Persuasion (Collector's Library)

I absolutely love this edition of Persuasion. Perfect size for carrying around with you; can be shoved into a coat pocket or put into a purse when reading it on the go. It is beautifully bound and under the dust jacket, the cover of the book is a beautiful deep red. There is even a red ribbon attatched for use as a bookmark. I will definitely be buying other books of this same edition in the near future.

Beautiful little edition of this great book. Gilded edges and the quality paper used for pages make this a lovely gift.

I, too, found Persuasion unimpressive when I first read it. However, it grows on you. And most true Austen aficionados prefer this to her other, better-known works. Persuasion demands a bit more from the reader. This is not the book to use as an introduction to dearest Jane; for that you must seek out Emma or Northanger Abbey. But do not allow yourself to be misguided by the reviews of people who, by their own admission, are neither experts nor passionate about the works of this brilliant writer, who was, without a doubt, the finest female writer the English language has ever produced.

loved the white pages and convenient pocket size. More people should read this work as it is her last one.

After viewing several versions of Jane Austen's works, it seemed that reading at least one was overdue. Since I had just seen the latest Masterpiece Theater version of Persuasion on PBS, that seemed a likely choice. The possibility of two problems loomed as the book was purchased: First, the book and the taped version would probably have major differences. Second, Having been written 200 years ago, the style would also be different, more narrative than action, for instance. I was to discover that sentence structure was also very different. (Although I have read many books in this style in my lifetime, the popular style today is, of course, more fast-paced and active in comparison.)

I was quite right about the pacing and the style. At first, it was a difficult read, taking more concentration than modern popular fiction requires. But as the machinations of the Elliott family and their kin unfolded, I was drawn into the story. How could Sir Walter be so oblivious to Anne's favors? How could Anne have listened to Lady Russell and rejected Wentworth's proposal eight years earlier? How could anyone have wanted to wed Anne's sister Mary whose ailments and spells are so blatantly self-serving? And would a man of Wentworth's personality, station, and eventual rise wait eight years to marry in an era when marrying well was so important to the upper and upper-middle classes?

All of the shenanigans listed above and many more are documented in detail in the book. There is no way one can get the same flavor of scheming and hoping in a play or film. At least I've not seen one that accomplished that. It is tough going sometimes for the modern reader. However, it is well worth the effort. Seeing society as Jane Austen did is one of those experiences one can most often get only from books. I'm glad that I picked up this one and now plan to read more of her work: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma among them. It should be an interesting summer.

Austen's characters are always realistic and recognizable. No one understands human beings like Austen.

I have read all her books and loved every one of them. I have also watched the BBC series and I advise anyone interested to do the
same.

I think that it is my least favorite of the Austen I have read. The story felt unpolished, simplistic and rushed. However, since she was sick and dying when she wrote it, I will be happy that she wrote it at all and shared her wonderful prose with us one last time.