inconceivably

I have seen a couple of movie adaptations of Persuasion, and have had a hunch for several months that once I read it, it would be my favorite Austen. I was right!Captain Wentworth is by far my favorite of Austen's leading men (sorry Mr. Darcy), and while reading I very much enjoyed picturing him as the gorgeous Rupert Penry-Jones from the 2007 BBC movie. I love arguing with some of my good friends here on GR about Elizabeth Gaskell's Mr. Thornton versus Austen's Mr. Darcy, which turns into a Gaskell vs. Austen debate. If it came down to it, for me, the much closer race would be between Persuasion and [b:North and South|156538|North and South (Penguin Popular Classics)|Elizabeth Gaskell|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31SNhYAFRXL._SL75_.jpg|1016482].Anne is a great character. Her atributes aren't fully realized upon first meeting her because she is so overlooked by her family. Ugh...her family. Those silly, insipid creatures aren't worth the paper they're written on. The Elliot family hosts some of the most worthless people imaginable. I have to say though, that Mary really makes me laugh. C'mon...admit it. Her personality is hilarious. (Note: if I ever had to live with someone like that they would die a most painful death.)Anyway, throughout the book the reader comes to realize more and more what a thoughtful and intelligent woman Anne is, and even though I already knew how the story ended, I couldn't help but sigh with her when she thought Wentworth indifferent. Then...the letter. The. Letter. You just can't beat it. I won't say anything more about it, or anything else. If I keep gushing I'll spoil the whole story more than I already have. But if you consider yourself an Austen fan because you love Pride and Prejudice, don't kid yourself. Pick this one up and see for yourself that Austen's talent for leading men is certainly not limited to Mr. Darcy!