Having read this review, I think the main difference between us as readers is that I love a story I can dissect and reflect on. The more I can dissect over time, the more I love it. In your review, I can see this is something you’re not fond of. You like the book to be upfront. Perhaps that explains, mostly, why we differ on the works of Austen?
I love looking for the details, seeing the feelings behind the facade, and Austen does this very well. However, if you do want romance to be more upfront then I can understand why Austen isn’t for you. Don’t get me wrong- I love seeing development and all the reasons why there’s chemistry (similar to you) but Austen doesn’t state the reasons why. To read the books, you have to very often read between the lines. I don’t think it means one is a more intellectual approach than the other by the way. This is just a matter of preference.
I also think you have to look at the time period- a lot of reading was communal. At least, books like Austen’s were. We read a lot more individually now but people would have sat down to discuss why it was romantic with others, perhaps leading for greater engagement than what we’d get on our own.
I do think her language can be inaccessible in some ways to the modern reader. It can meander and your statement of ‘why make it a sentence when it can be a paragraph’ did make me laugh, even as an Austen fan. She’s very like that!
As for money talk, it was just of the time unfortunately. You get it in many books surrounding that era and Austen is notorious for talking about money. I suppose the historical context is the lack of financial freedom for women and how romantic fantasies at this time included someone who loved them but was also wealthy. It denotes comfort in every aspect for a woman of that era. Again, in modern terms, we view this differently but back then, wealth was so important for considering who to marry. As you pointed out, fortunes can be won and lost but, in the Georgian era, this was not as likely as you think. You tended to remain within the same social class you were born in (even if you were in immense debt), hence all the significance of money and class. I think you just have to take this as it is.
That being said, I’m not sure that you’ll like Emma now but it’s always worth a try! (I say that with immense hope in my heart as it’s a favourite of mine). If you like seeing a bit of romantic development, I think you might like Elinor and Edward in Sense and Sensibility. There’s not loads but if I remember correctly, there’s more than the others you’ve read.
Apologies for how long this is but you shared so much that I felt I had so much to respond to!
You are correct. I want my books to be more escapism first, and if I have to dissect everything that’s being written in order to get what’s going on, that’s not going to make me like the book more. I have, however, returned to books years later and gotten new insights into the story, but that’s more a case of me being older and having a new perspective on life.
I will try more Austen in the future and hopefully I can find one that I love as much as I love some of the adaptations.
This review made me smile and even laugh out loud. That said, I love this book (have read 3 times) and the first adaptation (probably have watched 3 times). Also took an online class in it during the pandemic.
Is it a direct story? No. Did Jane Austen write it as a romance? I don’t think so. I think it’s an internal story about Anne, not her romance with Wentworth. It’s one of regret, loneliness, and learning to trust one’s own judgment.
A suggestion. Don’t read Henry James or Edith Wharton if you’re uncomfortable with the length of Austen’s sentences
Will be interested in what you have to say about more books.
I agree. I remember thinking when I watched the movie that it definitely should have capitalized on flashbacks, but as a reader, I like how spare the novel is. I like getting to imagine what the two of them were like and how they fell in love, but that's not the thrust of the novel. The center of it is Anne's patient and quiet suffering, and there's something so beautiful and restrained in it. I think Austen must have been in a very challenging interior place when she wrote this one and the result is a picture of such quiet strength.
Quiet strength is something that isn’t shown a lot in stories, especially ones focusing on women. But I like to see the great things play out and watching people fall in love is a great thing to see.
Absolutely. Biased as I am in her favor, it's scintillating to read a well-thought out critique of Austen! Usually it seems like people just get mad that she's not Bridgerton and quit, but it is interesting to reimagine how she might have structured this novel.
Thanks for reading! I’m glad I could entertain you, even if we don’t agree. I know I’m very much in the minority, and that’s fine. I can accept that Austen isn’t for me and I will just stick with the adaptations.
I’m curious if James and Wharton might be good experiences as audiobooks instead. That would probably mask the long sentences.
I don’t really know. I am not an audiobook person. I get too distracted, forget what’s going on and then can not find where I lost my place. It doesn’t bother me when listening to the radio or a podcast: just with books.
Let me know what you experience with listening to James and Wharton.
Love this perspective but i will respectfully disagree. i love that as a reader we’re kind of thrown into the love story and the part where Wentworth and Anne meet again after all those years because that’s the story Austen wants to tell: of a second love. The way everyone around Anne reacts to Wentworth and their own reactions of course were enough for me to feel their previous love too. The 1995 movie shows this amazingly imo too. Either way i think it was interesting to read your view on this book (and books in general)!
having neither read the book nor seen the movie I enjoyed this review a great deal. I was curious so looked up whether this was Jane Austen's early work or late work--turns out it was published 6 months after her death. I wonder if her death interrupted a book that was already headed for publication, or if she would have tightened it up given more time? Sadly the world will never know. Excellent and hilarious review!
I always try to keep reviews fun, even for those who haven’t read the book. Seems to be working so far :)
But your point makes me wonder if there is an appreciable difference in a book’s quality depending on when it was written in an author’s career. It’d make sense that the later ones are better, but I’m not too sure about that.
Have you read any Austen? She’s become one of those authors where I really question if it’s just me and my weird personal preferences.
I havent read a word of jane austen! Ive watched some of the movies, thats been more my speed.
I dont think theres anything wrong with your preferences though—not every book needs to speak equally to every person. And it can be hard to access older works because of separation from the culture under critique. But “oh i dont get it because its old” gives away too much ground, because it is possible to still enjoy old works—its not a universal law. So It ultimately comes down to taste, and as the romans said, “about taste there is no disputing”.
If I twist your arm, will you read an Austen book with me? Not soon, but in a year or so after my dislike for this book has faded. We could do a joint review/podcast or something, and share in the possible suffering. Just putting that idea out there.
Some of my favorite books are old, like Jane Eyre. There are just certain types of old writing styles that don’t work for me and Austen isn’t doing it. So far.
Wont take much arm twisting, that sounds like a fun idea! Admittedly my reading habit has been HORRIBLE, to even my own shock and dismay. So i was just thinking i should read with an eye to writing about it, in hopes that would help me get back into the habit. So youre talking in a good line of thought! Call it an agreement in principle and we’ll work out the details later.
I think its really difficult to understand our own tastes in the face of prevailing sentiment for or against. So kudos where due for planting your flag and standing by it!
Then I will set a reminder to bug you about it later.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from doing reviews all these years, it’s that I will always make my case and stand by it without much care how others will take it. I might change my mind later, but in the moment, I was just being honest.
Persuasion is my absolute least favourite, it is so empty of love. Sense & Sensibility and Northanger Abbey are my favourites, but I see you’ve already tried NA!
Well Annette, you could be absolutely right. I'm afraid I'm one of those shallow readers who expects the author to do the work. I don't unlayer layers. I like what Hemingway said when he noticed people were turning Old Man and the Sea into metaphors. He announced the man is a man, the sea is the sea, and the fish is a fish. Go Ernie! Lazy readers unite!
Interesting take! I can’t agree about Anne/Wentworth, BUT I could apply this critique to one romance in the Austen canon: Elinor and Edward (S&S). That is the one pair whose love story doesn’t capture me, but honestly I feel like that has more to do with Elinor’s own voice/temperament that is difficult for me to be “moved” by (still love the book!)
Anne, on the other hand, totally convinces me and I feel deeply the stakes of her love for Wentworth and what he was and still is to her. I think the effect of telling, not showing, their former attachment is a powerful move that, given Anne’s own interior struggle, totally charges their seemingly minute present-day interactions and builds up so well to the end!!
Nonetheless I appreciate your thoughts and they provided an interesting framework for me to formulate my own feelings about Persuasion which I just reread last week :)
It's completely fine to not like a book, even if it's a classic! I haven't read Persuasion (or I may have years ago and forgotten about it), but whilst I loved Wuthering Heights as a whole, I felt the same way about the romance not having been sufficiently built up initially for me to understand the emotional investment in the relationship.
I’ve read many classics and my reactions are as varied as they are with modern books. I don’t give books a pass just because they’re old and famous.
I think Wuthering Heights is slightly different from Persuasion because it’s all told from the servant’s perspective, so what Heathcliff and Catherine feel for one another can only be revealed through their words and expressions, and that might not be as strong as what’s in their minds.
I enjoyed your review, though I both agree and disagree (or at least can excuse some of the things you fault it with). It's the only Austen I've read, though, so maybe I'd be more frustrated with its flaws if I'd read others. I have heard that Persuasion was one of Jane Austen's most biographical as her brother was in the Navy (hence the detailed nautical portrayal) and she herself ended up not marrying someone early in her life because of his current finances. Some people think this might have been her way of reflecting on what might have been since she was near the end of her life.
When I read it, it seemed plausible. If that's the case, I can forgive what sometimes feels like slice of life and reflection rather than a more structured plot about a relationship.
But your review (as usual) was enjoyable to read! Hopefully nobody's come out to rail too harshly.
I was a little nervous how this post would be received, but so far everyone’s been very nice about disagreeing with me. Oh well, can’t love all the books. Thanks for reading!
Thank you for saying everything I feel about this book haha. I also felt like P&P fell flat for me. Emma and Mansfield Park on the other hand… amazing! Two of my favorite books of all time!
I've not read the book or seen an adaptation, but I'm more curious to read it now - even if you were not a fan, to say the least, lol!
I have heard that the Netflix's adaption from a few years back was also disliked by the Austen fans. I guess there's something about this particular story that isn't able to stick the landing on a beloved adaptation..
On the contrary, I love a lot of old books. Jane Eyre is one of my favorites, and though Wuthering Heights is full of characters I hate, I liked the way it was written, the same with Frankenstein. And I have enjoyed many of Washington Irving’s short stories. So the oldness of a book isn’t the problem, it’s how Austen showcased the oldness. I’m sure in another hundred years people will look at our current authors and prefer some to others even though they’re all using the same type of language.
Having read this review, I think the main difference between us as readers is that I love a story I can dissect and reflect on. The more I can dissect over time, the more I love it. In your review, I can see this is something you’re not fond of. You like the book to be upfront. Perhaps that explains, mostly, why we differ on the works of Austen?
I love looking for the details, seeing the feelings behind the facade, and Austen does this very well. However, if you do want romance to be more upfront then I can understand why Austen isn’t for you. Don’t get me wrong- I love seeing development and all the reasons why there’s chemistry (similar to you) but Austen doesn’t state the reasons why. To read the books, you have to very often read between the lines. I don’t think it means one is a more intellectual approach than the other by the way. This is just a matter of preference.
I also think you have to look at the time period- a lot of reading was communal. At least, books like Austen’s were. We read a lot more individually now but people would have sat down to discuss why it was romantic with others, perhaps leading for greater engagement than what we’d get on our own.
I do think her language can be inaccessible in some ways to the modern reader. It can meander and your statement of ‘why make it a sentence when it can be a paragraph’ did make me laugh, even as an Austen fan. She’s very like that!
As for money talk, it was just of the time unfortunately. You get it in many books surrounding that era and Austen is notorious for talking about money. I suppose the historical context is the lack of financial freedom for women and how romantic fantasies at this time included someone who loved them but was also wealthy. It denotes comfort in every aspect for a woman of that era. Again, in modern terms, we view this differently but back then, wealth was so important for considering who to marry. As you pointed out, fortunes can be won and lost but, in the Georgian era, this was not as likely as you think. You tended to remain within the same social class you were born in (even if you were in immense debt), hence all the significance of money and class. I think you just have to take this as it is.
That being said, I’m not sure that you’ll like Emma now but it’s always worth a try! (I say that with immense hope in my heart as it’s a favourite of mine). If you like seeing a bit of romantic development, I think you might like Elinor and Edward in Sense and Sensibility. There’s not loads but if I remember correctly, there’s more than the others you’ve read.
Apologies for how long this is but you shared so much that I felt I had so much to respond to!
Thank you for leaving such a great comment!
You are correct. I want my books to be more escapism first, and if I have to dissect everything that’s being written in order to get what’s going on, that’s not going to make me like the book more. I have, however, returned to books years later and gotten new insights into the story, but that’s more a case of me being older and having a new perspective on life.
I will try more Austen in the future and hopefully I can find one that I love as much as I love some of the adaptations.
This review made me smile and even laugh out loud. That said, I love this book (have read 3 times) and the first adaptation (probably have watched 3 times). Also took an online class in it during the pandemic.
Is it a direct story? No. Did Jane Austen write it as a romance? I don’t think so. I think it’s an internal story about Anne, not her romance with Wentworth. It’s one of regret, loneliness, and learning to trust one’s own judgment.
A suggestion. Don’t read Henry James or Edith Wharton if you’re uncomfortable with the length of Austen’s sentences
Will be interested in what you have to say about more books.
I agree. I remember thinking when I watched the movie that it definitely should have capitalized on flashbacks, but as a reader, I like how spare the novel is. I like getting to imagine what the two of them were like and how they fell in love, but that's not the thrust of the novel. The center of it is Anne's patient and quiet suffering, and there's something so beautiful and restrained in it. I think Austen must have been in a very challenging interior place when she wrote this one and the result is a picture of such quiet strength.
Quiet strength is something that isn’t shown a lot in stories, especially ones focusing on women. But I like to see the great things play out and watching people fall in love is a great thing to see.
Thanks for reading!
Absolutely. Biased as I am in her favor, it's scintillating to read a well-thought out critique of Austen! Usually it seems like people just get mad that she's not Bridgerton and quit, but it is interesting to reimagine how she might have structured this novel.
Thanks for reading! I’m glad I could entertain you, even if we don’t agree. I know I’m very much in the minority, and that’s fine. I can accept that Austen isn’t for me and I will just stick with the adaptations.
I’m curious if James and Wharton might be good experiences as audiobooks instead. That would probably mask the long sentences.
I don’t really know. I am not an audiobook person. I get too distracted, forget what’s going on and then can not find where I lost my place. It doesn’t bother me when listening to the radio or a podcast: just with books.
Let me know what you experience with listening to James and Wharton.
Love this perspective but i will respectfully disagree. i love that as a reader we’re kind of thrown into the love story and the part where Wentworth and Anne meet again after all those years because that’s the story Austen wants to tell: of a second love. The way everyone around Anne reacts to Wentworth and their own reactions of course were enough for me to feel their previous love too. The 1995 movie shows this amazingly imo too. Either way i think it was interesting to read your view on this book (and books in general)!
I’m glad we can respectfully disagree. Thanks for reading!
You’ve made a very interesting case here. It never occurred to me that we should see Wentworth
and Ann as young impetuous lovers separated by the wise advice-giving neighbor.
Your line about Austen never meeting a sentence that she couldn’t turn into a paragraph is comedy gold. Very funny!
I’ll definitely read Persuasion differently the next time around.
Glad I could provide a new perspective for you. Thanks for reading!
The 1995 tv adaptation with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is much better!
I’m going to do a tier list of Austen adaptations at some point, so I will make sure to watch that one.
Yesss i love this one!!
having neither read the book nor seen the movie I enjoyed this review a great deal. I was curious so looked up whether this was Jane Austen's early work or late work--turns out it was published 6 months after her death. I wonder if her death interrupted a book that was already headed for publication, or if she would have tightened it up given more time? Sadly the world will never know. Excellent and hilarious review!
I always try to keep reviews fun, even for those who haven’t read the book. Seems to be working so far :)
But your point makes me wonder if there is an appreciable difference in a book’s quality depending on when it was written in an author’s career. It’d make sense that the later ones are better, but I’m not too sure about that.
Have you read any Austen? She’s become one of those authors where I really question if it’s just me and my weird personal preferences.
I havent read a word of jane austen! Ive watched some of the movies, thats been more my speed.
I dont think theres anything wrong with your preferences though—not every book needs to speak equally to every person. And it can be hard to access older works because of separation from the culture under critique. But “oh i dont get it because its old” gives away too much ground, because it is possible to still enjoy old works—its not a universal law. So It ultimately comes down to taste, and as the romans said, “about taste there is no disputing”.
If I twist your arm, will you read an Austen book with me? Not soon, but in a year or so after my dislike for this book has faded. We could do a joint review/podcast or something, and share in the possible suffering. Just putting that idea out there.
Some of my favorite books are old, like Jane Eyre. There are just certain types of old writing styles that don’t work for me and Austen isn’t doing it. So far.
Wont take much arm twisting, that sounds like a fun idea! Admittedly my reading habit has been HORRIBLE, to even my own shock and dismay. So i was just thinking i should read with an eye to writing about it, in hopes that would help me get back into the habit. So youre talking in a good line of thought! Call it an agreement in principle and we’ll work out the details later.
I think its really difficult to understand our own tastes in the face of prevailing sentiment for or against. So kudos where due for planting your flag and standing by it!
Then I will set a reminder to bug you about it later.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from doing reviews all these years, it’s that I will always make my case and stand by it without much care how others will take it. I might change my mind later, but in the moment, I was just being honest.
Persuasion is my absolute least favourite, it is so empty of love. Sense & Sensibility and Northanger Abbey are my favourites, but I see you’ve already tried NA!
I’d still like to try S&S and maybe Emma. I love a good romance story.
Definitely do. Emma is the only one I have left but slightly intimidated by its bulk 😂
Sounds like you didn't get it. Never mind, you tried. Jane Austen is double-layered.
Eh, we can’t all be geniuses.
Well Annette, you could be absolutely right. I'm afraid I'm one of those shallow readers who expects the author to do the work. I don't unlayer layers. I like what Hemingway said when he noticed people were turning Old Man and the Sea into metaphors. He announced the man is a man, the sea is the sea, and the fish is a fish. Go Ernie! Lazy readers unite!
Interesting take! I can’t agree about Anne/Wentworth, BUT I could apply this critique to one romance in the Austen canon: Elinor and Edward (S&S). That is the one pair whose love story doesn’t capture me, but honestly I feel like that has more to do with Elinor’s own voice/temperament that is difficult for me to be “moved” by (still love the book!)
Anne, on the other hand, totally convinces me and I feel deeply the stakes of her love for Wentworth and what he was and still is to her. I think the effect of telling, not showing, their former attachment is a powerful move that, given Anne’s own interior struggle, totally charges their seemingly minute present-day interactions and builds up so well to the end!!
Nonetheless I appreciate your thoughts and they provided an interesting framework for me to formulate my own feelings about Persuasion which I just reread last week :)
I’m glad you got something from it, even if we don’t agree!
It's completely fine to not like a book, even if it's a classic! I haven't read Persuasion (or I may have years ago and forgotten about it), but whilst I loved Wuthering Heights as a whole, I felt the same way about the romance not having been sufficiently built up initially for me to understand the emotional investment in the relationship.
I’ve read many classics and my reactions are as varied as they are with modern books. I don’t give books a pass just because they’re old and famous.
I think Wuthering Heights is slightly different from Persuasion because it’s all told from the servant’s perspective, so what Heathcliff and Catherine feel for one another can only be revealed through their words and expressions, and that might not be as strong as what’s in their minds.
Thanks for reading!
I enjoyed your review, though I both agree and disagree (or at least can excuse some of the things you fault it with). It's the only Austen I've read, though, so maybe I'd be more frustrated with its flaws if I'd read others. I have heard that Persuasion was one of Jane Austen's most biographical as her brother was in the Navy (hence the detailed nautical portrayal) and she herself ended up not marrying someone early in her life because of his current finances. Some people think this might have been her way of reflecting on what might have been since she was near the end of her life.
When I read it, it seemed plausible. If that's the case, I can forgive what sometimes feels like slice of life and reflection rather than a more structured plot about a relationship.
But your review (as usual) was enjoyable to read! Hopefully nobody's come out to rail too harshly.
I was a little nervous how this post would be received, but so far everyone’s been very nice about disagreeing with me. Oh well, can’t love all the books. Thanks for reading!
Thank you for saying everything I feel about this book haha. I also felt like P&P fell flat for me. Emma and Mansfield Park on the other hand… amazing! Two of my favorite books of all time!
Yay! Someone else agrees! I will try her other books some time in the future.
I've not read the book or seen an adaptation, but I'm more curious to read it now - even if you were not a fan, to say the least, lol!
I have heard that the Netflix's adaption from a few years back was also disliked by the Austen fans. I guess there's something about this particular story that isn't able to stick the landing on a beloved adaptation..
I’d love to hear what you think if you read it! I know I’m in the minority.
That Netflix adaptation was a disaster from what I heard. I think they drastically changed Anne’s personality, as well as modernized the dialogue.
On the contrary, I love a lot of old books. Jane Eyre is one of my favorites, and though Wuthering Heights is full of characters I hate, I liked the way it was written, the same with Frankenstein. And I have enjoyed many of Washington Irving’s short stories. So the oldness of a book isn’t the problem, it’s how Austen showcased the oldness. I’m sure in another hundred years people will look at our current authors and prefer some to others even though they’re all using the same type of language.
But I’m glad we can disagree in a civil manner.