Persuasion
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- €8.99
Publisher Description
A subtly subversive Regency romance, Persuasion, is a classic of English literature. A delightful insight into the foibles and follies of English high society, Jane Austen’s wit continues to sparkle in her last published novel.
Amidst the frivolity of Regency England, a young woman named Anne Elliot finds herself aged 27 with few love prospects. Seven years earlier, she was engaged to the eligible Frederick Wentworth until her friend, Lady Russell, persuaded her to end the affair. Through a twist of fate, their paths cross again after nearly a decade, and the scene is set for humorous situations, tense romantic encounters, and the promise of a rekindling of old flames.
Published in 1817, Persuasion was Jane Austen’s last published work and has been adored by readers for centuries. Adapted multiple times for film, television, and theatre, this timeless novel captures the spirit of Anne Elliot, a charming young woman caught in the throws of a rapidly changing society.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Stevenson has read all of Austen's novels for audiobook, in abridged or unabridged versions, and her experience shows in this delightful production. Though dominated by the intelligent, sweet voice of Anne Elliot the least favored but most worthy of three daughters in a family with an old name but declining fortunes Stevenson provides other characters with memorable voices as well. She reads Anne's haughty father's lines with a mixture of stuffiness and bluster, and Anne's sisters are portrayed with a hilariously flighty, breathy register that makes Austen's contempt for them palpable. Anne's voice is mostly measured and reasonable an expression of her strong mind and spirit but Stevenson imbues her speech with wonderful shades of passion as Anne is reacquainted with Capt. Wentworth, whom she has continued to love despite being forced, years before, to reject him over status issues. Listening to Stevenson, as Anne, describe a sudden encounter with Wentworth, one hardly needs Austen's description of how Anne grows faint Stevenson's perfectly judged and deeply felt reading has already shown that she must have. Even those who have read Austen's novels will find themselves loving this book all over again with Stevenson's evocative rendition ringing richly in their ears.
