Ya adik-adik, welcome back to the part about classic books. I mean, I was reading two books and since Bloodline already has its review, I am gonna talk about the other one.

Yes. As they say, if you wanna start 'reading as a hobby' start with Sheldon, and if you wanna start 'reading classic as a hobby' start with Jane Austen. I still can't tell you how much I looked up to her as a writer. I mean, I can always relate myself to any of her heroins. I can relate to Elizabeth's spirit (Pride & Prejudice), Emma's wit and humor (Emma), Fanny's principles (Mansfield Park), Elinor's obligation (Sense & Sensibility) Catherine's imagination (Northanger Abbey) and in this case; Anne's countenance (PERSUASION).

Persuasion tells the story of one Anne Elliot -who- in her 19 and persuaded by her godmother-like Lady Russell, has rejected the proposal of the love of her life; one soldier by the name of Frederick Wentworth. She was young and his situation in life were not stable and her father would not consent anyway as Sir Walter (the father) is known to be the kind who looked up at his status as an Elliot. By any other chance, it would never be possible. But Anne, heartbroken still, had never engaged to any men after Wentworth left.

Now at 27, and facing a financial problem, Anne had to leave her family home in Kellynch and rent it to others. Later she found out the new tennant of Kellynch are the Mr and Mrs Croft whose brother is Wentworth himself; now a rich captain of the navy. While she nurse her ailing sister Mary (who marries Charles Musgroves) at her home while Sir Walter and her other sister to leave for Bath, she heard that the Musgroves are having Captain Wentworth as a guest at their place in Uppercross. Ironically he is now the rich eligible bachelor who can have anybody he prefer as a wife. Scared and anxious of the meeting she would had to endure with the man she always loved but once rejected, she was happy and sad at the same time that Captain Wentworth seemed indifferent to her and seem to attach himself to the young beautiful Louisa Musgrove who he continuously praised as 'whose mind is not easily persuaded by others'. Later in Bath,she met her cousin Mr William Elliot who seem to like Anne enough to want to marry her much to the silent dismay of Wentworth. The already strained relationship between Anne and Wentworth seemed to go from bad to worse and as they say, 'what is worse than two people who fight all the time, is two hearts that kept silent'... but then a revelation about both Louisa Musgrove and Mr Elliot changed everything and Anne and Wentworth realized that they still love each other and accepted that the past was just about two young people in love and were victims of situation.  

I love Persuasion for the fact that it represent a story so simple but so complex; of what happens when you grudgingly accepted something without fighting for it. Anne Elliot was portrayed as a lady who is caring, soft spoken and introverted. Unlike her father and two younger sister, she never cared about her status as an Elliot. I believe Austen made her like that to signify the importance of Wentworth to her and what years without Wentworth has done to her in spirit and liveliness. Her countenance only started to bloom again after her stay in Lyme and later at Bath where Wentworth began to show attention to her again. Wentworth in the other hand was characterised as an unpredictable man, as he is only being introduced to readers from the eyes of Anne. If Anne should say he did not talk much, the readers will assume him a quiet person and when Anne observed him to be particularly chatty and friendly to others, the readers can guess that Wentworth was actually still angry with Anne about the past and so his indifference was to be subjected only to Anne while with the others he is just the charming gentleman of a large fortune.

A tv-drama adaptation was done earlier this year by ITV and it starred Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) as Captain Wentworth. And sebab I baik, I gave you a look at it. Hohoho (poyo)