Persuade Me Review

Most of you know I'm an Janeite. Well, I also tend to gobble up any fan-fiction type books as well. Variations on theme, re-tellings, etc., etc. Most Austen fandoms tend to center around Pride and Prejudice, so a Persuasion one is a real rarity! But they also scare me. Persuasion is my absolute favorite Austen novel and I'm extremely protective of it. I relate to Anne Elliot in more ways than one (other than having a gorgeous, rich, Naval Captain who looks like Rupert Penry-Jones totally in love with me...but we can't have everything).

Persuade Me by Juliet Archer is a modern re-telling of Persuasion and it's pretty much spot on with storyline and characters, just brought up-to-date. But there was one addition that should have made me cringe, but didn't...the one thing that happens in every modern romance novel when the girl and the guy finally get together...the sex scene (although it was pretty tame by romance novel standards)! To tell you the truth, I'd absolutely love to see this in film (not for the actual sex mind you, but to see some actual passion between Anne and Frederick (or Rick as he's known in this version).

I've always felt that aside from Henry Tilney and Catherine Morland (my 2nd fave BTW), Anne and Frederick had the most passion between them, even if it was kept "on the down-low". Most people would probably say that Darcy and Elizabeth were the most passionate, but I think their passion would probably be fueled more from their arguments and head-butting than from their actual love (I'm not saying there isn't love there, but I'd bet they fight alot...can't see Anne and Fred doing that). I love Fanny Price, but I always felt sorry for her book-wise...she was just an afterthought to Edmund IMO. If it could have only been like the Jonny Lee Miller version...gosh, what a movie proposal that was! Edward and Elinor were always more like brother and sister to me and Marianne and Colonial Brandon, well, I'm sure she's like and spoiled child and he gives her whatever she wants...little to no passion there either. I don't want to even think about Emma and Knightley...ugh. I'm digressing as per usual.

All in all, it was a good book, but like I said, it was pretty much a complete update of Persuasion, so there wasn't much not to love. The letter that Rick writes to Anne couldn't even come close to comparing to the original, but modern man doesn't have the capacity to write with feelings like that (at least none that I know anyway).

This was the second in the series. I also have the first, The Importance Of Being Emma, but I started with this one first because Emma is my LEAST favorite Austen and I really wasn't looking forward to it, but I think I'll go for it next since this one was pretty well put together. Who knows, maybe Juliet Archer can change my mind about Emma and keep me from seeing her as the spoiled, stuck-up, cheerleader-type, rich girl who gets the great guy that she SO does not deserve (but that's just my humble opinion as always!).