A Persuasion with Creative Modern-Day Conflicts

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

TYPE OF NOVEL: Modern-Day Persuasion

SETTING: Manhattan, Brooklyn and Dayton Ohio 2008

SYNOPSIS: While attending Cornell University, Anne Elliot met and fell in love with Freida Wentworth. When she met Freddie’s parents they were warm and accepting of Freddie’s relationship with Anne, but Anne’s family was not. They threatened to cut her off financially and kick her out of their home. With Freddie graduating and beginning her military career in Germany, poor Anne felt like she had no other option but to end their relationship. It was the best for both of them. However, eight years later shows Anne and the Elliots suffering some hardships. Anne has been unhappy, unmotivated, and lonely these past eight years, and the Elliots are needing to take some drastic measures to remain solvent during the recession. What will happen when Anne crosses paths with Freddie once again…?

WHAT I LOVED:

• A Credible Modernization: This premise is such a true to Persuasion modern-day situation! Lacking fortune and connections doesn’t have the same stigma in our society as it did in Jane Austen’s society. And it wouldn’t cause many families to persuade a couple to end their relationship. But what is a very real reason a modern young couple may be forced apart is when their families don’t accept and approve of the gender of their significant other. I was really interested and happy to read a modern-day Persuasion that explored this premise.

• Setting Choices: I really enjoyed both the time period set for this story and the various locations used. I thought it was very clever to set this story during the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and to have the Elliots working at a bank. It created an applicable and believable reason for the Elliots to be in financial distress. In addition, I loved the cities selected, such as: Manhattan for Kellynch, Brooklyn for Uppercross, Newport, RI for Lyme, and Dayton, OH for Bath (that last one is a little bit of a surprise). All these locations felt on the mark with their Regency counterparts, and I really appreciated how Ms. Watts utilized details and characteristics of each location to give her story a strong sense of setting and backdrop.

• Unique and Creative: I know there are a few Austenesque books published in the LGBT romance genre, but seeing ones for Persuasion (not just Pride and Prejudice) still feels unique. And it is unique for me, since I believe this is my first time reading a book that alters one of Jane Austen’s couples in this way. I enjoyed seeing a story with such unique changes and I appreciated the thoughtful and sensitive manner the author used to incorporate these changes.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Anne: Sadly, I wasn’t as fond of Anne as I usually am with this adaptation. I adore Anne because her introspection, reserve, and quiet activeness resonate so strongly with me. But in this adaptation I sometimes felt Anne was more passive. Her college relationship with Freddie was so brief in duration and so quickly discussed, that it didn’t feel as poignant and heartbreaking to me (maybe some flashbacks would have helped?). In addition, I found myself a little disappointed about a modern-day Anne not having her own career and being so dependent on her father still.

• More Exploration: I wouldn’t have minded if Ms. Watts deviated a little more from the original plot points of Persuasion. She had made some bold and creative changes already, and I would have loved to have seen a more significant impact from these alterations. However, this might be just my own personal preference for modern-day adaptions that don’t always strictly adhere to the Jane Austen’s plot.

CONCLUSION:

Despite my quibbles, I really appreciated Ms. Watts’s thoughtful and perceptive approach to updating Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and I admired the clever and relevant modern-day conflicts she chose to canvas. Readers who adore Persuasion or are interested in modern-day adaptations should definitely pick up A Woman’s Persuasion.

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