Persuasion
Austen wrote her most mature novel — a quiet, devastating story about second chances and the cost of being talked out of your own happiness.
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”
Why It Matters
Austen wrote her most mature novel — a quiet, devastating story about second chances and the cost of being talked out of your own happiness. Anne Elliot is her most complex heroine, and the book's restraint makes its emotional payoff hit harder than anything in the flashier novels. Many readers who come to Austen through Pride and Prejudice end up calling this one her best.
The 
Take
Personal reviewI know Austen heads put this one 1, but still behind PP and Emma for me, Anne lacked dimension for me, and I liked it better when her heroines were more flawed
Notable Quotes
“All the privilege I claim for my own sex is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone.”
“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach.”