.25 off because the fall was a bit contrived 😭. if austen didn't like die when she did she would've revised this a bit more n some more kinks would've for sure been ironed out. anyways i cannot in good conscience rate this less than a 4.75. she gets a higher rating for dying. God this is the best book i've read in my life. I want to do a fucking backflip. who is doing it like jane austen. it's just. SO incredible.
i just don't know what to say i have thoughts obviously but they have all been expounded upon before in better terms than i ever could. but i do want to scream my head off. maybe i will come back and elaborate. i dunno
even the TITLE makes you think so much. it's not just about being persuaded by societal pressures related to classism or sexism, but about being persuaded by your own self-doubt, judgement, or familial pressure. aside from this, so much of the novel is about the mistrust captain wentworth has, but how anne's love for him PERSUADES him that she still does love him!! ultimately, to me, it's about suffocation and breaking free from that suffocation, but it's still pragmatic in this sense. this is definitely my favorite austen novel; it's such a shame that she passed away when she did because it's so intriguing. i definitely will read this over and over again like i read little women over and over again when i was a kid. also dakota johnson is going to hell for being the reason the sarah snook adaptation got cancelled. no one is going to watch that!!