I can see why so many people have told me that this is their favorite of Jane Austen's novels. Anne Elliot is a gifted observer of people, and the world as seen through her eyes is endlessly engaging, even when tinged with autumnal melancholy. With her pain at leaving a childhood home behind, her sorrowful past, her desire to be of use and her unwillingness to settle for any partner who does not value her voice and her mind; how could anyone not wish the best for Anne?