New Money, Innovative Inventions, and Votes for Women!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Alternate Era Adaptation of Persuasion

SETTING: New York, 1882

THE PREMISE: Eight years ago, Amy Eaton was persuaded to not marry the love of her life. Since then she has become a best-selling authoress and he has become a rich, self-made man in the field of engineering. They reenter each other’s lives as Amy’s family faces a financial crisis and Wareham’s friends are renting her family mansion on Fifth Avenue.

WHAT I LOVED:

• The Setting(s): I love the change of continent and time period. It is always fun to explore Jane Austen’s characters and themes in different arenas. I loved the choices the author made and how well they correlated to the original – the Gilded Age with its industrialization and social changes felt like a prime choice to match some of the social class snobbery and gender roles explored in Persuasion. In addition, Newport, Rhode Island worked brilliantly for Bath with its “new money” mansions and being a summer playground for the rich.

• Professions and Pursuits: Amy doesn’t just live at home, quiet and confined allowing her feelings to prey upon her...she is an authoress! A well-known and successful authoress. But of course, her family hates this – they don’t read her novels and they are embarrassed she has a profession. I loved the novelty of Amy having a profession and having some more agency in her life. She is making her own money, doesn’t have the same dependency as her Regency counterpart, and can exert some control over her situation. I love this for you, Amy!

• The Suffragette Movement: I was really happy to see how the Suffragette Movement was worked into this story. There were women who were strong in their beliefs leading the outcries, there were women who were considering these ideas and questions for the first time, there were discussions about what kind of actions get results versus just getting attention, and decisions to make on how support this movement and face any potential repercussions. I appreciated witnessing how the women of Persuasion thought of this movement and what were there beliefs.

• Sister Relationship: I think we can all agree that Anne Elliot has the most unfortunate luck to be saddled with two such selfish, insensitive, and narcissistic siblings – I don’t think there is a character in the Austen universe that has it worst, in my opinion. But…surprisingly….in this retelling, one of Amy’s horrible sisters exposes some vulnerabilities and begins to develop into a better person. I loved seeing this and witnessing how Amy’s relationship with this particular sister was beginning to evolve.

WHAT COULD’VE BEEN BETTER:

• Mrs. Clay Storyline: This one just seemed a little bit off for me. The character and her relationships with the Eaton family wasn’t being used in the same way, and Eleanor’s friendship with her felt a little implausible.

• Emotional Connection: For some reason I didn’t feel as connected to Amy and Wareham. I missed a feeling the poignant sorrow, the internal pain, the tentative hope. It might be something to do with the writing style – perhaps a little more telling than showing?

FINAL THOUGHTS:

📘 Persuasion retellings in alternate time periods and/or settings are rare – I would love to see some more!

💙 A second chance at love emerges against superficial displays, social divides, and suffrage efforts.

⚜️ A great choice for readers who love Persuasion and love exploring other time periods – specifically the Gilded Age/Edwardian Era.

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