Saturday, September 5, 2009

Persuasion by Jane Austen

So for school we were given an assignment to read Persuasion or Master and Commander and watch the movie of the book we did not pick. Given that Jane Austen is one of my favorite 19th century British writers I chose Persuasion. I also thought that since I didn't have much time to read on my own this summer I would review my summer reading books. So here is Persuasion by Jane Austen.

At age 19 Anne Elliot was persuaded she was to young to marry Frederick Wentworth, a member of the British Navy of no fortune and no title. Eight years later they are thrown back into each other lives when his sister and her husband, the Admiral and Mrs. Croft, become the tenants of Kellynch Hall after the Elliot family is forced to move to Bath to save money to pay their debts. Frederick Wentworth is now a Captain and has made his fortune but still has not forgiven Anne for rejecting him eight years prior.

I quite enjoyed this book and finished it rather quickly compared to when I read Pride and Prejudice which took me awhile to get into. The story drew me in even though I knew what happened having watched the movie during Jane Austen Week on PBS a couple of years before and watching it on Netflix while reading the book. Also the style of writing did not throw me off as it has in the past. The character weren't perfect, they seemed human. Of course for this book to be considered a classic it has to be well written, so I will stop with technical pieces. At points the plot moved slowly, so be forewarned. If you are not used to the style of writing that Austen uses you may have trouble, but it does not take long to get used to it. I highly suggest this book if you are looking for a substantive read which one can actually enjoy. It is not my favorite Austen book, that slot still goes to Pride and Prejudice, but it is a very good book. Enjoy!

0 comments: