Review: Persuasion, Jane Austen

Persuasion

Jane Austen

Kindle edition (public domain), 2009 (1817)

Goodreads

Written at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Persuasion is a tale of love, heartache and the determination of one woman as she strives to reignite a lost love. Anne Elliot is persuaded by her friends and family to reject a marriage proposal from Captain Wentworth because he lacks in fortune and rank. More than seven years later, when he returns home from the Navy, Anne realises she still has strong feelings for him, but Wentworth only appears to have eyes for a friend of Anne’s. Moving, tender, but intrinsically ‘Austen’ in style, with its satirical portrayal of the vanity of society in eighteenth-century England, Persuasion celebrates enduring love and hope.

Recently I read an article on the BBC News website about women in China being labelled "sheng nu" (leftover) if they were unmarried at 27, and "leftover" is just about what Anne Elliot is DOOMED to be in Persuasion. Saddled with a vain father, a snooty older sister (Elizabeth) and an attention-seeking hypochondriac for a younger sister (Mary), Anne isn't doing particularly well in the family stakes and, to top it all off, her engagement some years ago to Captain Wentworth was nixed by her friend Lady Russell, who thought Anne could do better. THANKS EVERYONE, thought Anne.

Most of the book takes place while Anne is staying with Mary, after her father and Elizabeth traipse off to Bath after spending too much money and having to rent out their country home. During her stay with Mary, Captain Wentworth pops back up (his sister and brother-in-law are the ones renting out the Elliots' house) and an elaborate dance of WILL-THEY-WON'T-THEY commences, only to be somewhat thwarted by Louisa Musgrove taking a blow to the head in Lyme Regis. (Of all the places to be knocked unconscious.)

The final section of the book moves to Bath with Anne, who chafes at her family's inelegant and snobbish ways, and must endure a fair amount of other people telling her what to do and who to do it with, before she has an epiphany moment and realises she should probably do what she wants, instead. GOOD FOR YOU, ANNE.

I enjoyed Persuasion - there were a lot of funny moments, mostly due to Austen's subtly scathing sketches of the less appealing characters, particular the Elliots - and Anne is a likable protagonist. The action is quite slow at times - a lot of the plot is driven by conversation and observations rather than dramatic events - but there was enough to keep me hooked until the end, and it was very satisfying when one character in particular was revealed as a bit of a scoundrel. As with Pride & Prejudice, there was a lot of focus on women's choices (or lack thereof), and the way in which marrying well is often elevated above marrying someone you might actually like. So, things Persuasion has taught me: 1) There's no such thing as too much coincidence. 2) Letter writing has never been more intense. 3) No jumping off the harbour wall.

Overall rating: 7/10

Book source: Free Kindle download.

Review: Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen

Pride & Prejudice

Jane Austen

Kindle edition (public domain), 1998 (1813)

Goodreads

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

So, I finally did it. My knowledge of the great love affair between Elizabeth and Darcy is now no longer reliant on what I remember from the ITV series Lost in Austen. Rejoice.

It is odd to be writing a review of a book so seemingly ubiquitous, a book that I always felt like I should have read, to the point where reading it now was almost more odd than never reading it at all. Surely I should have written an exam on this as a sixteen year old, not read it for fun ten years later. I have to say I wasn't convinced straight away, and about halfway through I abandoned ship for a while. While the story was interesting, I found the writing a little bit stodgy and all the Mr. ____ and Miss ____ characters kept getting jumbled in my mind. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, of Longbourn in Hertfordshire, have five daughters, all unwed; on Mr. Bennet's death, their estate will pass to a cousin, Mr. Collins, leaving Mrs. Bennet and her daughters in a bit of a fix. As a result, Mrs. Bennet - a vulgar, not particularly likable woman - is intent on marrying off her daughters and snagging any likely bachelor that passes by their house. Enter Mr. Bingley, eligible and rich, and so the events of the book begin. Mrs. Bennet conspires to have her eldest daughter Jane stranded at Mr. Bingley's home, where she might impress him and obtain a marriage proposal, and as the novel unfolds the pursuit of a stable, prosperous future for her daughters becomes Mrs. Bennet's chief aim, even as their social standing, their mother's vulgarity, and their own hopes are sent to destabilise matters.

Though Elizabeth and Darcy are at the centre of Pride & Prejudice, this was less about the two of them than I imagined, and Austen brings in a lot of interesting elements regarding the position of women in society, the reliance on marrying (and marrying well), the destruction and shame of lost 'virtue' for a young woman, and the power of class and money. Elizabeth, as expected, is a compelling and vibrant heroine, headstrong and lively without being insufferable, and she finds a nice counterpoint in her more forgiving sister Jane. The younger Bennet sisters are less fleshed out - Mary is studious, while Kitty and Lydia (she of the nearly-lost virtue) are vacuous and silly, much like their mother. I was pleasantly surprised by the wit in Austen's writing - the style took a while to get used to, and it felt a little laborious at first, but once I got into the flow of things it was easier to pick out the humour.

I enjoyed the way that the novel was propelled forwards by chance encounters, idle speculations and snippets of conversation, as well as a nice dollop of temporary misunderstanding and missed letters. The plot meanders a little at times, perhaps because ultimately this is a novel of words rather than action. Yet overall this was a long overdue read for me, with much of the book's appeal not in the famous love story but in the issues that Austen raises regarding women and freedom that give Pride & Prejudice its edge.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Book source: Free Kindle download.

Showcase Sunday: Post-Christmas edition!

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea.

I hope everyone had a good holiday, and a good Christmas if you celebrated! (Here is my Christmas-in-pictures!)

One of my gifts this year was a Kindle, which I have been having lots of fun with. :) I was always a little bit sceptical about ereaders, mostly because I am a fan of actual books, but I also do a lot of train travelling, and carrying all those books is never much fun! Aside from that, I was looking for another way to read PDF articles, and this seemed like a good way of getting around the problem of having to read them all on my laptop.

I have been really impressed with it so far - the screen is really easy to read, and it's pretty awesome being able to fit so many books into my bag! I've downloaded a few things for it so far:

- Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen (to continue where I left off reading it on my computer; review this week!)

- Grimm's Fairy Tales - Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

- Persuasion - Jane Austen

- The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I also finished reading Thirteen, a short story by Jennifer Gladden, a friend of mine and partner in crime from my year abroad. :)

Aside from my forays into futuristic reading, I also received a copy of Doppler by Erlend Loe, a book I have been excited about for a while now ever since I found out it was (finally) being translated into English from the original Norwegian, and which will also count towards my goal as part of the 2013 Translation Challenge!

Finally, I received Pearl Jam Twenty, a history of the band over the last twenty years, including their roots in Green River and Mother Love Bone. I saw the film in the cinema last year on its one-night-only release, and I'm excited to read this and go through some of the old pictures!

Happy New Year everyone!

I choose you! Top ten books to read in 2013

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've participated in a Top Ten Tuesday, as hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but this week's topic was Top Ten Books You Have Resolved to Read in 2013, and I thought it would be a nice way to kick the blog into the new year. (Gently, of course.)

1. The Treasure Map of Boys / Real Live Boyfriends (Ruby Oliver #3 and #4) by E. Lockhart

I voted this my favourite series read in 2012 after reading books #1 (review) and #2 (review), and I really want to find out what happens next!

2. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Because I loved Anna like most other people loved Anna, and I've been waiting for the paperback to be released, which is finally happening in April!

3. Nemesis by Philip Roth

As regular readers will probably have picked up on by now, Roth is one of my favourite authors. This is his last book, published in 2010. He has since announced his retirement from writing.

4. Transparent by Natalie Whipple

I started following Natalie's blog while I was taking part in Nanowrimo a few years ago, and during that time she got her first book deal. Transparent is her debut novel and I'm excited to read it!

5. Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling #1) by Megan McCafferty

I am a big fan of contemporary YA, and Tara at The Librarian Who Doesn't Say Shhh has mentioned these books a few times (along with lots of other bloggers!) - they sound exactly like my kind of thing.

6. Doppler by Erlend Loe

For a tiny slip of a book, Naive. Super by Erlend Loe is one of the books I go on about the most. Until recently, I hadn't been able to find any of his other books translated into English, but Doppler was released recently and I can't wait to read it!

7. Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer

Krakauer is perhaps my favourite non-fiction writer, and this is his most recent book (although I think it's a couple of years old now), which I have yet to read.

8. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women by Jessica Valenti

I first became aware of Valenti as the editor of Feministing, a position she has since moved on from. A part of my doctoral research has coalesced around sexuality in American culture, and this looks like an interesting book I've been meaning to read for a while.

9. Grimm Tales for Young and Old by Philip Pullman

I've always been intrigued by Grimms' Fairy Tales in their original, slightly creepy forms, and I'm interested to see what Pullman has done with them.

10. Persuasion by Jane Austen

A friend of mine, hearing that I was reading Pride and Prejudice, suggested that I might enjoy Persuasion more, so I'm going to give it a go!

Top Ten Autumn Reads!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is: Top Ten Books on your Autumn TBR list.

Seeing as I bought new books yesterday, I thought I would join in. The problem with buying new books is then finding time to read the new books. For the last few weeks I have been picking things up off the pile of borrowed and charity-shop-bought books in my room, hence the lack of 'book haul' posts lately! But this week I have been in Brighton for a couple of days visiting The Boy, and not only do they have perhaps the best branch of Waterstones I know of (huge choice, lots of recommendations, and lots of floors!), but I found a neglected birthday gift card in my purse. Not only that, but a friend of mine recently wrote and published a short story, which is Kindle-only. I don't have a Kindle, but I got the Kindle app for my computer so I could read it, and that came with some free e-books. Now I just have to find the time to read them!

1. Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
This came free with the Kindle app and (SHOCK HORROR I KNOW) I have never read Pride & Prejudice, so I have dipped into the first few chapters and I am enjoying it so far. I don't like reading off my computer screen, so it might take me a while, but hopefully once I am finished it will make book #3 on this list more enjoyable!

2. Fatherland - Robert Harris
One of two new books I purchased yesterday. This is 20th anniversary edition, envisaging a world in which Hitler wasn't defeated in WWII. I like alternative history books (Philip Roth's The Plot Against America is one of my favourite ever books), and the bookseller who served me highly recommended it, so I'm excited to start this one!

3. Death Comes to Pemberley - P.D. James
Murder mystery involving the characters and setting of Pride & Prejudice. I have had my eye on this for a while, but having never read P&P wasn't sure if the novelty of it would be lost on me, much as I enjoy a good mystery.

4. Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
Because although I loved Anna, I still haven't read this. My city library doesn't hold any of Perkins' books, and I have been waiting for the paperback to be released. I might just have to re-read Anna in the meantime!

5. The Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett
A book I borrowed a while ago from my friend's dad, which I really need to get round to reading! One of the Discworld series.

6. The Treasure Map of Boys - E. Lockhart
Ruby Oliver #3. If you've been reading for a while you may be aware of my love of the first two Ruby books, and this is the third in the series. I am eager to find out what happens with Ruby and the many, many boys she seems to have been accumulating. ;) (And yes, I totally have a favourite.)

7. Transparent - Natalie Whipple
I have been following Natalie's blog (and Twitter) for a couple of years now, ever since (I think) she posted on the Nanowrimo YA boards the same year that I was writing an MG/YA novel. She is also part of the Friday the Thirteeners blog, which I have been following since early this year. This is her first novel, and I'm super excited to read it!

8. Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante
Another mystery, this time featuring a protagonist dealing with the onset of Alzheimer's who is suspected of murdering her best friend.

9. Down Under - Bill Bryson
I read Bryson's book documenting his travels in small town America earlier this year, and I really want to read some of his other books now. He's written more on America, and on the UK, but I like reading about places I've never been, and I'd really like to read his book about his travels in Australia.

10. Guitar Highway Rose - Brigid Lowry
I really enjoyed Follow the Blue earlier this year, and I've heard some great things about this book. I've had it on request from the library for a while now, so I'm hoping it makes an appearance soon!

What's on your list this week? Have you read any of these?