PersuasionPersuasion
Score Classic
What it's about
Eight years ago, Anne Elliot was persuaded by family and friends to break her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer with no fortune. Now she's twenty-seven, overlooked by her vain father and sisters, and Wentworth has come back a wealthy captain, apparently still angry and looking for a wife. Anne has to watch, and hope.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It's Austen's last finished novel and her most romantic, with one of the most famous love letters in literature.
You'll love it if you liked
Pride and Prejudice
Middlemarch
The Age of InnocenceGood to know
It's short. Anne is quieter and older than Austen's other heroines, which is what many readers love about her.
By the numbers
- Readers71 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller49 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Moving
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Quick answers
Is Persuasion worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read. It ranks #1,020 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Persuasion about?
Eight years ago, Anne Elliot was persuaded by family and friends to break her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer with no fortune. Now she's twenty-seven, overlooked by her vain father and sisters, and Wentworth has come back a wealthy captain, apparently still angry and looking for a wife. Anne has to watch, and hope.
How long does it take to read Persuasion?
About 7 hours (289 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Persuasion?
If you liked it, try Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Middlemarch by George Eliot or The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.