Persuasion, Jane Austen

The best book I've ever read where not a single thing happens. Seriously, other than Louisa hitting her head, there is not a describable action in the whole book. Anne's family decides to move to Bath, but she doesn't go, she stays with her miserable sister Mary instead. Anne very nearly talks to the man she was in love with 8 years ago, but doesn't, really. Everyone goes to the beach and Louisa hits her head. Then there is quite a lot of people walking around Bath and running into each other accidentally.

Its lack of action gives it a very comfortable charm, though, and it's Austen, so you know circumstances will conspire to give the estranged lovers a happy ending. I think Austen's secondary characters are often my favorites, and this one has lots of crazy rich ladies and heart-broken sea captains and so on. 

I really liked it, but it can't touch Sense and Sensibility as my favorite Austen novel. Although now I am in the mood to go re-read all the other books she's written.

Grade: B

Originally posted 2009