It is no secret that I have great admiration for Jane Austen’s book Persuasion (see my review here) and also that I like a good updating/variation on an Austen story (see here for a modern version of Emma and here for an extension of Pride and Prejudice). In Persuading Annie by Melissa Nathan we have a glorious mixture of the two and a modern version of the classic story.
In this version Annie has been persuaded to ditch her fiancé Jake by her godmother who thinks that he will never amount to anything and will only hold Annie back. Now Annie has a career in the family PR company but it is in financial difficulties and Jake is the high-flying consultant called in to sort matters out. Neither of them has ever got over the past and they are both challenged by their proximity and having to work together.
Although I suspect that you could read this book as a stand-alone novel a lot of the enjoyment I got from reading it was by comparing this version to the original and anticipating what was coming next. The author doesn’t disappoint and the updating works very well except perhaps in the key plot moment when one character has an accident because of her own recklessness – I didn’t really believe in the incident and thought that this bit was very contrived. Ignoring that one instance I found that the updating was excellently done and that the resulting story was enjoyable in its own right.
I loved this book and that wasn’t just because of my adoration of the original novel. There were times that I laughed out loud because of the writing and the situations that the characters found themselves in. This was an enjoyable read that I think is best enjoyed by those who know the original text.
Anne Is Reading 