Review: Persuasion

Persuasion by Jane Austen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my "Jane Austen to-read" list for quite some time now and I am glad I finally got a chance to finish it. Compared to Austen's other works, this was second in enjoyability only compared to Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. It follows the story of Anne Elliot eight and a half years after she rejects a marriage proposal from Fredrick Wentworth due to the influence of Lady Russell. Throughout their interactions, Anne acknowledges the regret in her decision and realizes that she is still in love with Wentworth.

This was a very short story compared to some of Austen's other works and the plot is very simplistic. Anne is also much older and mature (ripe age of 27 lol), same as Eleanor from Sense and Sensibility. But behind the simple love story, there are many layers of themes that deserve to be analyzed: whether societal hierarchy can be used to judge the character of people, whether or not to take the advice of friends, and whether or not jealousy should be utilized to regain an ex's attention. These social questions still occur in our daily interactions and are addressed throughout this novel.

Regardless if the reader's intended purpose of reading is for enjoyment or sophisticated analysis, I recommend this book for everyone to read at least once in their lifetime.

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