Captain Wentworth's letter... real romance right there! Thoroughly enjoyed this book. 

Besides the final declaration of love at the end, I also want to point out how Austen reminded us of just how much they loved each other throughout the novel. To be loved is to be seen and known, and you could see how they really saw each other when in the same room. When Anne was reading Capt. Wentworth's expressions, trying to determine which one of the Musgrove sisters he was more attracted to. When Capt. Wentworth helped her while she was distressed with the kids. Small things like seeing the other person, being able to read their moods. I eat that up! 

"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope...I have loved none but you."

Persuasion was the last fully completed work by Jane Austen...and it shows! And while this is one of the author's lesser-known novels, it is undoubtedly one of my favorites.

If Northanger Abbey was the odd one, this novel is the most mature. Of the six main novels, this is the only one that features an older protagonist (Anne is 27 years old) and, it's also, the only one where the plot doesn't focus on a love story between the protagonists, but rather on their re-encounter. It isn't a love story, it's a story about lost love and how, over time, people can change in some ways. So, it's a much more mature and refined novel, with more level-headed characters (well, some of them are more mature).

And we have to talk about Anne. Because of her position in society (even if she's the daughter of a baronet, she's single at 27), is a very quiet, shy character that hardly ever speaks her mind. And although she's very intelligent and kind, she's very quiet and rarely speaks up. I usually don't like this type of character, but Anne is the exception that proves the rule. Although she's a quiet character, we never forget that she's in the room (something that happened with Fanny in Mansfield Park). She begins by being presented as a sweet and kind person, incorporating the feminine ideal of the time but little by little she turns out to be a strong and mature character, always remaining faithful to her ideals and morals. Definitely, Anne is one of my favorite heroines created by Austen.

My only problem with the book was the pacing in the early chapters. And while I understand that these chapters introduced some background that the reader needs to know, the pacing is a little slow for my taste.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book. You're not gonna regret it.

Final note: I strongly recommend that you watch the 2007 movie adaptation starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones. In addition to remaining quite faithful to the original material, this adaptation perfectly captures the melancholic atmosphere of the book. It's perfect in every aspect.

"There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison..."