Persuasion is my second favorite Austen novel. I love the strength and constant love of the hero and heroine and the comedy of the secondary characters.
Favorite secondary characters: Sir Walter, The Crofts, and Musgroves, Captain Benwick, Mr. Elliot and Elizabeth (of course).
Favorite quotes:
"When any two people take it into their heads to marry, they are pretty sure by perseverance to carry their point, be they ever so poor, or ever so imprudent, or ever so little likely to be necessary to eachother’s ultimate comfort."
"If there is anything disagreeable going on men are always sure to get out of it." - Mary Musgrove, Persuasion
"I have let my house to Admiral Croft," would sound extremely well; very much better than to any mere Mr--; a Mr (save, perhaps, some half dozen in the nation,) always needs a note of explanation. An admiral speaks his own consequence, and, at the same time, can never make a baronet look small. In all their dealings and intercourse, Sir Walter Elliot must ever have the precedence."
"Her father and sister were glad to see her, for the sake of showing her the house and the furniture, and met her with kindness. Her making a fourth, when they sat down to dinner, was noticed as an advantage." - Jane Austen, Chapter 15 of Persuasion
"Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot's character; vanity of person and of situation. He had been remarkably handsome in his youth; and, at fifty-four, was still a very fine man. Few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did,"
Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel. :-) I love both the '95 movie adaptation and ITV's more recent version, but I think the 1995 one with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root just edges out the new one.
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