Scan barcode
cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
DISCLAIMER - I read this text as a set text for university meaning I did not pick this up for myself. It does not necessarily fit my usual reading selection so my review may be rather biased.
Of all of them I’ve read, this is my second favourite Austen. A beautiful story of love and loss and complex emotions, with an older and somewhat more mature set of characters. I enjoyed the simplicity of the story and the declarations of love were believable yet poetically written.
Enjoyed this read!
Of all of them I’ve read, this is my second favourite Austen. A beautiful story of love and loss and complex emotions, with an older and somewhat more mature set of characters. I enjoyed the simplicity of the story and the declarations of love were believable yet poetically written.
Enjoyed this read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
laineydunne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and War
kellyofcali's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Maybe it was the time of reading/my mood, but I couldn't get terribly attached to any of the characters in this story - it was a stark contrast between the sweet main characters and their mostly-horrible surrounding cast, but I didn't find either super interesting. That said, I the sharp narrator was often funny and I always enjoy ogling the now-odd traditions, customs, and rules of the regency area.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Grief
zivareads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Grief
withlivjones's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novel has a very slow start and I struggled to get into it. It only picks up really during the second half, but once it did I enjoyed it. The tension between Anne and Captain Wentworth is so clear and the narration of their interactions by Austen gives a real sense of pining and suppressed emotions. I actually let out a gasp at the letter Wentworth writes! When there is drama within the novel, Austen certainly knows how to write it.
Despite this tension, I found that the main couple don’t actually have much personality. Wentworth spends most of the novel brooding while Anne has Mary-Sue qualities (i.e. being fair, accomplished and good-tempered while also being ignored and pushed around by everyone around her) and only realises halfway through the novel that she can develop different opinions to other people. I actually found the most entertaining character to be Mary, who is annoyingly self-centred but at least has a personality. I think this is what caused me to struggle to get into the novel at the beginning, before the plot really kicked in.
Despite this tension, I found that the main couple don’t actually have much personality. Wentworth spends most of the novel brooding while Anne has Mary-Sue qualities (i.e. being fair, accomplished and good-tempered while also being ignored and pushed around by everyone around her) and only realises halfway through the novel that she can develop different opinions to other people. I actually found the most entertaining character to be Mary, who is annoyingly self-centred but at least has a personality. I think this is what caused me to struggle to get into the novel at the beginning, before the plot really kicked in.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Period-typical attitudesbookedbymadeline's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Started off a bit slow but once I got about 40 pages in I fell in love! The story would drag at times and I’d lose a bit of focus but overall I loved it. I have sooo many passages marked-the writing was beautiful and the relationships *swoon* 😍
This was my very first Austen and I can’t believe I waited so long to read her novels! I’ll be slowly adding her works to my shelves so I can continue my Austen education.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
atamano's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Grief, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
moonieness12's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
annamania99's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Pride and Prejudice was the first Austen book I read, the first I watched as films, and the first I really loved. Reading Persuasion is not like reading Pride and Prejudice. They have similarities, in that the books focus on the flaws of the main characters, but the approach Austen takes in Persuasion is much different. The tone is much more melancholy, much less "bright and sparkling" as Austen described Pride and Prejudice. Anne, the book's heroine, is not witty and self-confident like Elizabeth, but she has a sureness in knowing herself that Elizabeth lacks. She is older than Elizabeth and has faced a great deal more in terms of loss and disappointment. Mainly, I think, Anne is isolated in a way Elizabeth is not. While Elizabeth has Jane, Charlotte, her father, and her aunt Gardiner to support her, Anne only has a pseudo-aunt in the form of her late mother's friend, and this changes how she interacts with the world a great deal.
Persuasion was the last book Austen wrote before she died, and was published by her sister after her death, making the themes of loss, regret, and lost time even more poignant.
This book doesn't hold the same place in my heart as Pride and Prejudice, but then it is for a very different mood. I think Anne's belief in and integrity to her own morals and her determination to find joy in small things during some of the most depressing times of her life make her an incredibly strong character; though, like in the book, I don't think these are things many people might notice.
Persuasion was the last book Austen wrote before she died, and was published by her sister after her death, making the themes of loss, regret, and lost time even more poignant.
This book doesn't hold the same place in my heart as Pride and Prejudice, but then it is for a very different mood. I think Anne's belief in and integrity to her own morals and her determination to find joy in small things during some of the most depressing times of her life make her an incredibly strong character; though, like in the book, I don't think these are things many people might notice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Ableism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
uranaishi's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War