Persuasion by Jane Austen. My book review:

Well, this was the first time I read a Jane Austen’s book. I have to confess that "Romantic novels" are not my favorite genre, so I am not sure if this spoils my review. And I am not a book critic by any measure.

Ok. I will start with some the positives. For the most part, (With the exception of the extremely wordy descriptions placed mercilessly right on the tension points along the plot) I enjoyed the richness of the language. Sometimes even as you have to plod through really long sentences, the wording itself is quite interesting. I also liked very much the highlight on the importance of quality relationships over the empty exchange of aristocratic circles. What a great reminder to our present world which propelled in part by social media and crowded schedules frequently feels as spiraling downwards towards shallow relationships.

I also enjoyed the contrast in character between the female roles in the story. I think Jane Austeen, and I assume many other 19th century female writers used their novel characters as voices to enlighten the culture of the time about the value of women, and their transcending role in society. I think this may have had a significant catalytic role in the civil rights movement, opening the door for a much-needed holistic appreciation of women. I enjoyed how Austen made Anne Elliot a truly “heroine” by embodying among many other things the tenderness required to engage and truly care for children, the respect and compassion required to appreciate the unfortunate, the wisdom and patience to highly regard the views and needs of the elderly, the curiosity and mental rigor to cultivate an educated mind, the sensibility to appreciate beauty, and the prudence and selflessness to care for the fate of others as much as her own.

With that said, I will point now to some of the things that I didn’t love as much. First, I think the plot was not as robust as I expected. I was frequently distracted by turns in the events that didn’t feel as natural. (I came to this novel, with the expectations of “Little women” which to me has a much stronger plot). Also, even as persuasion was a strong force applied to the decision making of the main characters, I was often frustrated on the over-reliance of perception and third-party opinions instead of plain open communication. I guess that it’s a malady that we all have to get over with. And I guess the older one gets the more aware of it. Thus, I call that a life lesson, and probably another plus instead.

I was also a little bothered by the frequent borderline “self-deprecating” assessments of Anne. I sure wouldn’t like my daughter to employ that self-talk pattern at all. However, I think it’s fair to say that we all struggle with that sometimes. Finally, I was not happy with the resolution of the story. Even as they end up together and living happily ever after, the turns of events that brought them together felt somewhat abrupt, rushed and unnatural. Also, I missed the fervent and sensible confessions of mutual affection which I truly enjoyed in “Great Expectations” or “Jane Eyre”. I think “Persuasion” was a good piece of literature, very timely for its era, with a significant entertainment value and a few good life lessons. However, it didn’t make it to the shelve of the books that I look up for inspiration and character building. Now will I read "Pride and Prejudice" even as I had already watched the movie? Many people say it's much better. So we'll see.