Persuasion

In her final novel, as in her earlier ones, Jane Austen uses a complex and culturally-situated love story to explore and gently satirize character, social pretensions, and emotional confusion. Often considered her most mature novel, keen readers and critics can see echoes of her previous works while appreciating the new nuances of a strong and quiet heroine, who is beloved but dynamically different from the personalities we meet in her other novels, like Emma or Lizzy.

Persuasion follows the romance of Anne Elliot and naval officer Frederick Wentworth. They were happily engaged until Anne's friend, Lady Russell, persuaded her that Frederick was unworthy. Now, eight years later, Frederick returns, a wealthy captain in the navy, while Anne's family teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. They still love each other, but their past mistakes threaten to keep them apart.