a TV adaptation starring Colin Firth whilst I was in year 9 or 10- this was when I first read Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and Emma (in that order). Also counting against it was that the next Austen I read was Northanger Abbey which I studied for year 11 and did not enjoy at all. After that I was worried about her remaining two complete novels- a worry that was borne out for Mansfield Park which I started and could not finish a few years ago- so just kept rereading the first three I'd read (I think the count on P&P would be well over 10 times (no that isn't sad!), S&S and Emma both over 5). I feel I owe someone an apology for waiting so long as Persuasion is definitely better than S&S and Emma, and is just about equal to P&P (I'd have to reread to confirm). Firstly move aside Elizabeth Bennett and Marion Dashwood, I have a new favourite Austen heroine. I just loved Anne Elliot as she was so self reliant and so sensible (in the modern not the early 19th century sense of the word). She was just brilliant. Also I can now appreciate more the comment the friend mentioned earlier made on my facebook status a few years ago when, on my 27th birthday, I stated that I was now as old as Charlotte Lucas and would need to find myself a Mr Collins, and she replied that I was also as old as Anne Elliot and should not give up hope of getting a Captain Wentworth. And talking of him, he can't knock my favourite Austen man off his spot (Mr Knightley if you're asking and no I'm not sure why) but he comes close and I may prefer him to Darcy. Ultimately the thing I loved most about this book was how cutting the satire was. Austen was definitely on her game with this one and it may just be the most successfully satirical of her novels. I actually found it the funniest of her novels- not to dismiss P&P which is quite funny in parts. Finally I just love that (being an Austen novel, I'm sure I'm not giving anything away) the "old" maid gets the man she wants and not another Mr Collins. I remember being mildly horrified (though only 15 at the time) when I first read the conversation between Elizabeth and Lady Catherine in P&P when she says that it is unfair for her younger sisters not to be out just because she and Jane did not marry early. I felt like screaming "EARLY seriously! You are 20 and your sister is 22. There ain't nothing late about that!" and Charlotte Lucas's speeches about how she would marry Mr Collins because she wasn't going to get another offer are just heart breaking. I know that was the reality of the early 19th century and that not being married by age 20 or 21 was mildly horrifying to them but it is just so nice for Austen to acknowledge that they could be an exception to the rule (not that Anne, who is 28 at the end of the book, is old by modern standards).
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| The cover of the version I read |
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| Just 'cause Rupert Penry-Jones is kinda pretty, I haven't seen this version though. I must borrow it from someone. |
Yes, yes and yes. To all of it.
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