ORIGINAL RATING 4 STARS, BUT BROUGHT DOWN TO 3 STARS


(If this is your favorite Austen this isn’t a personal attack against you, it’s just my personal thoughts)


Alright, it’s finally time to sit down and talk about my thoughts. This classic wasn’t necessarily bad, but I didn’t really get the feelings that Pride and Prejudice just give me. I even watched the 2009(?) adaption of this book and it was ok, but it just felt really bland.


Anne was ultimately a very boring character who we were told was a reader and had much opinions on things, but really Anne is just a character that doesn’t read a lot and doesn’t have much of a free will thought process. I get it, I really do. Women weren’t aloud to have their own thoughts, but Jane Austen had really shown me in Pride and Prejudice that she can write strong willed and independent characters. The entirety of the Bennet family are feminists in their own way, even Lydia who went against societies norms and fought for what she thought she loved. Or Kitty who had her own opinions, even when Lydia told her what to do.


But in this novel, we didn’t really see any of that strong willed feminism. Of course Jane Austen isn’t going to write every book the same, but Anne felt like she didn’t have that backbone that even Lydia or Kitty or God even Mrs. Bennet could have. She just lacked a personality, and while we did see the pining for Captain Wentworth, that was really the only thing that made me continue following Anne as a character.


I also hated the Elliot’s, a lot. Each and every one of them (albeit Anne Who I just thought was a bit lackluster). If their is one thing that Jane Austen has done to me in Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion it’s that she had persuaded (wink, wink. I’m so punny) me to hate and dislike a lot of her characters. And it’s totally intentionally. And it makes her brilliant. Jane Austen had an idea here. Create a family, similar to the Bennet’s, who only care about class and money. But see with the Elliot’s, Austen ventured out further and made us hate this family entirely more.


The Elliot’s are all annoying, pretentious as fuck, and gave me a headache. But for the Bennet’s, I still enjoyed that aspect of them because the Bennet’s still had redeeming qualities. Even Lydia, Who is...a challenge to like. But with the Elliot’s I found no redeeming qualities. And I find myself praising Austen for this whilst also being annoyed. If I didn’t like Elizabeth, at least I could have fallen back on her family or Mr. Darcy (although I love Lizzie) But here, I didn’t love Anne at all. And I didn’t have her family to fall back on because I didn’t like her family either.


Captain Wentworth was an ok hero, although he can never live up to Darcy. I’m sorry Wentworth stans, The pining in here was the only thing that saved him as a character for me.


Anyways, this was definitely not my favorite classic, but it wasn’t bad if that makes sense. I just will probably never reread this, or at least I won’t until maybe I’m old enough to appreciate it more? I think I’m a little young for Persuasion since these characters are Austen’s oldest and most mature, so maybe when I’m older I’ll give this a reread and see how I feel.


3 stars


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A few days later (in Sponge Bob’s way of saying it ofc)


If their is one thing this book taught me, its that Jane Austen is very very classist.


Still review to come. Abi write a god damn review.



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I really know how to feel about this book. On one hand, I did really enjoy this. On the other, I feel as though Persuasion was rushed, and definitely not Austen at her best. I will continue to think about this, and write a longer review in a few days, but right now this is a 4 star


Review to Come


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Prereading thoughts:

Mr. Darcy is my husband, but will Captian Wentworth become my 2nd? We shall have to wait and find out.

Also, this is my 2nd Jane Austen, and I'm beyond excited!