After the man whose proposal she had rejected returns from his long military tour at sea, Anne Elliot is forced to face the decision she had made eight years before, along with the man she has never stopped loving, in Jane Austen's final novel.
Anne Elliot is one of my favorite Austen heroines, and Captain Wentworth is just divine. It's not easy reading, but it's a good novel.
Anne is the spinster sister, the solid one on whom everyone depends. She is intelligent and witty, thoughtful and compassionate. She follows the advice of others and is persuaded to not marry the man she loves. Her life then, does not take the turn she thought it would and she remains unmarried.
Her family is nuts. They are truly horrific in their treatment of not only her, but all others. They are self-centered and egotistical. Anne, alone, remains a truly graceful, refined
woman. She has resigned herself to spinsterhood, but when she is reunited with Captain Wentworth 10 years after they parted, their romance is rekindled.The film with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is an excellent adaptation. Their characterizations are dead on.
Personal copy last read 9/07
* * * *
4/5 Stars