Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale

by Rebecca H. Jamison

When Anne broke off her engagement eight years ago, she thought she'd never see Neil Wentworth again. But when Neil's brother buys the house she grew up in, it seems fate has other plans in store, and Anne is woefully unprepared for the roller coaster of emotions that accompanies Neil's return. Fans of Persuasion will love this fast-paced, modern retelling of Jane Austen's most romantic novel.

Genres: Romance, Lds Fiction, Lds, Fiction, Chick Lit, Christian Fiction, Religion

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2012

Reviews

[Christina (Ensconced in Lit) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this copy in a giveaway.

Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale by Rebecca H. Jamison is a retelling of Jane Austen's book by the same name in a Mormon setting. It stars Anne, who was engaged to the love of her life when she was 19, and since then has regretted letting him go because no one else measures up. When he re-enters his life, it seems he's moved on, even though she can't. Will they find their way back to each other?

So the writing is good and her description is pretty nice. I was enjoying myself for the first 20 pages or so. I haven't really read any LDS romances before this, but it seemed to a good start. And then, it just fell apart for me.

I don't consider myself a feminist. And I've known a lot of really great, wonderful, intelligent Mormon women-- both single and married. But I feel like this retelling really does that group a disservice. Anne is the most wishy washy, washed out, and pathetic heroine I have seen in a long time. It's obvious that she has intellect and looks after her family, but all she can think about is this guy she dated (and left) 8 years ago? I know this is a retelling of the Austen classic, but seriously, does she have to have no personality and no backbone whatsoever? It sounds like she falls into the stereotype of a weak woman-- who only wants to land a man and have children and basically, has nothing else in her life to buoy her up. Does she have any friends other than her roommate? And it sounds like she has an interesting calling, but we never see her do that or interact with people there. We barely see her at her job, although, apparently, she enjoys it.

Instead, we see a bunch of lackluster interactions with Neil, the love of her life, who is kind of a jerk (and the only way he can look better is to compare him with a stalker). But at least he's truthful. Neil at some point in the book tells her to her face that she's a doormat. He couldn't be more right.

I gave it a shot, hoping that she would have this major transformation in the middle where she realizes that she's a wonderful person and if she can't have him, at least she can have a life that she's proud of, and then by doing that, Neil realizes what a fool she's been. Apparently, we're supposed to get that out of the jellyfish scene, but it was a brief scene and I definitely didn't see what he did.

I was also really confused by how Neil at the beginning says that she's totally changed. I know this is how it plays out in the original, but here, it is muddled and confusing and should have been better clarified at the end (I'm just guessing here, but maybe he was just super angry at the break up and thus, just wanted to say some jerkish thing to her?) But as it stands, it felt like we were supposed to remember Anne as this really strong person "back in the day," but she's changed into the doormat she is now. The really unhelpful diary entries reveal that she was pretty much the same back then. In fact, those entries could show us why she thinks Neil is so great, but honestly, he sounds like a tool then too.

I was horrified at the paragraphs and paragraphs where he has to "rescue" her from everything and this seems to be the norm and understood. Why can't she rescue herself once in a while?

And last of all, I was even more dismayed to find out when she totally puts a fellow woman down asking why someone as gorgeous as a model would try to be in a profession dominated by men. WHAT? I thought this was a latter day tale? What other professions does she include? Doctors? Lawyers? Weren't all fields dominated by men until recently? And isn't she a stockbroker? Is that really dominated by women?

I was supremely disappointed by this book, but maybe, this is how all of the Mormon romance books play out-- as if the last century never existed (although I'd like to offer that I bet there were women with backbone in the 1800's even if they couldn't get a job like a man). I'd like to see one about a Mormon woman who looks in the face of adversity and shows strength, not weakness, and isn't a doormat, but someone that people can look up to and be proud of. Anne is definitely not one of those people.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars is perfect for this book, because I "liked" it. I love Jane Austen's Persuasion, and this novel did a good job taking the tale and putting it in modern times. I did not however enjoy the LDS inserts. I am a devoted church member, but the moments where the main character cries as she's receiving a blessing, felt impressed upon discovering her love interest carries his scriptures in his car, or her personal testimony about why she joined the church, all felt off and inappropriate for me. Too personal and intimate for a romance novel, in my opinion. Spiritual moments are sacred, and while there is a time and place to describe them, a romantic novel is perhaps not one. It came out as awkward and uncomfortable, not to mention terribly cheesy. You don't see Jane Austen's leading ladies swooning because their men are so moral. That's an assumed attractive quality. I would have preferred this story with the same LDS characters, living their LDS standards, and falling in love because they love each other. Save the testimony building parts for a sacrament meeting.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale is, as it states in the title, an inspirational fiction modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I won a copy of the book when it first released a few years back and didn't get around to reading it. But, with the help of a Dusty Shelves reading challenge, I finally picked it up and gave it a go.

Persuasion is a favorite novel for me so I'm always glad to delve back into the story and see how an author brings it forward into modern times. In this version, Anne is a stockbroker and Captain Wentworth is in law enforcement. They reunite eight years later as awkwardly as can be when his brother and wife buy Anne's childhood home. They have repeated encounters when he starts dating her sister's sister in law.

I thought this was a moderately good story overall. Anne was something of a mouse at first and I really struggled to believe she was nearly thirty the way she was acting around Neil and that she was a stockbroker (she didn't seem put together enough for that type of work), but fortunately, she wises up and slowly gets a clue.

Normally, I don't enjoy when people avoid honesty, particularly to themselves, and she does her fair share of some teen drama stuff. He starts dating in front of her eyes and she won't admit she's not over him so she grabs a guy and starts dating. Then she gets all knotted up about why Neil acts oblivious to her feelings for him. Uh... so a guy she rejected once and acts cagey around and then shoves another man in his face is supposed to figure out you still like him? I was nearly ready to snap the book shut on a DNF when she had her epiphany and things moved forward from there.

There are some heartwarming and engaging moments throughout the book. It was as much about family issues as it was a second chance romance. Anne is the true middle child of divorcees. Glamorous older sister and high maintenance younger one. Parents who have their own issues and expectations. She's the center of it all and tries to be all things for everybody. I was so glad when Neil called her out on this. He tries to get her to see that she shouldn't have to earn her place with family.

I was really rooting for Anne and Neil and was glad that they got some good solid scenes in once they worked past the issues from before and got things ironed out. The author did a great job of showing the newer romance developing and didn't just in the book at the point they got back together. There was some good tension from the stalker issue that kept things exciting.

Faith is a primary element. Anne isn't a nominal Christian nor are most of the characters and church life and beliefs are a huge part of this story. I'm not LDS, but I didn't mind the strong teachings and values for this story.

So, it was a sweet story and was as much a woman coming into her own as much as finding her way back to the love of her life. It's gently-paced and thoughtful. I think those who enjoy Inspirational Romance are the target group for this one.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on this book. On the one hand; it's based off a Jane Austen classic; how can you go wrong? Plus it's LDS fiction, which is a bonus. But try as I might, after spending the whole afternoon reading and really trying to get sucked into this book, I feel a little unsatisfied. I found the characters in this particular version somewhat inconsistent at times. I like Anne, but she was pretty self-deprecating with a serious self-esteem issue. I found myself annoyed that she thought she was somehow responsible for others problems. Really? She caused her dad's heart attack because she didn't teach him to cook. Or put too much pressure on him by trying to help him ease his financial burdens? I found instances such as this not only hard to relate to, but hard to believe. And honestly, what was the point of the whole Will subplot? Neil was sweet and silent, and I enjoyed the interaction between he and Anne. But it took more than 3/4ths of the way through before I was finally "squeeing" about any part of this story, and that was terribly short lived. Sigh. The LDS aspects of this book were borderline preachy - whereas I prefer stories with a more subtle LDS tone. All in all, not my favorite Austen-rewrite.

[Emily Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've often wondered why Persuasion gets far fewer modern retellings than some of Austen's other works—we've got Clueless, From Prada to Nada, and several thousand P&P updates—and I decided some time ago that it's a story that's hard to make compelling for modern audiences. The whole book is about suffering in silence: Anne suffers in silence as she regrets losing Wentworth and watches him court another girl, and Wentworth suffers in silence once he realizes that his determination to ignore Anne and flirt with other girls has forced him into an unwanted understanding with Louisa. And that can be tough to translate into modern terms, especially Wentworth's side of things. In a modern context, it's hard to understand why Anne wouldn't fight for Wentworth more, and without the strict social rules of Austen's world it's extremely hard to understand why Wentworth is trapped in his relationship with Louisa. So the challenge of modernizing this book is making their reasons for staying apart believable and compelling.

And I think this book did a bang-up job, tweaking events just enough that a modern reader who'd never touched Austen before would say "Well yes, obviously he can't break things off with Louisa (or Lily, in this version) now." The book moves the events of the original novel to present-day Virginia and sees stock broker Anne deeply disconcerted when her former home is purchased by Jack Wentworth, whose younger brother Neil dated and proposed to Anne eight years earlier. She, feeling too young and deeply shaken by her parents' divorce, turned him down and immediately regretted it; but now it's too late, as Neil starts dating one of Anne's friends and seems completely uninterested in pursuing his old relationship.

The story is well written—nothing outstanding, but it never gets in the way of the story. The characters are mostly believable; some of the side characters aren't too fleshed out, but then they're side characters, and sometimes you feel like maybe Neil is too perfect, but hey, he's the hero. And I loved Anne. I love her in the original novel and everything about her that I really liked and identified with are transplanted perfectly into the modern version: she's smart and level-headed and kind and self-sacrificing—which can lead to her getting taken advantage of by others—but she is sometimes too easily persuaded and she suffers under the weight of her regret. I identified especially with Anne navigating the pitfalls of being a bit older and single in a social circle where everyone's married; I always felt that about original Anne, but with modern Anne, practically everything that happened to her, from dodging "Who are you dating?" questions to feeling like the oldest person at the dance, made me say to myself "Yes, that's exactly how it is."

Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel, so for me, one of this book's greatest strengths is that the author clearly is very familiar with and has the highest respect for the original. Jamison follows the story and the feel of the book very faithfully while still adding her own flavor and commentary, making it more than a tired rehashing of what Austen wrote (and wrote better). Characters and events are carefully updated while still retaining their major characteristics: vain, self-absorbed Elizabeth, stuck at home with her father until she marries, becomes vain, self-absorbed Liz, who still lives at home because working is no fun and would cut into her gym time. Certain important lines of dialogue—like Harville's do men or women love longer speech—are taken directly from the novel but changed to modern speech. And the story itself was so faithful to the original that little hints of people's true feelings and motivations, things that usually only become clear on a second reading, are louder than shouts for the Austenites. It's like a fun little treasure hunt for fans of the original novel.

The book is definitely LDS—they go to singles wards, they talk about their missions, Anne's in the stake choir—which I think helps it as a novel. I've long felt that LDS culture is rather close to the one Austen lived in, with its focus on appropriate behavior and on marrying and marrying young; and the unspoken feeling from Anne's social circle that she's a bit of an old maid makes perfect sense in Austen world and it makes perfect sense in a singles ward world, but it would make less sense in a modern setting where people don't marry as young. I don't know if the focus on religion—it's not everywhere but you definitely see Anne praying and her inner monologue definitely involves her occasionally pondering on the divine—would make it unlikeable for someone who isn't LDS; I would imagine not, but I guess it depends on the reader and how much of that kind of thing they'll put up with. I'd hope they'd put up with it, though, because this is definitely a good version of Persuasion.

[Sadie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I need to say up front that I normally avoid LDS fiction. I got this book based on the good reviews and that it is a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I did like how she followed so closely the Austen novel and putting the LDS spin on it..but that is where my enjoyment of the book ends. This author is a perfect example of why I avoid LDS fiction. The characters don't seem real, their reactions don't seem real. I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times, thinking to myself, "Who talks like that?" or "Who thinks like that?". I was annoyed by the characters extreme lack of self esteem and confidence. I was annoyed that at every turn some gospel principle was being explained to the reader and it felt forced and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the writing. This story could have worked for me, as I do believe the LDS beliefs fit in nicely with a retelling of any Austen novel. This fell miserably short for me and reconfirmed my dislike for LDS fiction.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this modern retelling of Persuasion. It was a fun read with some great characters and twists.

Anne was engaged--for one day--when she was 19 before breaking it off. Never quite getting over Neil, she meets up with again 8 years later--but he's dating her much younger brother-in-law's sister. She looks for a distraction, and finds one is William, a very suave, good-looking guy.

I really enjoyed this story and stayed up way too late reading it.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this because I love the original book so much, and it's interesting to see Jane Austen characters rewritten into an LDS setting. I enjoyed the first half of this story, especially when I started getting used to a Jane Austen character being a stock broker with a cell phone and other such modern-day trappings (that proved to be kind of jolting at first, as did the present tense writing, which I tend to find a little unsettling too). I felt like I could relate to Anne well, being a returned sister missionary, living with roommates and all of that. The scenes where she interacts with Neil (or Neal, as it was spelled on at least one occasion)were interesting and sweet and had me really cheering for them. He sounds so perfect. In this first half I could still believe I was reading about the same mature and patient Anne that I have so much admiration for in the original story.

It was the second half that started to lose me. Sorry, these next few paragraphs may have some slight spoilers, but if you've already read the original Persuasion, maybe that won't be a big deal for you. Enter new boyfriend Will, who messes everything up. I find it hard to believe that a level-headed person like Anne would even consider a relationship with someone like that, especially for the sorry reason that she needs a "distraction" from the man she really loves. That sounds shallow and selfish. It doesn't seem like the Jane Austen-heroine way of doing things. Her heroines, the way I understand them, are, of course, occasionally deceived to some degree by the men in their lives. They make mistakes too, but they are at least honest about their feelings for somebody, not leading them on if they don't really feel it. Especially not Anne Elliot. She would see through someone like Will and know better or at least be more cautious before jumping into a relationship with him. I grant that this story doesn't have to follow the original exactly, but can you blame me if I still want it to?

I confess, that turn in the story caused me to lose considerable respect for Anne as a character. Then I started to notice how often the woman frets about how she looks. She seems to be constantly touching up her makeup or lamenting that she doesn't have any, worrying that her hair is messed up, and fretting that Neil will see her in her comfy clothes instead of her nice ones. I can understand that, given her family's vanity and shallowness, that would be a hard tendency to avoid, but that is another thing that didn't ring true to me with the Anne Elliot character I know and love from the original book. I can't see her being so ridiculously vain.

What really bothered me, however, was the part after Anne breaks up and has problems with Will. At first I loved Neil for coming to the rescue, but their whole day together there drags on forever (50 pages or so--about a fourth of the book) with him and Anne playing the "I like you and I think you like me. Oh no, actually I think you're just being nice even though you are being VERY OBVIOUS that it is more than that" game. It goes back and forth constantly for those whole 50-ish pages and gets old and frustrating very quickly. At that point, it became easy to put the book down for a while, and I wasn't experiencing a feeling of joyful triumph when they officially got back together. It was more like relief that the drama I'd been dragged through was finally settled. Mostly this was an interesting read, and, as I said, there are some very good scenes with Anne and Neil that are very enjoyable to read. Editing down the last half of the book and strengthening Anne's character would make it even better.

[Meleofa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first was asked by my sister to check this book out. I love Jane Austen's version of Persuasion, but I didn't know how it would work out. It worked out so well! I loved this book so much. It follows the original Persuasion pretty closely, except it's set in modern day northern Virginia, and it's also set in an LDS (hence the Latter-day tale part of the title) setting.

The young woman, Anne Eliot, broke off her engagement with Neil Wentworth, about 8 years ago. She was young and scared, and her parents disapproved, so she allowed herself to be persuaded to break off their engagement. She went off to school, and he went his own way, and they didn't see each other again for a long time.

The book starts with Anne trying to figure out what prices would be appropriate for the yard sale she is putting together for her father, who is in dire financial straits, and has to sell his home. At the yard sale, the people interested in purchasing the house, come to look at it. It turns out to be her ex and his brother. She feels really self conscious because she's in sweats and no make up, and no one likes to be caught off guard anyway. She also tries to convince herself she no longer has any feelings for him.

So the book takes us through Anne's life, and with journal entries of when she was younger, as she tries to figure out her feelings about Neil, about her family, and the different difficulties she faces.

Like I said, I loved it, and thought it was a nice story about a young woman, her faith, and what she wants out of life.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Persuasion: a latter-day tale by Rebecca H. Jamison is a cute and sweet rendition with a twist of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. This story is of a young women, Anne, who broke off her engagement with Neil Wentworth, the man of her dreams. Anne fully expects never to see Neil ever again, but eight years later, he unexpectedly reappears in her life. Soon after Neil comes back into Anne’s life, she starts dating another nice young man, Will. But as nice as Will is, Anne cannot get Neil out of her head. So Anne must make a choice, be with Will, or let him go for a change with Neil. A delightful modern-day retelling, this story is one that readers will thoroughly enjoy. Filled with delightful Austenish characters and of course romance, I would recommend this novel to readers that enjoy Jane Austen novels with a twist.

Series: A Latter-day Tale
Genre: romance, Women’s Fiction, Christian, LDS
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: February 14, 2012
Number of pages: 227

Content Rating: G
Book Rating: 4 stars

Other books in the series:
2-Emma: a latter-day tale
3-Sense and Sensibility: a latter-day tale

A review copy of this book was provided by Cedar Fort.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

7/29/19 -

Reread - great again, I bought all of her Latter Day tales and started with this one again.

4/20/12 - Loved it! One of my favorite Jane Austen Books/Movies is Persuasion. This was a cute, fun, clever LDS rendition of it. I couldn't put it down. I loved the modern twists to the story and enjoyed seeing how it all played out. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Moral Note: Does mention sex, and how waiting for marriage is the better choice

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off good, a modern lds twist to Jane Austen's Persuasion, but lost my interest as it went on. Too preachy at times, and too long winded at times--instead of building the suspense, the plot would repeatedly stall out just as it got interesting. Super clean though!

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a typical, cute LDS culture story. And a fair modern translation of the story Persuasion.

[Gayle Surrette]

This tale is aptly named as it is all about second chances. If you’ve read and loved Jane Austen’s Persuasion, you’ll know the basic story. Anne Elliot was too young when she fell in love with Neil Wentworth. He was ready to commit but she was unsure of her heart. She allowed her family to persuade her to break off with Wentworth. They went their separate ways but now at the start of the book, the two meet again. She’s just as in love with him as she was before but she has no idea what his feelings for her are now — afterall, she broke his heart.

The story opens when Anne is setting up the yard sale to sell the things her father and sister have agreed that they can live without. Her father needs to sell her childhood home and move into a smaller house along with Anne’s older sister, Liz. Mr. Elliot is overextended and has maxed out all his credit cards.

On the day of the yard sale, she learns that there is a buyer for the house — Jack Wentworth, Neil’s brother. Jack’s coming over to look the house over and he’s bringing a friend. Anne is worried and her worst nightmare comes true — the friend is Neil. Later she learns that Jack has decided to buy the house and Neil is now a police detective, which is what he planned to become when they were dating. Neil seems aloof and uninterested in Anne and she can barely blame him after the way she treated him. She’s praying that he still cares for her but is afraid to hope too much.

Jamison has done a wonderful job of updating the original story to fit in today’s society with its different mores and values. Since all the main characters in Persuasian: A Latter-Day Tale are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), many of the values that were looked for by Jane Austen’s characters are also the ones that these characters look for: integrity, honesty, truthfulness, and a strong commitment to their religion. In this case different religion but with many of the same core values as those held by Austen and thus her characters.

What that means to the reader is that there are no lustful sex scenes. Jamison has to tell her story with only the actions and feelings of the characters that Austen would put on the page. She also has to set the characters into this world and this century. Neil Wentworth is a police officer. Anne Elliot works at a brokerage firm helping people weather the economic crisis. Mr. Elliot is always looking for a way to get rich quick and appear to be more than he really is. Liz Elliot is much better in attitude and attributes than her Austen equivalent but that may be because she needs to work in this century.

There is some talk of Mormonism and church functions but, based on the publisher, members of the church are the expected audience. However, while in a few places I thought it went a little over the top — hitting us on the head with details (and I am a Mormon) — it doesn’t detract from the story too much. Jamison also does show that no matter what your religion, there are bad apples in every group — otherwise how could you have tension and demonstrate the naivety of believing that just because a person shares your religion that you should trust them with no other criteria considered.

Jamison has, in my opinion, managed to stay closer to the core story of the original Austen Persuasion than many other authors and tells a good story with people you come immediately to care about. Anne is resilient, strong, and has grown up enough to recognize her own wishes and desires and is now willing to admit to herself what she wants out of life. Since the story is set in modern times there are some surprising twists and turns on the way to reaching what we know will be the best of all possible endings for these characters.

So, if you loved Austen's Persuasion and have been put off by the blatant sex in some of the more recent retellings, Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale may be just what you’ve been looking for. Give it a try.

NOTE: Review originally posted on my blog: http://www.amperzen.com/blog

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was browsing on Netgalley, I saw Jane Austen retelling and my mind went immediately to "must read." Thus I interpreted "latter-day" to mean modern instead of referring to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was a little concerned going in to it because I'm not a Mormon; I'm Christian. I didn't want to be preached to; I just wanted to enjoy a story inspired by Austen, which is what I got.

I just have such a fondness for Austen that it can overcome most anything. Happily this book had its own strengths and didn't need much help. Our heroine is Anne who was engaged for about a day to a fine young man before being persuaded by her parents to break it off. Now he is a police captain and she is single, relied upon by her family and quietly helping even as they take total advantage of her.

There are a few big differences from Persuasion. Firstly Anne's mother is alive with an influential presence in her life whereas in the original, the mother is dead with Lady Russell serving as adviser. The other BIG difference I noted was the presentation of the William Elliott character. A wolf in snake's clothing in both books, this version has him becoming obsessed with and stalking Anne, adding a very frightening dimension to the tale. This also allows Frederick to be shown off to his best advantage as he plays the hero role perfectly, bringing in his police experience and supporting Anne through the ordeal.

Then there is the religious element. I think Austen's characters were probably Anglican, as I believe she is the daughter of a clergyman but religion is not a strong element in any of her books. Here though religion does play an important role. Anne is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (I like typing out the full name because it makes me think of "Two by Two" from The Book of Mormon). In this version, Anne prays, she quotes Mormon scriptures, she attends functions, she wants a sealed marriage. Although it was a little jarring and I got the feeling the book assumed I was Mormon or was interested in converting, I didn't feel very preached to.

Overall: Quite enjoyable for those of us who eat up Austen retellings; perhaps not as humorous as the best of Austen is but a quick read for me.

Cover: The cover model has a bit of Keira Knightley to her in my opinion; I am in the pro-KK camp so that is a compliment from me although maybe I am just quick to cast KK in anything at all related to British period drama.

[Inga · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review:

It is the first book of Rebecca H. Jamison to read. I received the book from the author and publisher for the blog tour and I was glad that I read Persuasion. It was easy to read, the language was smooth and the sweet romance was slightly, but smoothly combined with some suspense.

Regarding the plot:

Anne meets with her ex-boyfriend after the break-up 8 years ago. She was engaged to Neil, but due to some doubts and complications from her family’s side, she ended the engagement and hasn’t seen or spoken to Neil after that. They meet when Anne is returning to her father’s house to help her father to sell and move out the house.

The story itself is a sweet romance and it is little complicated because Neil has already some other interests of affection in the horizon and Anne is pursued by Will who is trying to warm up Anne’s interest. Anne realizes she still loves Neil, but will it be enough? Things get more complicated when Will shows his real face and makes Anne’s life more difficult.

I have read Jane Austen’s original book and there were really some similarities, but Persuasion stand as a dependent book itself. The aspects I liked were the dialogues, some of the characters and the writing style. What I had difficulties with where the Will’s sudden change of character which did not seem very believable and also the terms and ways of Mormons. Since I do not know much about Mormons and their beliefs it was in one way interesting world to come in to, but the same time there were things which I simply did not understand.

Regarding the characters:

Anne was a sweet woman, placing everybody else higher than herself. It was likable, but at the same time frustrating, because it seemed that she does not have will and life of her own. Neil was a character whom I liked the best in the Persuasion. He was charming, with the sense of humor, trustworthy, reliable.

As for the supporting characters, it was mixture of complicated family, interesting single women wanting Neil, other Mormons.

Generally:

If you want to read a book with sweet romance or you want to know more about the life of Mormons, then this book is definitely for you. Otherwise it was well-written, the story developed smoothly, there were some unexpected twist in the story. It’s a good read and would be a good Valentine Day present!

3 stars.

[Ruth Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I began readimg this book, I have to admit I was les than thrilled. I have always been a Jane Austen fan, but this book seemed to be rather abyssmal. I had agreed to review it though, so I was compelled to finish it.

Interestngly enough, the more I read, the more I liked it. Anne and Neil became likable characters, and I just had to know how it ended. It certainly did not hurt that I could relate to Anne`s situation and feelings.

There are probably those who would not read this bok due to its LDS themes. Though I am not a Mormon myself, I did not findthis any kind of significant problem. In fact, I appreciated the emphasis on faith, family, and morals. I was relieved to find no profanity, sex, or graphic violence. It was nice to see people praying and practicing abstinence. In fact,this book was more Christian than the last Christian novel I read.

My favorite character was definitely Marcy. She was the level-headed, down-to-earth one in the story. I would hae loved for her to have figured more prominently into the storyline.

My criticisms of the book are barely worth mentioning. I was not sure about the journal entries that began every chapter. However, this literary devce did serve its purpose of giving me insight into Anne`s past and psyche. I also struggled to see Anne as a woman who was almost 30 and worked as a stockbroker. I cannot say that I saw her as the brainy woman she was supposed to be. She appeared to be a teenager still. I also wish that the conlusion had not been so rushed. But that is a common complant for me in romance novels.

I probably cannot truly appreciate the book since I have never read the original. I can see many similarities between this book and other Austen novels, but I have decidedthat at some point, I must read the original.

I was provided with a copy of ths book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Jamison's way of writing. One can never go wrong with Jane Austen's loved stories. When Anne was 19 years old she fell in love with a RM named Neil Wentworth. He seemed to be the perfect husband material except that he wanted to be a police officer. Anne who was a convert found the gospel and it gave her some comfort in the trial of her parents divorce. She still blames herself for the breakup. Her parent don't want her to get married and she breaks off her engagement, and goes back to school thinking she will never see, Neil again.
Eight years later, Anne is the one that seems to hold everything together. She is helping her father sell his belongings, his home to get out of debt, she is helping her pregnant sister tend her two children while the doctor puts her on bedrest, she helped her mother through breast cancer, and while at doing a garage sale for her dad the prospective buyers on the house come and it is no other than Jack Wentworth, Neil's brother and Neil himself.
They meet up many times as a job related accident has Neil at his brother's house to recouperate which happens to be next door to Mary's house, Anne's pregnant sister whose kids she is tending. Jeolousy comes into play as anne gets to watch Mary's cute sister-in-laws, Lily and Hannah, try to get Neil's attention. Then it is switched and Neil gets jeolous when Will comes in and takes Anne's attention. The whole problem is the assuming you know what someone else is feeling or wanting and just telling others what you are feeling so you will have no regrets.
The story gets exciting when will becomes the stocker, and Neil plays the "hero" that rescues Anne.
A fun, cute romance!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane Austen's Persuasion is my favorite of hers. This book began very true to the original but towards the end derailed. If the beginning had taken more liberties then this wouldn't have been such a problem for me. I felt like the author needed to add more excitement or just add something to make it long enough whereas Jane Austen's Anne spends a lot of time in deep reflection which did not happen as much here. Anne did start grating on me towards the end-- she seems to remind the reader of her own depth and intelligence yet is completely brainless at points. I also had just read the original for the upteenth time and was just struck this time on how Anne seemed to sense that Captain Wentworth still had feelings for her. In this version Neil is OBVIOUS (or just a player which we assume he didn't change that much in a few short years). By the end I was constantly rolling my eyes and just trying to get it over with so that I could move on to a different book. I did not like Wentworth. Oh, and I know that they played the Enrique Inglesias song, Hero, constantly on the raidio when it first came out but I really had myself fooled that it was somehow stuck in the machines and had to be played so much-- people did not really like that song, did they? And it was so overly played that I doubt many people like it today. Right? So the improv dancing to Hero is where I finally decided that I was through with this book (though I will admit I did finish).

[Krazybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne realizes she still loves her ex-boyfriend, Neil, when he unexpectedly comes back into her life. However, it seems that Neil is already in a relationship. Anne tries to distract herself by dating someone else, but it doesn't quite go as anticipated.

Persuasion is an inspirational, uplifting, sweet story of coming to terms with past mistakes and learning to start over and love again. This is a LDS fiction book. The main moral is the same even for people of other religions, and that is to put your faith in the Lord and hold firm in your beliefs. Rebecca H. Jamison has done a wonderful job portraying someone who is doing that. It isn't always easy, and it isn't always what everyone else wants you to do. In this novel, we watch as Anne navigates her way through family pressures and a challenging situation with an ex-boyfriend while looking toward the Lord to find her path. Just when you think it is going a little slow, something happens to grab your attention again. My only complaint about this book is there are some inconsistencies; however, this was an ARC so these issues may be resolved before final publication. Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes inspirational fiction.

Copy was provided by the publisher for review.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually steer clear of LDS fiction. However I decided to pick this one up since it's based on Persuasion by Jane Austen and I really really liked that book.
So, this book was not extremely well written. The first person dialogue the author used felt awkward at first. You get kind of used to it but it still feels awkward. Usually with LDS fiction I am rolling my eyes at the religious parts, but in this book the parts that made me roll my eyes were when the author tried to follow the story line of Persuasion way too closely and even stole lines straight from the book. That felt awkward and was annoying sometimes.
However, despite all that I really did enjoy this book. I especially enjoyed when the author took her own creative liberties with the plot line instead of trying to follow too closely to the original. I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and actually liked the LDS portrayal of it because I felt like I could really relate to the reasons they were attracted to each other. It felt sincere and was a believable love story. The whole book was uplifting and just an all around feel good book.
This is the first book I've bought for myself on my kindle and I don't regret it. It is one I will most likely read again some day and if it wasn't for some minor annoyances and loose ends I could have given it five stars.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a modern re-telling of Jane Austen's Persuasion told with an LDS spin. The author successfully brought the book into the present day while staying true to the plot of the original.

A couple of things prevented me from giving the book a higher rating. First of all, the main characters, Anne and Neil, were almost too good. I'm talking goody-two shoes make me a little nauseous kind of good. I'm all for helping others and being a good person, but these people were so churchy, meek and perfect that at times they didn't seem real.

Secondly, the author's use of 1st person drove me crazy. I'm usually not a fan of the 1st person narrative anyway but in this book the 1st person narrative is taking place in the present and isn't recalling the past. It often felt like Anne was walking through her day narrating everything she was doing. A couple of examples: "I put the box of books up on the table and sort through them." and "I take a bite of ice cream." I had a hard time getting used to it.

Overall it was a cute and fun book and if you're a fan of Austen remakes looking for a light fluffy read, I'd suggest giving it a try.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book caught my attention while I was actually looking for a different book at the library, and I was intrigued. There were a couple of other Austen retellings by the same author, so I decided I'd pick up one of them (Persuasion is my favorite) to see if it would be fun to read all of them.

As a whole, I enjoyed the book, and it was interesting to see how the author modernized the story and added in LDS elements. However, I didn't think it was a super great retelling of Persuasion. I thought the author really weakened Anne's character and made her less mature than she'd be at the age and stage of life she's in. And honestly, I didn't think her family was nearly as bad as they are in the original story either, and that takes away from Anne's character as well, because it requires less patience and forbearance from her.

If you can handle an Austen adaptation that doesn't stay super true to the story, you'd probably enjoy this book. But, if the inconsistencies I've mentioned above sound like they'd drive you crazy, you wouldn't be missing a ton by skipping it for something else.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will totally admit to being a Jane Austen fan. Persuasion is one of my favorite books and movies. I'm a girl who doesn't mind a retelling. I don't pick things apart and I don't really compare. I just read it for what it is and try to enjoy. :)

This is an LDS based novel but there was nothing preachy in it. Basically this amounted to a romance free of bad language and sexual content.

Persuasion was a great read. It had all the elements in it that I look for in a romance. I loved the setting back east in the Washington DC area and anytime that there is a beach setting in a book, my heart does a little sigh. I love the beach.

I breezed right through this book. It was light, easy and happy. The characters were engaging and fun. Quirky family members, a bit of suspense and some definite misunderstandings kept me interested the whole way through.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a LDS version of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion. I’m a sucker for books about lost-love. I don’t know why, but I guess it’s fun to read about people getting a second chance at something that they thought was lost. In this book we follow the story of Anne and Neil, who were separated eight years earlier by Anne’s fear of marriage. In a lot of ways the story follows Austen’s novel but somewhere along the way Anne and Neil’s story really becomes their own. There is a nice twist to the story that adds a little excitement. Overall, I thought it was a fun read.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, you know how some books just hit you...right time right place type scenario? I LOVED this book. I love Jane Austen's Persuasion and I loved the LDS twist and latter day telling of it. I NEVER felt that it was a copy cat at all...just enough similarities to be fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm happy to add it to my home library. I can totally see them making a LDS movie (like Singles Ward or Pride and Prejudice a latter day tale) out of this one and I would LOVE it I'm sure. It was just what I needed this week.:)

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. The author kept things really close to the original and at times that didn't translate well. I liked the characters. I think the ending was a bit of a surprise as to how the author handled things. The book had several consistency problem.
Overall, a cute, light hearted read.

[Sandie Mixa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haven't given a book a 5 star in awhile. For LDS readers, this take on the classic Persuasion was just right for me. Just enough suspense, humor, romance to keep me turning pages long after I should've gone to sleep :)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I loved this book! 5 stars!!
But please check spellings!! Neal/Neil's name changed every other sentence it became hilarious!!

Looks like a later print edition fixed the spelling errors! Still love this cheesy LDS version of Persuasion!

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!! Well written sweet romance.