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leerinder's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
melindamoor's review
4.0
3,5 stars. This has been a nice Jane Austen-meets-Chick-lit read.
Overall I am not much impressed with all the JA spin-offs and modern re-tellings out there, so I read this novel with caution, but was positively surprised. This book will definitely join [b:Northanger Abbey|18778806|Northanger Abbey|Val McDermid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392869025l/18778806._SY75_.jpg|26428252] by [a:Val McDermid|5672|Val McDermid|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1241725522p2/5672.jpg] and [b:Vanity and Vexation: A Novel of Pride and Prejudice|364522|Vanity and Vexation A Novel of Pride and Prejudice|Kate Fenton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312043396l/364522._SX50_.jpg|1837541] by [a:Kate Fenton|64138|Kate Fenton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] on my shelf of "imperfect, but delightful JA remakes".
You have to be prepared to make some allowances for the run-of-the-mill traits of the genre to enjoy it, but if you are, satisfaction is guaranteed.
Generally, the author, Brigid Coady translated [b:Persuasion|13646335|Persuasion|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546419500l/13646335._SY75_.jpg|2534720] very well by turning most of the well-known characters into actors/tv-stars/celebrities and Anne herself into a film production accountant-cum-producer. She also sticks to the universal Persuasion-storyline without becoming a slave to it.
There are lots of touching and hilarious moments, the pace is tight and I pretty much whizzed through the book, because I enjoyed it so much.
The only thing that gets lost in translation and is sacrificed on the altar of the chick-lit genre is Anne's character, even though it is not easy to bring Austen's heroines (or heroes) into the 21st century intact.
The basic quality is captured well: the modern Annie (ouch - OK, this grates a bit, I prefer Anne!) is very easy to relate to. She is warm-hearted, compassionate, loyal and supportive ..... BUT a total NO-HOPER, underdog, doormat, what have you, when it comes to her family.
Supposedly she is very successful in her profession, calm and competent, but that is only told, never shown. Descriptions of her cowering, chickening-out, avoiding confrontation at all costs, hiding or escaping from awkward situations occur almost on every third page well-into 2/3 of the book and you simply can't believe that this woman has all that steadiness and inner-strength that is essential to her character.
It gets better by the end, and the overall story is so light and entertaining that it compensates for this drawback, but I am also sorry, for this book could have been even better.
Still, kudos to Brigid Coady for this engaging remake.
ARC received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I am not much impressed with all the JA spin-offs and modern re-tellings out there, so I read this novel with caution, but was positively surprised. This book will definitely join [b:Northanger Abbey|18778806|Northanger Abbey|Val McDermid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392869025l/18778806._SY75_.jpg|26428252] by [a:Val McDermid|5672|Val McDermid|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1241725522p2/5672.jpg] and [b:Vanity and Vexation: A Novel of Pride and Prejudice|364522|Vanity and Vexation A Novel of Pride and Prejudice|Kate Fenton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312043396l/364522._SX50_.jpg|1837541] by [a:Kate Fenton|64138|Kate Fenton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] on my shelf of "imperfect, but delightful JA remakes".
You have to be prepared to make some allowances for the run-of-the-mill traits of the genre to enjoy it, but if you are, satisfaction is guaranteed.
Generally, the author, Brigid Coady translated [b:Persuasion|13646335|Persuasion|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546419500l/13646335._SY75_.jpg|2534720] very well by turning most of the well-known characters into actors/tv-stars/celebrities and Anne herself into a film production accountant-cum-producer. She also sticks to the universal Persuasion-storyline without becoming a slave to it.
There are lots of touching and hilarious moments, the pace is tight and I pretty much whizzed through the book, because I enjoyed it so much.
The only thing that gets lost in translation and is sacrificed on the altar of the chick-lit genre is Anne's character, even though it is not easy to bring Austen's heroines (or heroes) into the 21st century intact.
The basic quality is captured well: the modern Annie (ouch - OK, this grates a bit, I prefer Anne!) is very easy to relate to. She is warm-hearted, compassionate, loyal and supportive ..... BUT a total NO-HOPER, underdog, doormat, what have you, when it comes to her family.
Supposedly she is very successful in her profession, calm and competent, but that is only told, never shown. Descriptions of her cowering, chickening-out, avoiding confrontation at all costs, hiding or escaping from awkward situations occur almost on every third page well-into 2/3 of the book and you simply can't believe that this woman has all that steadiness and inner-strength that is essential to her character.
It gets better by the end, and the overall story is so light and entertaining that it compensates for this drawback, but I am also sorry, for this book could have been even better.
Still, kudos to Brigid Coady for this engaging remake.
ARC received by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
stefcore's review
1.0
I picked this up because it was a TPL staff pick. I think the stars are telling me to stop trusting recommendations of Austen-retellings.
I wanted to yell at the majority of the characters for a solid 80% of the book, at least. annie, STOP BEING SUCH A DOORMAT
am I still going to read the sequel? yes, because I hate myself and like watching train wrecks, apparently.
I wanted to yell at the majority of the characters for a solid 80% of the book, at least. annie, STOP BEING SUCH A DOORMAT
am I still going to read the sequel? yes, because I hate myself and like watching train wrecks, apparently.
bananatricky's review
4.0
This is so hard to rate.
It reminds me a little of when I was at school and we were shown a film of one of Shakespeare's plays set in modern day. This is Jane Austen's [b:Persuasion|2156|Persuasion|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385172413s/2156.jpg|2534720] set in modern day where the Elliots are a theatrical dynasty. Annie Elliot is the put-upon second daughter, holding her profligate father William and elder sister Immy together in their family home on Clapham Common. Her younger sister Marie is a TV talk-show hostess married to an investment banker called Charles Musgrove. Although she is a doormat to her family, Annie is also co-owner of a successful production accountancy business with hopes of becoming a producer.
Annie's big chance comes when she is offered the role of assistant producer on a new production of Pride and Prejudice, there are roles for her father and Immy as well as her aunt Lily. However, the coup is that the production has attracted Hollywood star Austen Wentworth. And then she discovers that her estranged cousin Will Elliot has landed the role of Charles Bingley.
For the first third or so of the book it kept pretty close to the original storyline, that works okay for a film but for a die-hard Austen fan like me I was a bit underwhelmed, I know the story and casting it in a contemporary setting only works on film. But as the story moved from setting the scene and firmly entrenching the reader in a Persuasion rerun to the actual filming it stepped away from a faithful retelling of the story and came into its own right.
Most of the key scenes are retold in the book but given a contemporary twist, although they still visit Lyme Regis! I really enjoyed the story but I wonder if my pleasure would have been greater if I hadn't known how the story would end? Maybe someone who hasn't read the original could tell me.
If you loved films like Ten Things I Hate About You (the retelling of [b:The Taming of the Shrew|47021|The Taming of the Shrew|William Shakespeare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327935253s/47021.jpg|3152341] in an American high school) then I think you will really like this. Also, if you've never read Persuasion but would like a second-chance romance set on a British film set I recommend this too.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
It reminds me a little of when I was at school and we were shown a film of one of Shakespeare's plays set in modern day. This is Jane Austen's [b:Persuasion|2156|Persuasion|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385172413s/2156.jpg|2534720] set in modern day where the Elliots are a theatrical dynasty. Annie Elliot is the put-upon second daughter, holding her profligate father William and elder sister Immy together in their family home on Clapham Common. Her younger sister Marie is a TV talk-show hostess married to an investment banker called Charles Musgrove. Although she is a doormat to her family, Annie is also co-owner of a successful production accountancy business with hopes of becoming a producer.
Annie's big chance comes when she is offered the role of assistant producer on a new production of Pride and Prejudice, there are roles for her father and Immy as well as her aunt Lily. However, the coup is that the production has attracted Hollywood star Austen Wentworth. And then she discovers that her estranged cousin Will Elliot has landed the role of Charles Bingley.
For the first third or so of the book it kept pretty close to the original storyline, that works okay for a film but for a die-hard Austen fan like me I was a bit underwhelmed, I know the story and casting it in a contemporary setting only works on film. But as the story moved from setting the scene and firmly entrenching the reader in a Persuasion rerun to the actual filming it stepped away from a faithful retelling of the story and came into its own right.
Most of the key scenes are retold in the book but given a contemporary twist, although they still visit Lyme Regis! I really enjoyed the story but I wonder if my pleasure would have been greater if I hadn't known how the story would end? Maybe someone who hasn't read the original could tell me.
If you loved films like Ten Things I Hate About You (the retelling of [b:The Taming of the Shrew|47021|The Taming of the Shrew|William Shakespeare|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327935253s/47021.jpg|3152341] in an American high school) then I think you will really like this. Also, if you've never read Persuasion but would like a second-chance romance set on a British film set I recommend this too.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
unniechan's review
4.0
When I started this book I was so hooked and I couldn't put it down. then I saw the ending and I was like what. All in all, it was quite a good book but the ending was a let and then the fact that both of the main couple barely had any interaction together. I am not quite sure I will reread it though.
millysreads's review
4.0
So after being slightly disappointed with Emma Ever After (also by Brigid Coady) I was pleasantly surprised by this retelling!
I love Jane Austen's Persuasion and I loved the premise of filming Pride and Prejudice as the main plot. It was also really cool how all the original characters fit into this new plot and all their different roles.
I read a few reviews of this book before reading where many people decided that "Annie was so spinless and such a pushover" - and yeah she was, but that was big a part of her character and how she overcame it was amazing! I loved seeing her development.
And oh my god, Austen Wentworth was awesome. As per usual, I found myself shouting at Wentworth for being an idiot and being so cruel to Anne (and also shouting at Anne for not telling him sooner how she felt or realising that he still loved her fgs). It was totally worth it though. I won't spoil it, but the ending was so perfect! Though I wish it had been longer and we'd seen their lives after the film, but you can't have it all!
I love Jane Austen's Persuasion and I loved the premise of filming Pride and Prejudice as the main plot. It was also really cool how all the original characters fit into this new plot and all their different roles.
I read a few reviews of this book before reading where many people decided that "Annie was so spinless and such a pushover" - and yeah she was, but that was big a part of her character and how she overcame it was amazing! I loved seeing her development.
And oh my god, Austen Wentworth was awesome. As per usual, I found myself shouting at Wentworth for being an idiot and being so cruel to Anne (and also shouting at Anne for not telling him sooner how she felt or realising that he still loved her fgs). It was totally worth it though. I won't spoil it, but the ending was so perfect! Though I wish it had been longer and we'd seen their lives after the film, but you can't have it all!
emmaiz's review
3.0
Title: Persuading Austen
Author: Brigid Coady
Publisher: HQ Digital
Release Date: July 18, 2017
Rating: 3/5
*Review copy received via Netgalley
I am immediately drawn to pretty much anything Jane Austen related, so modern day retellings are my addiction. Upon reading the summary for Persuading Austen, I was intrigued and the novel itself was quite cute. It soon becomes apparent that despite the book revolving around making Pride and Prejudice into a movie, the story is a retelling of Persuasion (hence title). The similarities from the original novel in the story line/plot/characters to those who are familiar with it will appreciate the creative liberties the author has taken to modernize the classic tale.
I personally found the story entertaining can I was invested, but the family was almost too much to bear! I couldn't stand any of them. The author did a stellar job crafting quite unlikeable and annoyance inducing family members of for the MC. In regard to the romantic element of this story, I felt that the love interest could have been, well, in more of the book. I thought the story relied a little too heavily in their past relationship as a connection instead of showing the reader the bridge to a new and stronger one. Of course, I did like what there was of it, but I thought it could have been explored a little more.
A cute and modern day retelling of Persuasion for Austen and contemporary lovers that uses word play to evoke all your Jane Austen nostalgia.
Author: Brigid Coady
Publisher: HQ Digital
Release Date: July 18, 2017
Rating: 3/5
*Review copy received via Netgalley
I am immediately drawn to pretty much anything Jane Austen related, so modern day retellings are my addiction. Upon reading the summary for Persuading Austen, I was intrigued and the novel itself was quite cute. It soon becomes apparent that despite the book revolving around making Pride and Prejudice into a movie, the story is a retelling of Persuasion (hence title). The similarities from the original novel in the story line/plot/characters to those who are familiar with it will appreciate the creative liberties the author has taken to modernize the classic tale.
I personally found the story entertaining can I was invested, but the family was almost too much to bear! I couldn't stand any of them. The author did a stellar job crafting quite unlikeable and annoyance inducing family members of for the MC. In regard to the romantic element of this story, I felt that the love interest could have been, well, in more of the book. I thought the story relied a little too heavily in their past relationship as a connection instead of showing the reader the bridge to a new and stronger one. Of course, I did like what there was of it, but I thought it could have been explored a little more.
A cute and modern day retelling of Persuasion for Austen and contemporary lovers that uses word play to evoke all your Jane Austen nostalgia.