Persuasion & Poems by Jane Austen

Title: Persuasion & Poems
Author: Jane Austen

Read by:  Alison Larkin

Publisher: British Classic Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 15 minutes
Source: Review Copy from author Alison Larkin - Thank-you!

Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel.  It often ties with Pride and Prejudice in my affections, but there is just something about Austen’s slim last novel that captures my heart.  Anne Elliot is a “spinster” at the ripe old age of twenty- seven.  Eight years before the start of the novel, Anne was persuaded by her neighbor, Lady Russell, to refuse a proposal of marriage from then Navy Lieutenant Frederick Wentworth.  At this present time, the once proud Elliot family has found itself reduced in circumstance.   They have to give up their family estate to a renter to live on reduced funds in Bath due to Sir Walter Elliot’s proliferate spending.  The renters, Admiral and Mrs. Croft, are none other than the now Captain Wentworth’s sister and brother in law.  When Captain Wentworth comes to visit, Anne finds herself longing for a different future.  Will Anne have a second chance at happiness?

Alison Larkin has an elegant voice with a slight British accent which is perfect for narrating Jane Austen’s works.  I found her to be completely engaging as I listened to this audiobook. She had unique voices for the different characters and really brought the tale to life.  I want to listen to some of the other Austen novels that she’s narrated.  I’ve always felt that Austen’s novels lend themselves perfectly to the audiobook format as Austen used to read her works aloud for her family’s entertainment.

This time through Persuasion, I was struck again on how well Austen creates characters and how their personalities are still identifiable in people I know and love today.  In particular, Austen captures perfectly in Persuasion that families are a complicated matter.  It’s interesting how all three Elliot sisters are so different from each other.  Elizabeth only cares about her looks.  In fact I really seemed to listen more to her and her father’s story this time through.  I love how Admiral Crawford has to move Sir Walter’s looking glasses from the dressing room as they were too much for him.  Sir Walter’s and Elizabeth’s world seems to solely revolve around their personal beauty and how they perceive the beauty of those around them. Unfortunately they only care about physical beauty and have no care for beauty within.  I’ve experienced this in my family with the constant talk of looks, people’s weights, etc. on one side of the family.  In fact, our Grandpa (who I loved a lot and was a great man) actually rated all of his granddaughters by looks.  It doesn’t help your teenage ego out when you discover this and that you are near the bottom of the list.  These conversations always annoyed me, “Have you seen so and so, they really gained weight!”  I can imagine how Anne feels in Persuasion wishing her family did not do this and actually wanted to talk about more serious issues, which in the Elliot’s case would be their lack of financial planning.

Anne does not do better with her sister Mary.  Mary has married Charles Musgrove, the eldest son and heir of Uppercross hall.  Mary is sure she is always ill.  She also seems unhappy about life in general and loves to complain about everything.  The Musgrove family is happy go lucky in particular, but they also get annoyed by Mary.  I love how Charles and Mary’s children sound like they are a bit wild and everyone blames each other.  Mary complains how Mrs. Musgrove gives them too much sugar which causes it while Mrs. Musgrove tells Anne that she only gives them too much cake as that is the only way she can keep such ill-behaved children under control.  Families are certainly complicated.  I felt like I could be Anne and can identify a Mary and the complaints of the family members in my own family.  Also like Anne, I know how it feels to have everyone share their conflicting thoughts with you.

Every time I read or listen to an Austen novel, I catch new items that I missed on previous reads.  That is what is excellent about a well written novel.  This time I really caught how oppressive Anne’s family was with different lines that I had missed in previous readings.  I also caught more onto the Mrs. Clay and Mr. Elliot meeting and Captain Wentworth’s feelings.  Although on previous reads I mostly focused on Captain Wentworth and Anne.  I love their romance.  This time through me feel like I got a better overall picture.  Captain Wentworth loves Anne – even though her family will not welcome him and will not be a fun family to hang out with at the holidays.

The last fifteen minutes or so the audiobook switched to Jane Austen’s poems.  I must confess that even though I consider myself an Austen super fan, I’ve never read or listened to any of her poems before.  I found them to be quite interesting.  I wonder if there are more – I need to research this!

I watched the 1995 film version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds after listening to this audiobook.  It is a perfect film – I love it.  Have you ever watched this adaptation?  What are your thoughts?  I love how Amanda Root shows throughout the film how Anne grows in confidence in herself and Hinds shows the inner depths of Captain Wentworth so well.

My favorite quote from this novel is Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne – which I consider one of the most romantic pieces in literary fiction.

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in F. W.

"I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never."

Overall, Persuasion is a classic not to be missed and Alison Larkin is a perfect Austen novel narrator.

Do you enjoy Austen novels on audiobook?  If so, what is your favorite?

What is your favorite romantic scene in literary fiction?

Who is Your Favorite Literary Romantic Hero?

One of the most popular posts on my blog was back in 2009 when I wrote about a British Telegraph poll of the most Romantic Heroes with Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre the winner.  I held a month long poll on my blog back in 2009 where Jamie Fraser from Outlander was the clear winner.  Its fun to read this blog post at that point, as there was no Outlander TV series and a face for the character as there is now.  It has been six years since the poll so I am going to hold the poll again for the month of July.  The following characters will be part of the poll (on the right sidebar).

Jamie Fraser, Outlander

As I wrote in 2009,” I agree with my readers that Jamie Fraser is the most romantic character in literature. He is a handsome Scot that runs around in a kilt in Outlander, but he is much more than that. He is a man with deep passions and loyalty that inspires love in not only his soul mate Claire, but in a wide variety of people. His love for Claire grows through the years through trials and tribulations and still remains passionate when they are in their 50’s.”

Here is one of my favorite quotes from him to Claire (in Dragonfly in Amber).

I will find you,” he whispered in my ear, “I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory – two hundred years without you – then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weight against the rest. Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well.”

Edward Rochester, Jane Eyre

Dark, brooding, and mysterious, Edward Rochester is the epitome of the romantic hero.  He is flawed and intriguing.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Darcy is haughty, handsome and rich.  He is also a flawed, but intriguing character.  By the end of the novel, Elizabeth realizes that there is much more to the man then she first surmised.

Captain Wentworth, Persuasion

Who can forget Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne describing his love? 

Rhett Butler, Gone With the Wind

Handsome and dashing, Rhett Butler loves Scarlett when she cannot love herself.

Edward Cullen, Twilight

Edward Cullen captured the hearts of teenage girls and their mothers over the past decade, but does he have staying power?

Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones Diary

Mark and Bridget get off to a bumpy start, but Mark shows that underneath his gruff, but handsome exterior, he is a caring man.

Colonel Brandon, Sense & Sensibility

Although Colonel Brandon appears old to Marianne, he is old enough to have survived a romance of his own and to want what is best for Marianne.

Henry DeTamble, The Time Traveler’s Wife

I need some help with this one.  He was on the original list.  I’ve read the book a couple of times and think he’s kind of creepy.  Especially his future old man self-deflowering young teenage Claire.

Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff has a drive for vengeance, but he is the only man that is Cathy’s soul.

Richard Sharpe of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series

I have never read this series.  What do you think makes Richard Sharpe a romantic hero?

Gabriel Oak, Far From the Madding Crowd

I also have not read this, but I love Thomas Hardy and the new movie looks fantastic.  It’s on my list.  What makes Gabriel Oak a romantic hero?

Gilbert Blythe, Anne of Green Gables

After the death of actor Jonathon Crombie who so masterfully portrayed Gilbert Blythe in the Sullivan productions, many fans were left remember that Gilbert was their first romantic hero in literature.  He may call Anne “carrots” but he also stands by her through thick and thin.

Ross Poldark, Ross Poldark:  A Novel of Cornwall

This book is next up on my reading list and I’ve started to watch the new PBS series.  Jilted heart, a true gentleman who is not afraid to risk it all, Ross Poldark is a romantic hero.

Hawkeye, Last of the Mohicans

Hawkeye is a man of action who saves Cora and Alice.  I’ll never forget his portrayal on the big screen by Daniel Day Lewis in the 1990’s movie.

Christian Grey, Fifty Shades of Grey

I’ve added Christian Grey to see how many fans he has out there.  I thought he was a scary stalker and wish the book could be erased from my mind.

John Thornton, North and South

John Thornton is in trade and wants to better himself.  Margaret is prejudiced against a tradesman at first, but John finds himself changing as he gets to know and falls in love with Margaret.

William Marshal, The Greatest Knight & The Scarlet Lion

William Marshal started out as a poor knight for Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and through his skill and chivalry he rose to the top.  He finds true love with Isabel de Clare.

Vote for your favorite hero on the poll on the right sidebar and we’ll discuss the winners in August.  Don’t see your favorite romantic hero?  Make sure to comment on who I missed and why they are your favorite romantic hero!

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

I closed the end of the book having reread the last passage several times, and with a deep sadness that the story has ended again for now.  Can I really wait for five more years until the next part of the saga?  At least I have the new Outlander series on Starz to keep me busy while I wait.

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the eighth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.  If you haven’t yet read the series, you could read this novel and have a great historical fiction read set during the American Revolutionary War.  However if you want to truly enjoy and absorb the richness of the tale, you should really start with first novel, Outlander, and make your way through the entire series before picking up this novel.

Echo in the Bone, the novel immediately preceding Written in My Own Heart’s Blood ended with MANY cliffhangers.  These cliffhangers left me literally hanging for five years wondering how they would all be resolved.  I particularly wanted to know if young Jem was going to make it out of the tunnel okay.   I found out about 162 pages into this novel.  Aggh!

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood begins in 1778 right where Echo in the Bone ended.  Young Ian Murray is mourning the death of his mother and his Uncle Jamie.  Meanwhile William Ransom, Ninth Earl of Ellesmere, and Jamie Fraser’s illegitimate son, is reeling from the discovery that he is Jamie Fraser’s bastard son and not legitimately the Ninth Earl of Ellesmere.  He soon finds comfort with a lady of the night, who later plays prominently in his story.

Claire and housekeeper, Mrs. Figg, are wondering what to do after the thunderous disappearance of Lord John Grey and Jamie Fraser.  Soon enough they find themselves in another quandary as Lord John’s brother Hal appears searching for Lord John and having a medical breakdown of his own.    Lord John and Jamie find themselves battling out their differences and perhaps sharing too much information outside of Philadelphia.  They each soon are caught up in the Revolutionary War in ways that they never imagined.

In Scotland in 1980, Jem is still trapped in a dark tunnel, and Brianna discovers the horrifying truth that Roger and Buck have traveled back in time to search for Jem . . . but that Jem is still in the present and in danger.  Brianna has to fight the mysterious forces that are out to get her family and find her missing son.  In the past, Roger and Buck fruitlessly search for Jem and also discover that they did not end up in the correct year.  Will Roger, Brianna, and their family ever be reunited?

These are the primary characters, but there are many, many more characters throughout the novel that have their stories continued in fascinating ways.  I especially liked a glimpse into the “past” where Roger and Buck meet various characters that are familiar to readers of the series.  I also enjoyed that I had read Gabaldon’s short stories that tied up some of the loose ends from Echo in the Bone and set up ideas for this novel.

The past part of the novel primarily focused on the Battle of Monmouth, which I’ll admit, I didn’t remember much of from history class.  I found the battle and historical figures to be fascinating.  I also love how the Frasers were inserted into the fray.  I loved Gabaldon’s “Author’s Note” in the end that included much more information.  I also had to look for more information myself!  Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and Gabaldon is a master of bringing history to life. She is able to subtly show the horrors with war when Jamie takes shelter with a Quaker family, but also the promise of life when two of the minor love stories lead to marriage. I also love the natural history she includes as well with botany, biology included in Claire’s medical treatments.

Overall, I loved the novel.  I could just keep reading Gabaldon’s novels forever and am always sad when they end.  They contain so much detail on the people, places, historical figures and events of the story.  There is adventure, romance, and life.  I love them.  I listened to an interview with Gabaldon on CBS earlier today.  The way she described the novels struck me.  She stated that they were not a romance novel as they don’t end when Jamie and Claire marry.  They are a story of life and the fifty years that Jamie and Claire spend together.  Truer words cannot be said.

I also thought this novel had a perfect ending.  The story moved a bit slower than Echo in the Bone and did not have the many, many cliff hangers that were included in that novel.  Instead there is one perfect ending that did leave me with many questions about how it came about.  Would I be sad if the series did not continue?  Definitely yes.  But I could also live with this being the penultimate ending as well.

What were your thoughts of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood?  I love hearing other’s reviews and opinions – please post them!

I certainly cannot wait for the new STARZ Outlander TV Series.  Is anyone else sneak peeking with me this weekend?

Book Source:  I preordered this book from Amazon about a year before I received it!  I finished reading it a while ago, but have gotten behind on my reviews.

** Additional thoughts.  I keep pondering this book and thought I'd add a couple of thoughts to my review.  My first thought is I really want to know the mystery of the forces that are chasing after Brianna and her family.  Who are they and how do they know the secret of not only Jamie Fraser's gold, but of the twisted Fraser family.  I loved the 2nd novel in the series, Dragonfly in Amber as it was an action packed mystery.  Did Jamie die at Culloden?  I would love to see book 9 follow a format like that in which the mystery of the forces against the Fraser family is solved.

Also - I would LOVE to get an Ellen Mackenzie and Brian Fraser back story.  I loved how Brian was in this book and it only left me wanting more!