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Find Wonder in All Things
“There could have never been two hearts so open… Now they were as strangers”
—Persuasion
Mountain Laurel Elliot is like her name—she blooms best in the cool comfort of shade, hidden in the Kentucky foothills of Appalachia. Alone on her mountain, she lives a private existence with only her pottery—and her regrets—for company.
James Marshall had a secret dream and Laurel was part of it, but dreams sometimes lead to unexpected places. James’s heart broke when Laurel cut him loose, but he moved on—and became successful beyond his wildest dreams.
For one glorious summer, James and Laurel had each other, but life has kept them far apart.
Until now.
“a magnificent modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.” -Austenesque Reviews
Winner of the Independent Book Publisher’s Award 2012: Gold Medal in Romance and
Next Generation Indie Finalist in Romance 2013
—Persuasion
Mountain Laurel Elliot is like her name—she blooms best in the cool comfort of shade, hidden in the Kentucky foothills of Appalachia. Alone on her mountain, she lives a private existence with only her pottery—and her regrets—for company.
James Marshall had a secret dream and Laurel was part of it, but dreams sometimes lead to unexpected places. James’s heart broke when Laurel cut him loose, but he moved on—and became successful beyond his wildest dreams.
For one glorious summer, James and Laurel had each other, but life has kept them far apart.
Until now.
“a magnificent modernization of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.” -Austenesque Reviews
Winner of the Independent Book Publisher’s Award 2012: Gold Medal in Romance and
Next Generation Indie Finalist in Romance 2013
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2012
33 people are currently reading
569 people want to read
About the author
Karen M. Cox
15 books219 followersKaren M Cox is an award-winning author of novels accented with romance and history.
Originally from Everett, WA, Karen now lives in Central Kentucky with her husband, where she works as a pediatric speech pathologist, encourages her children, and spoils her granddaughter. Like Austen’s Emma, Karen has many hobbies and projects she doesn’t quite finish, but like Elizabeth Bennet, she aspires to be a great reader and an excellent walker.
"News & Muse Letter" : https://mailchi.mp/40d6c584af55/khjas...
Website: https://karenmcox.com/
Originally from Everett, WA, Karen now lives in Central Kentucky with her husband, where she works as a pediatric speech pathologist, encourages her children, and spoils her granddaughter. Like Austen’s Emma, Karen has many hobbies and projects she doesn’t quite finish, but like Elizabeth Bennet, she aspires to be a great reader and an excellent walker.
"News & Muse Letter" : https://mailchi.mp/40d6c584af55/khjas...
Website: https://karenmcox.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 24, 2019
Home. What is that? Where is that? Who... is that? James Marshall is on a long emotional journey to find this out. Just as Mountain Laurel Elliot has always known the answers to these questions, but as a fledgling adult is unsure and scared when life and choices start coming fast and hard leading her to retreat up her mountain and from the only person who ever made her happy.
Find Wonder in All things is a story of young love, first love, lost love... and second chances in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky that feed Artistic Laurel and musical James' souls. It's a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion that anyone whether they've ever read or seen an Austen adaption can appreciate.
James Marshall comes as a boy with his best friend Stu and Stu's wealthy family to the lake one summer and is introduced to the Elliots who run the lake-side marina and restaurant. The father is a hippy naturalist and conservationist of sorts, the mother is a recluse, older sister Virginia has drive and looks that attract Stu while quiet compassionate art-loving Laurel catches James' eye after she grows up. One glorious summer during his college years, he returns to work in the Elliot's restaurant and spends his free hours with Laurel exploring around the lake and mountains and going to the Loft after hours all the while falling in love. But, that summer doesn't begin the good life for either of them because that winter his parents broke up, he dropped out of college to move to Nashville pursuing his music career while trying to coax eighteen year old Laurel to leaver her school and family responsibilities to join him because they are in love. The love he counted on shattered sending him far from the hills of Kentucky turning his back on his past and forging a new future that didn't include Mountain Laurel Elliot.
Some books have an artistic quality to their prose. This is a simple second chance love story at its heart, but I found myself falling in love with more than just the characters, their friends, and their romance. The Appalachians and the lake region of the story wove around me and was the main character in my mind's eye. When Laurel sent James away, he also these mountains, too.
James and Laurel shared the narration and I found this type of story really needed both perspectives to lend balance and understanding especially later. I loved that the story began with them meeting as kids and spent long periods on the idyllic summer just before Laurel went off to college and James went back to school and then that frenzied Christmas break. It was a good foundation and showed who they were at their core, but they still had some growing to do as individuals before they could ever be a couple. They were a typical pair of new adults feeling attraction and they made use of picnic blankets under the stars and nights by the fire to get up to some sensual good times. I found it all believable and appreciated how the story wasn't told in isolation, but the surrounding cast of family and friends- and rivals- advanced the romance and the character's growth.
For those very familiar with Persuasion, there will be obvious parallels, but this is not a tit for tat retelling and every character and event doesn't match the original. I enjoyed the originality and flavor of the author's own righting paying homage rather than just merely copying a classic. Those who came of age in the 80's will feel nostalgic throughout this one even though it feels rather timeless at the lake with its marina, little store, and The Loft where everyone gathered, dancing and open mic nights were the thing.
All in all, I loved being immersed in the story and cheering this romance pair while feeling the connection to one of my favorite classic stories. Those who enjoy slightly spicy summery second chance romances should definitely give this one a go.
My thanks to the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find Wonder in All things is a story of young love, first love, lost love... and second chances in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky that feed Artistic Laurel and musical James' souls. It's a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion that anyone whether they've ever read or seen an Austen adaption can appreciate.
James Marshall comes as a boy with his best friend Stu and Stu's wealthy family to the lake one summer and is introduced to the Elliots who run the lake-side marina and restaurant. The father is a hippy naturalist and conservationist of sorts, the mother is a recluse, older sister Virginia has drive and looks that attract Stu while quiet compassionate art-loving Laurel catches James' eye after she grows up. One glorious summer during his college years, he returns to work in the Elliot's restaurant and spends his free hours with Laurel exploring around the lake and mountains and going to the Loft after hours all the while falling in love. But, that summer doesn't begin the good life for either of them because that winter his parents broke up, he dropped out of college to move to Nashville pursuing his music career while trying to coax eighteen year old Laurel to leaver her school and family responsibilities to join him because they are in love. The love he counted on shattered sending him far from the hills of Kentucky turning his back on his past and forging a new future that didn't include Mountain Laurel Elliot.
Some books have an artistic quality to their prose. This is a simple second chance love story at its heart, but I found myself falling in love with more than just the characters, their friends, and their romance. The Appalachians and the lake region of the story wove around me and was the main character in my mind's eye. When Laurel sent James away, he also these mountains, too.
James and Laurel shared the narration and I found this type of story really needed both perspectives to lend balance and understanding especially later. I loved that the story began with them meeting as kids and spent long periods on the idyllic summer just before Laurel went off to college and James went back to school and then that frenzied Christmas break. It was a good foundation and showed who they were at their core, but they still had some growing to do as individuals before they could ever be a couple. They were a typical pair of new adults feeling attraction and they made use of picnic blankets under the stars and nights by the fire to get up to some sensual good times. I found it all believable and appreciated how the story wasn't told in isolation, but the surrounding cast of family and friends- and rivals- advanced the romance and the character's growth.
For those very familiar with Persuasion, there will be obvious parallels, but this is not a tit for tat retelling and every character and event doesn't match the original. I enjoyed the originality and flavor of the author's own righting paying homage rather than just merely copying a classic. Those who came of age in the 80's will feel nostalgic throughout this one even though it feels rather timeless at the lake with its marina, little store, and The Loft where everyone gathered, dancing and open mic nights were the thing.
All in all, I loved being immersed in the story and cheering this romance pair while feeling the connection to one of my favorite classic stories. Those who enjoy slightly spicy summery second chance romances should definitely give this one a go.
My thanks to the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 19, 2017
This story is so beautiful and full of nostalgia for me. I happen to love Persuasion and "the letter" is just about my favorite part of any Jane Austen story. Furthermore I have read other excellent take-offs of that story but this one tops the list. I found myself with blurry eyes so often and (jumping ahead: spoiler here) when James goes to sing a song towards the end of the story and dedicates it to Laurel...I started sobbing. I knew "the letter" was going to come out of his mouth, in his own way, of course, and in a modern setting but it is THE LETTER. Karen even has a link to her blog on which you can hear the music. (End of spoiler.)
So much of this story echoes canon but it is done so uniquely that you won't be groaning or moaning that Jane Austen writing was copied. Karen puts her own spin on it and just about breaks your heart. People whose behaviors or characteristics mirror Lady Russell, Sir Walter Elliot, Harriette and Louisa, William Walter Elliot, Sophie and Admiral Croft, etc. delight you as you recognize these old acquaintances.
Told in several parts this story goes back first to glimpses of a childhood episode with four particular friends: Virginia and her sister, Laurel, James and his friend, Stuart, around a lake in Kentucky. Then we skip forward to college years when James Marshall returns to bus tables for Mr. Elliot and finds “Mountain” Laurel Elliot all grown up and in all the right ways. They quickly fall in love. But when his parents divorce and his father yanks financial support for college out from under him James decides to gamble on making it in Nashville with his musical talents. It would mean supporting himself with odd jobs and hoping to get a break. However he can’t convince Laurel to drop her work scholarship at art college. It would mean abandoning her agoraphobic mother and dependent father to step out into the unknown. She cuts him loose and he doesn’t fight it.
Eight years later he and his two buddies (John Benwick and Eric Harville) have sold their computer program for “gazillions” of dollars and are featured as the new hot bachelors in town. The story in the magazine is not quite right. Eric is not available and John is engaged. But (echoes of JA here): Benwick’s sweetheart dies. And that event has Eric questioning James about the possibility of a love in his past. James is sure she has moved on but Eric uses the Internet and finds out all about Laurel, who has stayed in her hometown but now has a pottery business and lives alone in the cabin where they first explored their love. Then various coincidental events occur with his sister and brother-in-law retiring from the Navy and with his old childhood friend Stuart (married to Laurel’s sister, Virginia) reuniting around that lake from childhood. Thus James and Laurel meet again.
As Karen Cox writes, “He said you’d changed that much.”… “Oh, Laurel always cooks when we grill out. She’s good at it, and she doesn’t mind at all.”… “If only, if only, if only . . . If only he had asked her — just one more time.” “Makes it hard to feel sorry for the ones who are persuaded to take a path other than the one they really want.”
Do you feel the vibes here? Over and again we are treated to little nuggets of canon-like prose in conversations and in events which again give us a treasure of a story about second chances in a brilliant love story. This is one which I would put on my MUST READ list if you are asking for my opinion, friends.
2/18/17: Karen now has a Spotify list to go with this story - found on this blog: http://karenmcox.merytonpress.com/201...
So much of this story echoes canon but it is done so uniquely that you won't be groaning or moaning that Jane Austen writing was copied. Karen puts her own spin on it and just about breaks your heart. People whose behaviors or characteristics mirror Lady Russell, Sir Walter Elliot, Harriette and Louisa, William Walter Elliot, Sophie and Admiral Croft, etc. delight you as you recognize these old acquaintances.
Told in several parts this story goes back first to glimpses of a childhood episode with four particular friends: Virginia and her sister, Laurel, James and his friend, Stuart, around a lake in Kentucky. Then we skip forward to college years when James Marshall returns to bus tables for Mr. Elliot and finds “Mountain” Laurel Elliot all grown up and in all the right ways. They quickly fall in love. But when his parents divorce and his father yanks financial support for college out from under him James decides to gamble on making it in Nashville with his musical talents. It would mean supporting himself with odd jobs and hoping to get a break. However he can’t convince Laurel to drop her work scholarship at art college. It would mean abandoning her agoraphobic mother and dependent father to step out into the unknown. She cuts him loose and he doesn’t fight it.
Eight years later he and his two buddies (John Benwick and Eric Harville) have sold their computer program for “gazillions” of dollars and are featured as the new hot bachelors in town. The story in the magazine is not quite right. Eric is not available and John is engaged. But (echoes of JA here): Benwick’s sweetheart dies. And that event has Eric questioning James about the possibility of a love in his past. James is sure she has moved on but Eric uses the Internet and finds out all about Laurel, who has stayed in her hometown but now has a pottery business and lives alone in the cabin where they first explored their love. Then various coincidental events occur with his sister and brother-in-law retiring from the Navy and with his old childhood friend Stuart (married to Laurel’s sister, Virginia) reuniting around that lake from childhood. Thus James and Laurel meet again.
As Karen Cox writes, “He said you’d changed that much.”… “Oh, Laurel always cooks when we grill out. She’s good at it, and she doesn’t mind at all.”… “If only, if only, if only . . . If only he had asked her — just one more time.” “Makes it hard to feel sorry for the ones who are persuaded to take a path other than the one they really want.”
Do you feel the vibes here? Over and again we are treated to little nuggets of canon-like prose in conversations and in events which again give us a treasure of a story about second chances in a brilliant love story. This is one which I would put on my MUST READ list if you are asking for my opinion, friends.
2/18/17: Karen now has a Spotify list to go with this story - found on this blog: http://karenmcox.merytonpress.com/201...
January 20, 2014
This is an updated version of Jane Austen's Persuasion, which if you don't know, is a second chance love story. In Persuasion, Anne Elliot is persuaded to give up her imprudent engagement to a naval captain and comes to regret her decision deeply. This can be a hard one to update, I think, as Anne's decision was easier to excuse and understand, given the historical context. In the early 1800s she would have been completely dependent on her husband in the way that a modern woman wouldn't, so if he'd have been unsuccessful in his career not only could she have faced penury but could well have had a clutch of children dependent on her.
In Find Wonder in All Things we first meet Laurel and James as children in the 1980s. James is staying for the summer with a friend. He doesn't come back into the area for another few years, when Laurel is about 18 and James a couple of years older. They have a whirlwind romance and fall madly in love. James's family situation falls apart and he has to drop out of college due to finances. He wants Laurel to move away with him and pressurises her to leave. However, Laurel just isn't ready to take that kind of a risk; her family situation isn't the greatest due to her mother's depression, and she's just 18 years old. We don't see the first relationship between them in Persuasion but I think that showing this really helps build sympathy for both James and Laurel. On the one hand she is all he can rely on and she is letting him down, but she is just 18 and he's steamrolling her somewhat so that she feels she can't tell him to slow down.
Fast forward another 8 or so years and Laurel's life is pretty lonely whereas James has become a huge success, having invented some software that has made him a millionaire. He's never had another relationship that he could commit to after Laurel and living in the middle of nowhere Laurel hasn't exactly had many chances of finding love. She wishes that she hadn't let James out of her life all those years ago, but doesn't believe that he'd be interested in trying again.
Although this book works as a romance in its own right I think having read Persuasion gives an extra dimension, as you have the added enjoyment of spotting people and events from Miss Austen's masterpiece and on the whole they were well-represented, although I wanted to give James a bit of a wake up shake a few times! Some of the updates were pretty ingenious, such as the fall and head injury from the original becoming a water skiing accident. I liked the update of the letter but felt it was delivered too publicly. Having said that, I can't see anybody managing to equal that letter from Persuasion, it was perfection!
I really enjoyed this book and I'd definitely recommend it. Karen M Cox has also written an updated version of Pride and Prejudice, '1932', set in the US depression which is also well worth reading in my opinion.
In Find Wonder in All Things we first meet Laurel and James as children in the 1980s. James is staying for the summer with a friend. He doesn't come back into the area for another few years, when Laurel is about 18 and James a couple of years older. They have a whirlwind romance and fall madly in love. James's family situation falls apart and he has to drop out of college due to finances. He wants Laurel to move away with him and pressurises her to leave. However, Laurel just isn't ready to take that kind of a risk; her family situation isn't the greatest due to her mother's depression, and she's just 18 years old. We don't see the first relationship between them in Persuasion but I think that showing this really helps build sympathy for both James and Laurel. On the one hand she is all he can rely on and she is letting him down, but she is just 18 and he's steamrolling her somewhat so that she feels she can't tell him to slow down.
Fast forward another 8 or so years and Laurel's life is pretty lonely whereas James has become a huge success, having invented some software that has made him a millionaire. He's never had another relationship that he could commit to after Laurel and living in the middle of nowhere Laurel hasn't exactly had many chances of finding love. She wishes that she hadn't let James out of her life all those years ago, but doesn't believe that he'd be interested in trying again.
Although this book works as a romance in its own right I think having read Persuasion gives an extra dimension, as you have the added enjoyment of spotting people and events from Miss Austen's masterpiece and on the whole they were well-represented, although I wanted to give James a bit of a wake up shake a few times! Some of the updates were pretty ingenious, such as the fall and head injury from the original becoming a water skiing accident. I liked the update of the letter but felt it was delivered too publicly. Having said that, I can't see anybody managing to equal that letter from Persuasion, it was perfection!
I really enjoyed this book and I'd definitely recommend it. Karen M Cox has also written an updated version of Pride and Prejudice, '1932', set in the US depression which is also well worth reading in my opinion.
February 4, 2020
Jane Austen's most serious and compelling work, "Persuasion", is all about retribution, forgiveness and second chances. Her masterpiece begins seven years after the broken engagement between the young heiress, Anne Elliot, and a junior naval officer, Frederick Wentworth--when he is thrown back into her sphere and both must face the pain from their past. Karen M. Cox's award winning novel, "Find Wonder In All Things" is a modern day homage to this Austen classic. The tale begins with a lakeside friendship in the Appalachian foothills of Kentucky between Laurel Elliott and James Marshall. As the two grow, childhood friendship turns to summer romance and halfway through Laurel's first semester at the local college, James decides to move to Nashville to pursue his music dream. He assumes she will drop everything to join him. But at just eighteen and with a generous art scholarship, weighted by family expectations as well, who would fault her for refusing him and staying on the college track?
Eight years later, James, now rich and famous, returns to the lake to visit his sister, while Laurel has turned into a reclusive, starving artist. Ok, not quite starving but by no means a financial success story. And most definitely alone. "Unbidden, he came to mind: handsome, dashing and determined. The eight years of separation had softened any flaws she ever saw in him, and now he was almost larger than life to her. He had been right to believe in himself and in his ability to make his mark on the world. He had made it, too - perhaps not in the way he intended but still successful beyond his wildest dreams." p.115. Captain Wentworth, I mean, James is determined to play it cool and aloof towards Anne. I mean Laurel! And Laurel's regrets are freshly re-visited as she is keenly aware of her depraved status and jealously towards the younger woman James now bestows his attentions. But Laurel's generous, self-assured spirit unearths old feelings he thought long buried and a companionable friendship blossoms. When a water skiing accident throws the two together, emotions come to the surface. "And he had whispered her name and called her beautiful and sweet. She could hear the words, and then `want, want' It had made her roar to life inside her lower belly. Yes, she thought, I want too.' But then he left." p 177. Maybe too much time and hurt had passed between them...
If you are looking for the cookie cutter formula of a "Persuasion" adaptation, this may not be it. For example, you might be surprised that Austen's pretentious, preening Sir Walter Elliot has been transformed into a struggling but kind hearted marina owner. And Anne Elliot's selfish, self-absorbed elder sister Elizabeth has morphed into an affectionate, married, and doting mother named Virginia. Although many of Austen's key characters have also been re-named and undergone a modern makeover, they remain comfortably familiar to the Austen fan. I admit, some of my appreciation was in recognizing the subtle parallels. (Please note that although the novel opens with Laurel and James as children, their tender love scenes later in years most assuredly rates this an adult read.) However, one need not have read "Persuasion" beforehand to enjoy this novel. "Find Wonder In All Things" stands on its own and no wonder at all, why it was awarded the GOLD MEDAL in the Romance category at the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Congratulations, Karen M Cox on another lovely read! 5 stars as per my original review at Austenprose in 2012.
*The 2020 re-release has been polished and tightened, though the story remains the same. I also liked the addition of Discussion Questions. This is a story not to miss.
Eight years later, James, now rich and famous, returns to the lake to visit his sister, while Laurel has turned into a reclusive, starving artist. Ok, not quite starving but by no means a financial success story. And most definitely alone. "Unbidden, he came to mind: handsome, dashing and determined. The eight years of separation had softened any flaws she ever saw in him, and now he was almost larger than life to her. He had been right to believe in himself and in his ability to make his mark on the world. He had made it, too - perhaps not in the way he intended but still successful beyond his wildest dreams." p.115. Captain Wentworth, I mean, James is determined to play it cool and aloof towards Anne. I mean Laurel! And Laurel's regrets are freshly re-visited as she is keenly aware of her depraved status and jealously towards the younger woman James now bestows his attentions. But Laurel's generous, self-assured spirit unearths old feelings he thought long buried and a companionable friendship blossoms. When a water skiing accident throws the two together, emotions come to the surface. "And he had whispered her name and called her beautiful and sweet. She could hear the words, and then `want, want' It had made her roar to life inside her lower belly. Yes, she thought, I want too.' But then he left." p 177. Maybe too much time and hurt had passed between them...
If you are looking for the cookie cutter formula of a "Persuasion" adaptation, this may not be it. For example, you might be surprised that Austen's pretentious, preening Sir Walter Elliot has been transformed into a struggling but kind hearted marina owner. And Anne Elliot's selfish, self-absorbed elder sister Elizabeth has morphed into an affectionate, married, and doting mother named Virginia. Although many of Austen's key characters have also been re-named and undergone a modern makeover, they remain comfortably familiar to the Austen fan. I admit, some of my appreciation was in recognizing the subtle parallels. (Please note that although the novel opens with Laurel and James as children, their tender love scenes later in years most assuredly rates this an adult read.) However, one need not have read "Persuasion" beforehand to enjoy this novel. "Find Wonder In All Things" stands on its own and no wonder at all, why it was awarded the GOLD MEDAL in the Romance category at the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Congratulations, Karen M Cox on another lovely read! 5 stars as per my original review at Austenprose in 2012.
*The 2020 re-release has been polished and tightened, though the story remains the same. I also liked the addition of Discussion Questions. This is a story not to miss.
March 30, 2016
Laurel Elliot is happy with her simple life, but she has one big regret: breaking up with her boyfriend when she was eighteen was not the best decision of her life, especially since she still loves him. Now, eight years later, James Marshall -successful and rich-, the only guy that ever stole her heart, is back to her little town and every time they meet her heart aches. Does James still love her? Has he forgiven her after all those years? Is it still possible a happy ending for them?
“Even if I end up alone, I have to try for the life I want and the love I deserve. Anything else is living a lie, and I won’t do that. I can’t.”
Usually, Persuasion inspired books show the protagonists’ past through flashbacks and the readers are privy to their love and subsequent separation in a somehow detached way. This does not mean that those moments are not touching, but I do not get involved in them so much because my attention is mostly focused on their present lives. In this modern adaptation, though, things are different. The author leads her readers through an exciting and yet heartrending journey by describing the love story between Laurel and James (the modern versions of Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth) from the beginning. How they meet, how they fall in love with each other, and how they break up.
Probably that is the reason why I felt deeply connected to those characters. I saw their love blossom and grow and then sadly end. I really felt sorry for them both but especially for Laurel. I could understand her fears and insecurities when she left James, and seeing her pain when she meets him again was definitely heart-wrenching! I knew what would happen in the end but reading some scenes was very sad nonetheless. It affected me (as it always does when I read a book like this one) that James tried to hurt Laurel by flirting with other girls, like a sort of revenge because of what she did to him (and I often wanted to slap some sense into him!) but I cannot help thinking that he had his reasons for behaving like that. Laurel disappointed him, destroyed his dreams and plans, and that is why I cannot condemn James and his actions. They both made mistakes.
“Just don’t run from me anymore. It hurts so much when you run.”
James and Laurel were perfect for each other. He was handsome, reckless, always ready to take risks and friendly. She was lovely, wise, prudent and definitely introvert. Two separate people that together were a whole beautiful person! I can safely say -by quoting a very famous film- that they completed each other.
One of the things I liked, that we do not see in the original novel, is the relationship that Laurel had with her eldest sister Virginia. I loved their complicity and closeness! Also, I liked that Laurel confided in her sister and, at a certain point in the story, she told her the whole thing that happened between her and James. That was a good example of sisterhood! And I also liked the relationship between James and his sister Susan. Another good example of an older sibling that helps their younger one!
This was my first book by Ms. Cox and it definitely will not be my last! My heart ached throughout the whole story but -oh, my- what a sweet, touching pain! “Persuasion” admirers need to read this novel and appreciate all of its beauty.
Note: Due to a few intimate scenes, I would recommend this book for adults only.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
“Even if I end up alone, I have to try for the life I want and the love I deserve. Anything else is living a lie, and I won’t do that. I can’t.”
Usually, Persuasion inspired books show the protagonists’ past through flashbacks and the readers are privy to their love and subsequent separation in a somehow detached way. This does not mean that those moments are not touching, but I do not get involved in them so much because my attention is mostly focused on their present lives. In this modern adaptation, though, things are different. The author leads her readers through an exciting and yet heartrending journey by describing the love story between Laurel and James (the modern versions of Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth) from the beginning. How they meet, how they fall in love with each other, and how they break up.
Probably that is the reason why I felt deeply connected to those characters. I saw their love blossom and grow and then sadly end. I really felt sorry for them both but especially for Laurel. I could understand her fears and insecurities when she left James, and seeing her pain when she meets him again was definitely heart-wrenching! I knew what would happen in the end but reading some scenes was very sad nonetheless. It affected me (as it always does when I read a book like this one) that James tried to hurt Laurel by flirting with other girls, like a sort of revenge because of what she did to him (and I often wanted to slap some sense into him!) but I cannot help thinking that he had his reasons for behaving like that. Laurel disappointed him, destroyed his dreams and plans, and that is why I cannot condemn James and his actions. They both made mistakes.
“Just don’t run from me anymore. It hurts so much when you run.”
James and Laurel were perfect for each other. He was handsome, reckless, always ready to take risks and friendly. She was lovely, wise, prudent and definitely introvert. Two separate people that together were a whole beautiful person! I can safely say -by quoting a very famous film- that they completed each other.
One of the things I liked, that we do not see in the original novel, is the relationship that Laurel had with her eldest sister Virginia. I loved their complicity and closeness! Also, I liked that Laurel confided in her sister and, at a certain point in the story, she told her the whole thing that happened between her and James. That was a good example of sisterhood! And I also liked the relationship between James and his sister Susan. Another good example of an older sibling that helps their younger one!
This was my first book by Ms. Cox and it definitely will not be my last! My heart ached throughout the whole story but -oh, my- what a sweet, touching pain! “Persuasion” admirers need to read this novel and appreciate all of its beauty.
Note: Due to a few intimate scenes, I would recommend this book for adults only.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
May 12, 2012
Did Laurel Elliot do the right thing when she decided against moving to Nashville, Tennessee to be with the man she loved? Would James Marshall still have become the successful millionaire he is today if she remained a part of his life? Would they have found their happily-ever-after living on love and a hand-to-mouth existence?
When she was just eighteen and halfway through her first semester at college, Laurel was faced with the most difficult decision of her life: follow the man she loves on an exciting and unknown adventure to a new town or pursue her college degree close to home where she is depended upon by her family. Even though Laurel desperately loved James and wanted a future with him, her fear and uncertainties made her balk. And instead of convincing Laurel to overcome her objections, James walks out, gives up, and closes his heart...or so he thought.
What a magnificent modernization of Jane Austen's Persuasion! It is easy to conceive why Karen Cox won the GOLD MEDAL in the Romance category for the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards!
Similar to her Pride and Prejudice alternate path, 1932 – which I read and greatly admired in 2010, Ms. Cox, once again, penned an accomplished and well-constructed story with originality, likable characters, and an engaging plot. Except that instead of Pride and Prejudice, this one is about Persuasion, and instead of The Great Depression, this story takes place during modern times.
To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...
When she was just eighteen and halfway through her first semester at college, Laurel was faced with the most difficult decision of her life: follow the man she loves on an exciting and unknown adventure to a new town or pursue her college degree close to home where she is depended upon by her family. Even though Laurel desperately loved James and wanted a future with him, her fear and uncertainties made her balk. And instead of convincing Laurel to overcome her objections, James walks out, gives up, and closes his heart...or so he thought.
What a magnificent modernization of Jane Austen's Persuasion! It is easy to conceive why Karen Cox won the GOLD MEDAL in the Romance category for the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards!
Similar to her Pride and Prejudice alternate path, 1932 – which I read and greatly admired in 2010, Ms. Cox, once again, penned an accomplished and well-constructed story with originality, likable characters, and an engaging plot. Except that instead of Pride and Prejudice, this one is about Persuasion, and instead of The Great Depression, this story takes place during modern times.
To continue reading, go to: http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...
February 14, 2016
Dear reader,
Put simply,I loved this book!
I found it to be very compelling and so well written that I felt like I had met,conversed with and advised all the main characters on the resolution of their personal problems!!
Yes,I was that involved in the story!
What I really liked were the details relating to the history of our main protagonists,how they initially met,fell in love and then parted-such a sweet story,beautifully told.
Oh! The anguish of 'will they,won't they?' as they quietly determined that they couldn't go back,only forward...the uncertainty,the pretence,the undeniable chemistry bubbling away under the surface,threatening,at any moment,to boil over..........
There was so much to love and admire in this romantic,second chance tale that I can only urge you to read it for yourself..... It is then that you'll truly understand what a fantastic book it is!!
Enjoy!
Put simply,I loved this book!
I found it to be very compelling and so well written that I felt like I had met,conversed with and advised all the main characters on the resolution of their personal problems!!
Yes,I was that involved in the story!
What I really liked were the details relating to the history of our main protagonists,how they initially met,fell in love and then parted-such a sweet story,beautifully told.
Oh! The anguish of 'will they,won't they?' as they quietly determined that they couldn't go back,only forward...the uncertainty,the pretence,the undeniable chemistry bubbling away under the surface,threatening,at any moment,to boil over..........
There was so much to love and admire in this romantic,second chance tale that I can only urge you to read it for yourself..... It is then that you'll truly understand what a fantastic book it is!!
Enjoy!
March 28, 2020
Review published at:
https://frompemberleytomilton.wordpre...
Find Wonder in All Things is a beautifully written modernization of Persuasion that will appeal to readers who enjoy a tender story with a small town feeling to it.
I’ve always been afraid to read modernizations of Persuasion because I believe it is incredibly difficult to bring this story to modern times in a realistic manner, however, Karen M Cox excelled at this, and Laurel and James’ story fit perfectly in the 90’s. The secondary characters, along with the plot and the reasons for their separation, were well thought of and the story was crafted carefully so everything is perfectly plausible.
The book has a feeling of southern small town that captivated me from the first pages and, unlike Persuasion, it depicts the characters stories during their youth, which was necessary for the reader to understand them better and feel connected to them.
I have always been team Wentworth, and I’ve always considered him to be superior to Anne, however in Find Wonder in All Things my feelings are reversed. I believe James was too impulsive and Laurel was the one with the good sense, revealing a maturity that was not easily found in someone so young. I have also enjoyed their older versions, but once more Laurel was my favourite. I did like James, who was an attractive man, but I was expecting him to be more resentful and cold. He was actually a nice guy, and I think most readers who are not so fond of Persuasion because they dislike Wentworth, will love this trait in James Marshal.
One of my favourite parts of the book was the modernization of the letter scene, which was incredibly romantic and swoon worthy. Never have I seen music enter a story so well as it did in Find Wonder in All Things, and this particular act made me love James Marshall, who was the epitome of a romantic hero. The scene that followed it was equally perfect, and once more I was reminded of why I prefer Laurel to Anne, she is kind and with a sweet temper, but she always has a backbone when it comes to James, not refraining from telling him what he needs to hear.
The clear connection to both nature and arts were two aspects that made me enjoy this book even more and that made me feel engrossed with it. The descriptions made by Karen M Cox made me feel I was at the cabin in the mountains with the characters, or at the lake looking at the stars, and the music created a warm feeling that was very pleasing.
Find Wonder in All Things is a book that should not be missed by any Janeite as it brings an original and interesting take on Persuasion while keeping it in line with characters, and just as romantic as the original. I highly recommend it.
January 15, 2020
FIND WONDER IN ALL THINGS by Karen M. Cox
First of all, this re-telling of one of Jane Austen's works is a winner for me because it's based on Persuasion, which vies for top place with P&P in my Austen league table. Secondly, the author has chosen neither to set it in the original Regency period nor the present day. As with many of her other re-tellings, it's set in the relatively recent past; this time it's the 1990s, with a flashback to the 80s. If you're familiar with the plot of Persuasion, most of the significant events are present here, so nothing else I say really counts as spoilers. The main changes are in character names and where and how certain events take place.
Jane Austen's timeless tale of a second chance at love works really well in this setting of a relatively isolated lake and mountain community in the Appalachian mountains in the US state of Kentucky. James (this tale's Frederick Wentworth) and Laurel (Anne Elliot) fall in love as teenagers when he takes a summer job at her father's marina on the lake between college academic years. The separation comes about when Laurel's time to go off to college. She needs to stay near home because of family circumstances, he chooses to change college and course to a completely different part of the country because his parents's marriage is breaking up.
Fast forward the "eight years and a half" of their separation, and the huge changes in his circumstances and relative lack of change in hers still seem to be putting obstacles in their way. Karen M. Cox's writing makes the anguish leap off the page at you and even though you're almost certainly familiar with the original story, you wonder if they'll ever manage to sort things out. Then comes her inspired re-setting of "that letter" from canon! Amongst other things, James is a musician and he pours out his feelings in a song to Laurel at an open-mic session in a music club/bar one evening.
This isn't a chaste romance, but what scenes there are involving sex are well and tastefully written, with nothing gratuitous about them. I love that we get to read the pre-breakup story of our two main protagonists, with a glimpse to even earlier years when they first met.
I received a free ARC of this second edition and although a review was hoped for, it wasn't a condition of receiving the ARC or that it would be favourable. Personally, I'd give it more than five stars if I could. As I can't, here's my best effort 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.
First of all, this re-telling of one of Jane Austen's works is a winner for me because it's based on Persuasion, which vies for top place with P&P in my Austen league table. Secondly, the author has chosen neither to set it in the original Regency period nor the present day. As with many of her other re-tellings, it's set in the relatively recent past; this time it's the 1990s, with a flashback to the 80s. If you're familiar with the plot of Persuasion, most of the significant events are present here, so nothing else I say really counts as spoilers. The main changes are in character names and where and how certain events take place.
Jane Austen's timeless tale of a second chance at love works really well in this setting of a relatively isolated lake and mountain community in the Appalachian mountains in the US state of Kentucky. James (this tale's Frederick Wentworth) and Laurel (Anne Elliot) fall in love as teenagers when he takes a summer job at her father's marina on the lake between college academic years. The separation comes about when Laurel's time to go off to college. She needs to stay near home because of family circumstances, he chooses to change college and course to a completely different part of the country because his parents's marriage is breaking up.
Fast forward the "eight years and a half" of their separation, and the huge changes in his circumstances and relative lack of change in hers still seem to be putting obstacles in their way. Karen M. Cox's writing makes the anguish leap off the page at you and even though you're almost certainly familiar with the original story, you wonder if they'll ever manage to sort things out. Then comes her inspired re-setting of "that letter" from canon! Amongst other things, James is a musician and he pours out his feelings in a song to Laurel at an open-mic session in a music club/bar one evening.
This isn't a chaste romance, but what scenes there are involving sex are well and tastefully written, with nothing gratuitous about them. I love that we get to read the pre-breakup story of our two main protagonists, with a glimpse to even earlier years when they first met.
I received a free ARC of this second edition and although a review was hoped for, it wasn't a condition of receiving the ARC or that it would be favourable. Personally, I'd give it more than five stars if I could. As I can't, here's my best effort 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.
October 12, 2012
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve were thoughts that played through Laurel Elliot’s mind often. She had many regrets about not going to Nashville with James Marshall, but what was done was done. She needed to push past the memories of him and move on with her life. Eight years had past since she told him she couldn’t go, and he walked out of her life.
Laurel stayed in college and earned a liberal arts degree. Working and living in the little cabin her grandparents owned, she creates beautiful pieces of pottery. With her simple lifestyle, the pottery she sells earns enough to make ends meet. Laurel still works down at her father’s marina once a week, going over the books and doing payroll. Life is much the same for her as the day James left.
I love how down to earth Laurel is; she is sensible and stable. She is happy with her solitary life, until the day James comes back to spend the summer at the lake. Seeing him again, Laurel realizes how much she still loves him and how terribly lonely she truly is.
James Marshall had come along way in his life. Now rich and successful, he seemed to have it all, but does he? Deep down he isn’t happy. He can’t forget Laurel. There was no one who could even compare to her. He thought if he could see her again, see her for the real person she is, not the fantasy he had create of her, then, maybe he could move on with his life.
Just like Captain Wentworth in Persuasion, James annoyed me with his indifference, his flirting with Heather and Carrie, his stubborn bullheadedness, but that all melted away when he finally tells Laurel his feelings, but not in a letter, with a song.
Set in the foothills of the Appalachians, Karen Cox transported me to a simpler lifestyle, with the description of the lake, marina, isolated cabin, and the sound of the gravel crunching in the driveway. I could see the bright stars in a dark, warm summer night. In the prologue, Cox, takes us all the way back to their youth, giving us a glimpse of how James, and his friend, Stu, Laurel and her sister, Virginia, would spend their days together. The lazy days of summer exploring caves around the lake or spending time fishing. I love the nostalgic feel of it.
Find Wonder in All Things is a Persuasion inspired romance. This is a beautiful story! I loved it!
Laurel stayed in college and earned a liberal arts degree. Working and living in the little cabin her grandparents owned, she creates beautiful pieces of pottery. With her simple lifestyle, the pottery she sells earns enough to make ends meet. Laurel still works down at her father’s marina once a week, going over the books and doing payroll. Life is much the same for her as the day James left.
I love how down to earth Laurel is; she is sensible and stable. She is happy with her solitary life, until the day James comes back to spend the summer at the lake. Seeing him again, Laurel realizes how much she still loves him and how terribly lonely she truly is.
James Marshall had come along way in his life. Now rich and successful, he seemed to have it all, but does he? Deep down he isn’t happy. He can’t forget Laurel. There was no one who could even compare to her. He thought if he could see her again, see her for the real person she is, not the fantasy he had create of her, then, maybe he could move on with his life.
Just like Captain Wentworth in Persuasion, James annoyed me with his indifference, his flirting with Heather and Carrie, his stubborn bullheadedness, but that all melted away when he finally tells Laurel his feelings, but not in a letter, with a song.
Set in the foothills of the Appalachians, Karen Cox transported me to a simpler lifestyle, with the description of the lake, marina, isolated cabin, and the sound of the gravel crunching in the driveway. I could see the bright stars in a dark, warm summer night. In the prologue, Cox, takes us all the way back to their youth, giving us a glimpse of how James, and his friend, Stu, Laurel and her sister, Virginia, would spend their days together. The lazy days of summer exploring caves around the lake or spending time fishing. I love the nostalgic feel of it.
Find Wonder in All Things is a Persuasion inspired romance. This is a beautiful story! I loved it!
January 4, 2020
What allows love to survive the test of time? This is a central question in both Jane Austen’s Persuasion and in Karen M. Cox’s modern retelling, Find Wonder in All Things. Like Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth, Laurel Elliot and James Marshall must struggle through years apart to understand what allowed them to fall in love in the first place. Perhaps what they discover is that love requires more than two people who want each other; it requires a time and place to grow and flourish.
Time and place are Karen Cox’s specialties: she has a real talent for creating settings that live and breathe alongside the characters who inhabit them. I grew up in a place not unlike Uppercross, Kentucky, the setting for this story. This location is in many ways as important to understanding Laurel and James as any other aspect of this novel, and Cox does a fabulous job making the mountains of Uppercross come to life. Like Laurel and James, I spent summers on mountain lakes and at small marinas — and I could have sworn I had been transported back to my youth when I was reading sections of Find Wonder in All Things.
Similarly, Cox captured some essential aspects of life in the 1990s, the time this story was set. I loved how she used certain key aspects of 1990s culture to explain James’s transformation into a successful tech entrepreneur.
Of course, there are challenges that come with telling the Persuasion story in 1990s America. In Regency England, a young, ambitious Frederick Wentworth could propose to a 19-year-old Anne without this pseudo-feminist batting an eye (I mean, it was the 19th century, right?)— but James Marshall asking a modern woman like Laurel to pick up and leave with him when she’s only 18, in a college program that works for her, and still figuring out her life? I found myself bristling that he would dare think his own career ambitions and life were more important than her choices.
I’ll admit I had to struggle for a while with the character of James — to wonder what it was that Laurel saw in him. (And this, in turn, makes me wonder: what did Anne see in Frederick Wentworth? Cox’s novel has just inspired to reread Persuasion for the umpteenth time!) But I’m glad I didn’t allow my uncertainty for James discourage me from reading this novel, which Cox unfolds slowly, beautifully — much like her beloved mountain laurel coming into bloom. While I would have liked to see more of James’s character growth, Cox gives us so much to love about Laurel that I was engaged in the story to the very end.
I would highly recommend this story for any fan of Austen’s Persuasion. Cox cleverly weaves in references to the original novel, while making important deviations to tell her own story about a young woman finding her voice in late 20th century Kentucky.
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Time and place are Karen Cox’s specialties: she has a real talent for creating settings that live and breathe alongside the characters who inhabit them. I grew up in a place not unlike Uppercross, Kentucky, the setting for this story. This location is in many ways as important to understanding Laurel and James as any other aspect of this novel, and Cox does a fabulous job making the mountains of Uppercross come to life. Like Laurel and James, I spent summers on mountain lakes and at small marinas — and I could have sworn I had been transported back to my youth when I was reading sections of Find Wonder in All Things.
Similarly, Cox captured some essential aspects of life in the 1990s, the time this story was set. I loved how she used certain key aspects of 1990s culture to explain James’s transformation into a successful tech entrepreneur.
Of course, there are challenges that come with telling the Persuasion story in 1990s America. In Regency England, a young, ambitious Frederick Wentworth could propose to a 19-year-old Anne without this pseudo-feminist batting an eye (I mean, it was the 19th century, right?)— but James Marshall asking a modern woman like Laurel to pick up and leave with him when she’s only 18, in a college program that works for her, and still figuring out her life? I found myself bristling that he would dare think his own career ambitions and life were more important than her choices.
I’ll admit I had to struggle for a while with the character of James — to wonder what it was that Laurel saw in him. (And this, in turn, makes me wonder: what did Anne see in Frederick Wentworth? Cox’s novel has just inspired to reread Persuasion for the umpteenth time!) But I’m glad I didn’t allow my uncertainty for James discourage me from reading this novel, which Cox unfolds slowly, beautifully — much like her beloved mountain laurel coming into bloom. While I would have liked to see more of James’s character growth, Cox gives us so much to love about Laurel that I was engaged in the story to the very end.
I would highly recommend this story for any fan of Austen’s Persuasion. Cox cleverly weaves in references to the original novel, while making important deviations to tell her own story about a young woman finding her voice in late 20th century Kentucky.
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 27, 2019
Beautiful writing and a romance with a timeless quality I have read several stories and books by Karen M. Cox, both set in and out of the Austen universe, and have enjoyed her beautiful writing, so I did not hesitate when I was offered the opportunity to review the new edition of this novel, which was well received a few years back. Although this is a retelling of Austen’s Persuasion, I can confirm that it is not necessary to have read that novel to enjoy this one, as I could barely remember the plot of Austen’s original, and it did not detract from my appreciation of the quality of the writing. Fans of Austen will have the added enjoyment of comparing the two, but the rest can be assured that the novel works as a romance in its own right.
I have commented before that this author’s writing has a timeless quality, and even when she sets the action in the present (or very close), there is something that makes one feel nostalgic, and I experienced this very strongly at the beginning of the book, when the male main character, James, recalls his summers at the lake, the time he spent there with his best friend, Stuart, and ends up falling for Laurel, the sister of her friend’s on-and-off girlfriend. The author’s description of the Kentucky foothills of Appalachia made me experience a weird sense of longing, as I’ve never visited but I felt as if I had. It is evident that the author knows and loves the area and can transmit her affection to her readers, who get to understand why Laurel feels so attached to it as well.
The story is narrated from the two main characters’ point of view, and the author clearly separates the two, with the first part (and intermezzo) written from James’s point of view; the second, set several years later, from Laurel’s; and the third alternating both. This allows readers to experience their doubts, frustrations, confusion, and mixed feelings, while at the same having a greater understanding of what lies behind some of their behaviours, words, and actions. If you love stories of the “will they/won’t day” type, you’ll have a field day here, because there are many close encounters, lost opportunities, misunderstandings, and numerous occasions when you’ll wish you were there to tell them to just get on with it and talk to each other. But we all know what they say about the course of true love.
The novel is about second opportunities. James and Laurel fall in love when they are quite young, and although he tries to convince her to move in with him when he goes to Nashville to try and make a living in the music business, she’s just started college and decides to follow her family’s advice, carry on with her studies and stay at home. He makes it big —although not exactly how he expected— and seems to have moved on, but he still thinks of her. And it’s mutual. In this retelling of Austen’s story, the characters don’t challenge traditional gender conventions upfront as is common these days, and therefore the book stays closer to the spirit of the original (well, not in all aspects, and the subtlety of the author’s touch is perhaps what most reminded me of Austen). It might be frustrating for those who look for a heroine with a more modern outlook, but, personally, I liked Lauren, understood her plight and her reasoning, and felt her choice of priorities marked her as a very strong woman. James is the one who leaves home and tries to become a success by going wherever the opportunity arises, while Laurel remains close to home, helping her family, and become an artist, living fairly isolated in a mountain cabin, in touch with nature and needing that inspiration to grow into herself. The novel is also about identity, strength, courage, and belonging. We might think we know these qualities and concepts, but they are ultimately very personal and there is no one definition that fits all. The novel also reminds us that we might get to regret the decisions we make, but we’ll never know how things would have been if we’d chosen another path, and we have to live our life now and not get stuck on what may have been.
I enjoyed the setting of the story and the little community of friends and relatives that develops around the two protagonists. I liked the secondary characters, although some of them only appear for a brief period of time, and I was particularly touched by Laurel’s mother and her plight. There is no great emphasis on social mores and the wider world around the main characters (as there would have been in Austen’s novels), and I wouldn’t have minded a bit more on Laurel’s art and James’s music, but this is pretty much a romance focusing on the two characters’ relationship, and very romantic at that, so I’m sure fans of the genre will be more than happy with the story arch. Ah, there are sex scenes (three), which are not extremely graphic, but as somebody who doesn’t care for erotica, I thought I’d better warn you about them. Although it could have been done in other ways, these scenes go some way to challenge the status quo and the way we see the characters, and also exemplify the different phases of the relationship.
I thought I’d share a couple of samples from the novel to give you a taster.
James is remembering the summers he spent at the lake with his friend Stuart.
Mrs. Pendleton had said they were eating dinner at the marina restaurant that night, and then there’d be more walking around the dock and maybe some fishing as the sun set. The next day, it would all start again. It seemed as if days on the lake lasted forever and ran one into the other, as the long, lazy days of summer should.
Here Laurel is talking to her sister, Virginia.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, I know. You’re always fine. I just wish you could be happy too.”
This is a novel for romance lovers, especially those who enjoy stories about second chances, and also for fans of Austen. It is beautifully written, and it would be a great choice for book clubs interested in romances and Austen. It includes a number of questions at the end that would help get the discussion started as well. I am pleased to say I have another one of the author’s novels waiting to be read, and I hope they’ll keep coming.
I received an ARC copy of this novel. This has not affected my review, which I freely chose to share.
I have commented before that this author’s writing has a timeless quality, and even when she sets the action in the present (or very close), there is something that makes one feel nostalgic, and I experienced this very strongly at the beginning of the book, when the male main character, James, recalls his summers at the lake, the time he spent there with his best friend, Stuart, and ends up falling for Laurel, the sister of her friend’s on-and-off girlfriend. The author’s description of the Kentucky foothills of Appalachia made me experience a weird sense of longing, as I’ve never visited but I felt as if I had. It is evident that the author knows and loves the area and can transmit her affection to her readers, who get to understand why Laurel feels so attached to it as well.
The story is narrated from the two main characters’ point of view, and the author clearly separates the two, with the first part (and intermezzo) written from James’s point of view; the second, set several years later, from Laurel’s; and the third alternating both. This allows readers to experience their doubts, frustrations, confusion, and mixed feelings, while at the same having a greater understanding of what lies behind some of their behaviours, words, and actions. If you love stories of the “will they/won’t day” type, you’ll have a field day here, because there are many close encounters, lost opportunities, misunderstandings, and numerous occasions when you’ll wish you were there to tell them to just get on with it and talk to each other. But we all know what they say about the course of true love.
The novel is about second opportunities. James and Laurel fall in love when they are quite young, and although he tries to convince her to move in with him when he goes to Nashville to try and make a living in the music business, she’s just started college and decides to follow her family’s advice, carry on with her studies and stay at home. He makes it big —although not exactly how he expected— and seems to have moved on, but he still thinks of her. And it’s mutual. In this retelling of Austen’s story, the characters don’t challenge traditional gender conventions upfront as is common these days, and therefore the book stays closer to the spirit of the original (well, not in all aspects, and the subtlety of the author’s touch is perhaps what most reminded me of Austen). It might be frustrating for those who look for a heroine with a more modern outlook, but, personally, I liked Lauren, understood her plight and her reasoning, and felt her choice of priorities marked her as a very strong woman. James is the one who leaves home and tries to become a success by going wherever the opportunity arises, while Laurel remains close to home, helping her family, and become an artist, living fairly isolated in a mountain cabin, in touch with nature and needing that inspiration to grow into herself. The novel is also about identity, strength, courage, and belonging. We might think we know these qualities and concepts, but they are ultimately very personal and there is no one definition that fits all. The novel also reminds us that we might get to regret the decisions we make, but we’ll never know how things would have been if we’d chosen another path, and we have to live our life now and not get stuck on what may have been.
I enjoyed the setting of the story and the little community of friends and relatives that develops around the two protagonists. I liked the secondary characters, although some of them only appear for a brief period of time, and I was particularly touched by Laurel’s mother and her plight. There is no great emphasis on social mores and the wider world around the main characters (as there would have been in Austen’s novels), and I wouldn’t have minded a bit more on Laurel’s art and James’s music, but this is pretty much a romance focusing on the two characters’ relationship, and very romantic at that, so I’m sure fans of the genre will be more than happy with the story arch. Ah, there are sex scenes (three), which are not extremely graphic, but as somebody who doesn’t care for erotica, I thought I’d better warn you about them. Although it could have been done in other ways, these scenes go some way to challenge the status quo and the way we see the characters, and also exemplify the different phases of the relationship.
I thought I’d share a couple of samples from the novel to give you a taster.
James is remembering the summers he spent at the lake with his friend Stuart.
Mrs. Pendleton had said they were eating dinner at the marina restaurant that night, and then there’d be more walking around the dock and maybe some fishing as the sun set. The next day, it would all start again. It seemed as if days on the lake lasted forever and ran one into the other, as the long, lazy days of summer should.
Here Laurel is talking to her sister, Virginia.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, I know. You’re always fine. I just wish you could be happy too.”
This is a novel for romance lovers, especially those who enjoy stories about second chances, and also for fans of Austen. It is beautifully written, and it would be a great choice for book clubs interested in romances and Austen. It includes a number of questions at the end that would help get the discussion started as well. I am pleased to say I have another one of the author’s novels waiting to be read, and I hope they’ll keep coming.
I received an ARC copy of this novel. This has not affected my review, which I freely chose to share.
March 21, 2020
Subtle and enchanting
This book does exactly what the title promises -- finds wonder in all things, however commonplace. In her beautiful modern re-imagining of Jane Austen's Persuasion, Karen M. Cox evokes the extraordinary in everyday moments, slowly building drama and romance out of subtle, relatable ingredients. Her characters, with their flaws and insecurities, feel familiar and believable, and her writing has an effortless warmth to it that will leave you smiling long after you've finished the last page.
This book does exactly what the title promises -- finds wonder in all things, however commonplace. In her beautiful modern re-imagining of Jane Austen's Persuasion, Karen M. Cox evokes the extraordinary in everyday moments, slowly building drama and romance out of subtle, relatable ingredients. Her characters, with their flaws and insecurities, feel familiar and believable, and her writing has an effortless warmth to it that will leave you smiling long after you've finished the last page.
January 10, 2015
Find wonder in all things è un bel retelling di Persuasione in chiave moderna.
I protagonisti sono Laurel (Anne) che, diversamente dall'eroina austeniana, ha una famiglia molto numerosa e crea splendidi manufatti di ceramica, e James (il Capitano Wentworth), appassionato di musica, che è diventato famoso, nonché molto ricco, grazie ad un software sviluppato insieme ad amici (le trasposizioni di Benwick e Harville).
Inizialmente ho faticato un po' nella lettura, in quanto la Cox ci presenta i due da bambini, e poi, più ampiamente, ci rende partecipi della loro storia d'amore prima della rottura. A me non piace che nei retelling si racconti più di quanto ci abbia narrato la Austen, anche se l'aggiunta di questi episodi può aiutare a conoscere meglio i personaggi e a comprendere i motivi della rottura.
In questa versione, infatti, Laurel non viene persuasa, come Anne, ad interrompere la sua relazione con James, ma sono piuttosto la sua situazione familiare - una madre depressa, numerosi fratelli - e la sua giovane età, nonché l'immaturità di James e l'incertezza del futuro a farle scegliere di non seguirlo a Nashville.
I due si incontrano di nuovo dopo otto anni, come nella storia originale, e questa è stata la parte della storia che mi è piaciuta di più. In essa, infatti, è possibile ritrovare tutte le emozioni che regala anche Persuasione. Ho apprezzato molto come l'autrice abbia trasposto la caduta di Luoisa, qui diventato un incidente di sci nautico, o il personaggio del cugino Elliot, qui un vecchio amico del padre di Laurel, anziano, che cerca di fare di lei il suo trofeo, un uomo che risulta veramente viscido, e che cerca di controllare la sua vita ancor prima dell'inizio di un'eventuale relazione.
Molto realistico il personaggio della mamma di Laurel, malata di depressione da molti anni, che è riuscita a farmi provare una gran rabbia, ma anche una gran pena.
Il libro mi è piaciuto moltissimo, non riuscivo a smettere di leggere e lo consiglio a chiunque abbia amato Persuasione (benché la conoscenza del romanzo auteniano non sia necessaria), tuttavia non ho apprezzato le sue battute finali.
Avrei infatti preferito che la storia si concludesse con la rappacificazione dei due: non volevo sapere cosa accadesse dopo, non volevo leggere di difficoltà di concepimento e di anni che passano.
Troppe parole, secondo me, che a volte rischiano di danneggiare quello che poteva essere davvero un gran bel libro.
http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/
I protagonisti sono Laurel (Anne) che, diversamente dall'eroina austeniana, ha una famiglia molto numerosa e crea splendidi manufatti di ceramica, e James (il Capitano Wentworth), appassionato di musica, che è diventato famoso, nonché molto ricco, grazie ad un software sviluppato insieme ad amici (le trasposizioni di Benwick e Harville).
Inizialmente ho faticato un po' nella lettura, in quanto la Cox ci presenta i due da bambini, e poi, più ampiamente, ci rende partecipi della loro storia d'amore prima della rottura. A me non piace che nei retelling si racconti più di quanto ci abbia narrato la Austen, anche se l'aggiunta di questi episodi può aiutare a conoscere meglio i personaggi e a comprendere i motivi della rottura.
In questa versione, infatti, Laurel non viene persuasa, come Anne, ad interrompere la sua relazione con James, ma sono piuttosto la sua situazione familiare - una madre depressa, numerosi fratelli - e la sua giovane età, nonché l'immaturità di James e l'incertezza del futuro a farle scegliere di non seguirlo a Nashville.
I due si incontrano di nuovo dopo otto anni, come nella storia originale, e questa è stata la parte della storia che mi è piaciuta di più. In essa, infatti, è possibile ritrovare tutte le emozioni che regala anche Persuasione. Ho apprezzato molto come l'autrice abbia trasposto la caduta di Luoisa, qui diventato un incidente di sci nautico, o il personaggio del cugino Elliot, qui un vecchio amico del padre di Laurel, anziano, che cerca di fare di lei il suo trofeo, un uomo che risulta veramente viscido, e che cerca di controllare la sua vita ancor prima dell'inizio di un'eventuale relazione.
Molto realistico il personaggio della mamma di Laurel, malata di depressione da molti anni, che è riuscita a farmi provare una gran rabbia, ma anche una gran pena.
Il libro mi è piaciuto moltissimo, non riuscivo a smettere di leggere e lo consiglio a chiunque abbia amato Persuasione (benché la conoscenza del romanzo auteniano non sia necessaria), tuttavia non ho apprezzato le sue battute finali.
Avrei infatti preferito che la storia si concludesse con la rappacificazione dei due: non volevo sapere cosa accadesse dopo, non volevo leggere di difficoltà di concepimento e di anni che passano.
Troppe parole, secondo me, che a volte rischiano di danneggiare quello che poteva essere davvero un gran bel libro.
http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/
June 25, 2012
Karen M. Cox has another winner on her hands. She takes Austen’s dynamic characters and brings them to life in a modern setting.
When James Marshall decides to spend his summer on a lake in Kentucky, he finds more than a job at the local marina. The long-legged, red-haired Laurel Elliot proves more beguiling than James bargained for. As the two form an easy friendship, they begin sharing more than just their artistic passions. After a flurry of summer romance, when James asks her to move away with him, Laurel is apprehensive. After all, she has a life of responsibilities at home: college to finish, the marina to run, and her family to take care of; she can’t just leave her home for the uncertainties James offers. Now seven years later, when James returns more successful than either could have imagined, will the two find their easy rhythm again?
While I am familiar with (and a lover of) Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the parallels between the two stories were cleverly executed by transforming both minor and major events into modern ones. Cox exhibits her Persuasion mastery by fully capturing Austen’s characters’ feelings and characteristics while also making them her own. Mr. Elliot is a struggling marina owner, while Cooper Edwards, Mr. Elliot’s college friend, is just as shameless as William Walter Elliot. The beautiful and flirtatious Heather Pendleton made a perfectly unique Louisa Musgrove and James’s sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Gary Murtowski, are just as affable as Austen’s Crofts. Like the characters, I felt a variety of emotions: delight when James and Laurel fall in love, agony when James leaves, apprehension mixed with hope when he returns, and weak at the knees when James writes his “letter.”
In classic Wentworth style, James arrives back in Kentucky cool and distant towards Laurel. A bitter man, James wants to make Laurel aware of what she threw away. Laurel is brought to life through her internal struggles: regret over being easily persuaded to stay at home, deep sorrow over an opportunity lost, and jealousy over Heather and James’s flirtatious ways. However, can James ignore the memories and stirrings within?
One does not need to have an Austen fetish to enjoy this story. It is a wonderful adaptation of the boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy gets girl trope.
5 out of 5 stars
When James Marshall decides to spend his summer on a lake in Kentucky, he finds more than a job at the local marina. The long-legged, red-haired Laurel Elliot proves more beguiling than James bargained for. As the two form an easy friendship, they begin sharing more than just their artistic passions. After a flurry of summer romance, when James asks her to move away with him, Laurel is apprehensive. After all, she has a life of responsibilities at home: college to finish, the marina to run, and her family to take care of; she can’t just leave her home for the uncertainties James offers. Now seven years later, when James returns more successful than either could have imagined, will the two find their easy rhythm again?
While I am familiar with (and a lover of) Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the parallels between the two stories were cleverly executed by transforming both minor and major events into modern ones. Cox exhibits her Persuasion mastery by fully capturing Austen’s characters’ feelings and characteristics while also making them her own. Mr. Elliot is a struggling marina owner, while Cooper Edwards, Mr. Elliot’s college friend, is just as shameless as William Walter Elliot. The beautiful and flirtatious Heather Pendleton made a perfectly unique Louisa Musgrove and James’s sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Gary Murtowski, are just as affable as Austen’s Crofts. Like the characters, I felt a variety of emotions: delight when James and Laurel fall in love, agony when James leaves, apprehension mixed with hope when he returns, and weak at the knees when James writes his “letter.”
In classic Wentworth style, James arrives back in Kentucky cool and distant towards Laurel. A bitter man, James wants to make Laurel aware of what she threw away. Laurel is brought to life through her internal struggles: regret over being easily persuaded to stay at home, deep sorrow over an opportunity lost, and jealousy over Heather and James’s flirtatious ways. However, can James ignore the memories and stirrings within?
One does not need to have an Austen fetish to enjoy this story. It is a wonderful adaptation of the boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy gets girl trope.
5 out of 5 stars
April 30, 2020
Brilliant modern variation of Persuasion
Unputdownable!
I absolutely loved this beautifully written and brilliantly executed book.
It was like an old friend and a new acquaintance, all at once. I loved that the first part was devoted to the time Laurel (Anne) and James (Wentworth) spent together in their youth while the second part was the reunion.
Expertly brought into the modern era with the deliciously emotional moments intact. In addition, details were expounded upon, putting canon into a new light for me. Giving me a deeper understanding of the original.
I heartily recommend this book!
Rated: Mature
Unputdownable!
I absolutely loved this beautifully written and brilliantly executed book.
It was like an old friend and a new acquaintance, all at once. I loved that the first part was devoted to the time Laurel (Anne) and James (Wentworth) spent together in their youth while the second part was the reunion.
Expertly brought into the modern era with the deliciously emotional moments intact. In addition, details were expounded upon, putting canon into a new light for me. Giving me a deeper understanding of the original.
I heartily recommend this book!
Rated: Mature
January 15, 2020
This is a wonderful modern take on Jane Austen’s Persuasion, but you can easily read it without knowing anything about Austen’s work as it can stand as an independent novel. It’s a second chance love story. A young artist and a college student, childhood friends, fall in love one summer, but as often happens, life tears them apart for various reasons: age, college, finances, and family disapproval and interference. But just as life tears people apart, it has a funny way of bringing them back together to give them another chance. In this case, eight years passes between that first love and it’s reprise, and both people have grown and changed, matured.
As much as I loved Austen’s Persuasion, I also loved this book. It’s beautifully written, and the story flows and makes perfect sense. Instead of Frederick becoming a wealthy sea captain, James makes his fortune in computer software. Instead of Laurel’s family being of the fallen peerage, they’re former hippies that run a resort-area restaurant in Kentucky. Laurel’s father has hopes that she’ll marry a friend of his. Her mother suffers from depression and agoraphobia. Instead of Laurel acting as everyone’s problem solver, here she serves that role as she also becomes a successful artist. Her older sister, Victoria, is married to James’ best friend. It all works very tidily, just as Austen’s original. In this book, though, Laurel is not everyone’s doormat.
This is a sweet and engaging story. I enjoyed reading it very much, and I highly recommend it.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the author. While I appreciate her generosity in sharing her work with me, it had no effect on this review. All comments in this review express my true and honest reactions too reading this book.
As much as I loved Austen’s Persuasion, I also loved this book. It’s beautifully written, and the story flows and makes perfect sense. Instead of Frederick becoming a wealthy sea captain, James makes his fortune in computer software. Instead of Laurel’s family being of the fallen peerage, they’re former hippies that run a resort-area restaurant in Kentucky. Laurel’s father has hopes that she’ll marry a friend of his. Her mother suffers from depression and agoraphobia. Instead of Laurel acting as everyone’s problem solver, here she serves that role as she also becomes a successful artist. Her older sister, Victoria, is married to James’ best friend. It all works very tidily, just as Austen’s original. In this book, though, Laurel is not everyone’s doormat.
This is a sweet and engaging story. I enjoyed reading it very much, and I highly recommend it.
I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the author. While I appreciate her generosity in sharing her work with me, it had no effect on this review. All comments in this review express my true and honest reactions too reading this book.
March 10, 2018
#4.5Stars - Intensely personal and nostalgic read!
This intensely personal, male/female POVs, women's fiction book is a modern nod to the famous Jane Austin's Persuasion novel. Two kids grow up together in a poor, yet, somewhat "tourist-y" town to the locals, and re-meet as college-age students & fall in friendship & love. Life happens though, and they become each other's "the path not taken." 10 years later, they're still wondering, "what if"?
I strongly liked the opening to this novel. It invoked a feel of a return to the Andy Griffith show days. The two characters' adult lives (reclusive artist & music software mogul) are both interesting & unique. Like a good Jane Austin novel, you are rooting & dismaying at the utter nincompoop-yness of the characters - in modern terms, "Get it together, people!" ;)
My one caveat is the pacing is a little slow. But for those of you who enjoy a childhood sweetheart novel, hunky musicians turned billionaire moguls, &/or rustic delights, this book's for you!
For fans of Penny Reid's Tennessee Winston series, Lara Cosio Ward's excellent rock romance series Playing with Love (please ignore the covers, the books are much deeper & more soulful than that!), and Gail Ward's thoughtful & reflective Jeep Tour, enjoy!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
This intensely personal, male/female POVs, women's fiction book is a modern nod to the famous Jane Austin's Persuasion novel. Two kids grow up together in a poor, yet, somewhat "tourist-y" town to the locals, and re-meet as college-age students & fall in friendship & love. Life happens though, and they become each other's "the path not taken." 10 years later, they're still wondering, "what if"?
I strongly liked the opening to this novel. It invoked a feel of a return to the Andy Griffith show days. The two characters' adult lives (reclusive artist & music software mogul) are both interesting & unique. Like a good Jane Austin novel, you are rooting & dismaying at the utter nincompoop-yness of the characters - in modern terms, "Get it together, people!" ;)
My one caveat is the pacing is a little slow. But for those of you who enjoy a childhood sweetheart novel, hunky musicians turned billionaire moguls, &/or rustic delights, this book's for you!
For fans of Penny Reid's Tennessee Winston series, Lara Cosio Ward's excellent rock romance series Playing with Love (please ignore the covers, the books are much deeper & more soulful than that!), and Gail Ward's thoughtful & reflective Jeep Tour, enjoy!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
January 5, 2020
I received an ARC of this very sweet, charming book from the author, Karen M. Cox. Find Wonder In All Things is a heartwarming retake on Jane Austen’s Pride & Persuasion. It is a modern day love story and second chances. Laurel still loves James after a breakup even so many years later and James can’t get Laurel off his mind. Watching the two of them work through their feelings was captivating. The author really did her homework in her description of the characters involved; they were very likable and real. As a huge Jane Austen fan, this story captivated me. It is one of those books that grabs a reader from page one and you can’t put down until you’ve finished the book. In my opinion, the author is to be commended on her exceptional job in writing this modern day spin on a classic and I rated it a five.
December 29, 2019
Find Wonder in All Things by Karen M. Cox
This is the story of Laurel and James. Are you always ready for what life throws at you? Do you sometimes look back and wish you had done things differently? This story reminds us that each event, big or small, in our lives play a part. Opportunities to be happy are all around us; we must listen and reach for them always. Fate can be kind even when we don’t think we deserve it. Find wonder in all things even those that seem trivial because those are often become the fondest memories. Let Laurel and James take you on this journey of love and understanding.
This is the story of Laurel and James. Are you always ready for what life throws at you? Do you sometimes look back and wish you had done things differently? This story reminds us that each event, big or small, in our lives play a part. Opportunities to be happy are all around us; we must listen and reach for them always. Fate can be kind even when we don’t think we deserve it. Find wonder in all things even those that seem trivial because those are often become the fondest memories. Let Laurel and James take you on this journey of love and understanding.
December 20, 2019
I have to admit that I have not read Austen’s books. (I even spelled Austin incorrectly and had to correct it) But I sure like Karen Cox’s books. They are real life. Find Wonder in All Things shows immaturity, 10 years later maturity and gross immaturity in some adults. I like the questions at the end of the book, helps me rethink matters. I would have given this book a five star rating if the sexual scenes had not been as they were. They were not gross, just too much in my opinion. I highly recommend this book. You will fall in love with the characters.
December 22, 2019
Find Wonder in All Things
Dear Mrs Cox
What a beautiful book! I just loved it. I expected it to be quite emotional - and I was right😊
The book is excellently written, people are lovable and interesting, it is also clever, sometimes even wise and also very sensitive, what I always appreciate very much. The connections to the original Persuasion are done in very elegant ways. And the cover ist just wonderful ❤.The most important in a book for me is that it touches my heart – and Find Wonder in All Things did.
I wish you all the best
Doris K
Dear Mrs Cox
What a beautiful book! I just loved it. I expected it to be quite emotional - and I was right😊
The book is excellently written, people are lovable and interesting, it is also clever, sometimes even wise and also very sensitive, what I always appreciate very much. The connections to the original Persuasion are done in very elegant ways. And the cover ist just wonderful ❤.The most important in a book for me is that it touches my heart – and Find Wonder in All Things did.
I wish you all the best
Doris K
December 10, 2019
Great Modern day Persuasion variation
Modern day tale of Anne and Captain Wentworth but named Mountain Laurel and James. Author did a great job with the characters so even though it will remind you of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Karen Cox definitely adds her own take into the story. Well written. I would recommend this story.
Modern day tale of Anne and Captain Wentworth but named Mountain Laurel and James. Author did a great job with the characters so even though it will remind you of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Karen Cox definitely adds her own take into the story. Well written. I would recommend this story.
January 7, 2020
A very enjoyable fresh novel. This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it immensely! Wonderful characters and a lovely storyline and setting. It really kept me guessing.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
February 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, It was my first Karen Cox book, but won't be my last. Beautiful real life love story. Believable storyline. I recommend it.
January 1, 2020
Review to come soon.
February 29, 2020
Jane Austen's most serious and compelling work, "Persuasion", is all about retribution, forgiveness and second chances. Her masterpiece begins seven years after the broken engagement between the young heiress, Anne Elliot, and a junior naval officer, Frederick Wentworth--when he is thrown back into her sphere and both must face the pain from their past. Karen M. Cox's award winning novel, "Find Wonder In All Things" is a modern day homage to this Austen classic. The tale begins with a lakeside friendship in the Appalachian foothills of Kentucky between Laurel Elliott and James Marshall. As the two grow, childhood friendship turns to summer romance and halfway through Laurel's first semester at the local college, James decides to move to Nashville to pursue his music dream. He assumes she will drop everything to join him. But at just eighteen and with a generous art scholarship, weighted by family expectations as well, who would fault her for refusing him and staying on the college track?
Eight years later, James, now rich and famous, returns to the lake to visit his sister, while Laurel has turned into a reclusive, starving artist. Ok, not quite starving but by no means a financial success story. And most definitely alone. "Unbidden, he came to mind: handsome, dashing and determined. The eight years of separation had softened any flaws she ever saw in him, and now he was almost larger than life to her. He had been right to believe in himself and in his ability to make his mark on the world. He had made it, too - perhaps not in the way he intended but still successful beyond his wildest dreams." p.115. Captain Wentworth, I mean, James is determined to play it cool and aloof towards Anne. I mean Laurel! And Laurel's regrets are freshly re-visited as she is keenly aware of her depraved status and jealously towards the younger woman James now bestows his attentions. But Laurel's generous, self-assured spirit unearths old feelings he thought long buried and a companionable friendship blossoms. When a water skiing accident throws the two together, emotions come to the surface. "And he had whispered her name and called her beautiful and sweet. She could hear the words, and then `want, want' It had made her roar to life inside her lower belly. Yes, she thought, I want too.' But then he left." p 177. Maybe too much time and hurt had passed between them...
If you are looking for the cookie cutter formula of a "Persuasion" adaptation, this may not be it. For example, you might be surprised that Austen's pretentious, preening Sir Walter Elliot has been transformed into a struggling but kind hearted marina owner. And Anne Elliot's selfish, self-absorbed elder sister Elizabeth has morphed into an affectionate, married, and doting mother named Virginia. Although many of Austen's key characters have also been re-named and undergone a modern makeover, they remain comfortably familiar to the Austen fan. I admit, some of my appreciation was in recognizing the subtle parallels. (Please note that although the novel opens with Laurel and James as children, their tender love scenes later in years most assuredly rates this an adult read.) However, one need not have read "Persuasion" beforehand to enjoy this novel. "Find Wonder In All Things" stands on its own and no wonder at all, why it was awarded the GOLD MEDAL in the Romance category at the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Congratulations, Karen M Cox on another lovely read! 5 stars as per my original review at Austenprose in 2012.
*The 2020 re-release has been polished and tightened, though the story remains the same. I also liked the addition of Discussion Questions. This is a story not to miss.
Eight years later, James, now rich and famous, returns to the lake to visit his sister, while Laurel has turned into a reclusive, starving artist. Ok, not quite starving but by no means a financial success story. And most definitely alone. "Unbidden, he came to mind: handsome, dashing and determined. The eight years of separation had softened any flaws she ever saw in him, and now he was almost larger than life to her. He had been right to believe in himself and in his ability to make his mark on the world. He had made it, too - perhaps not in the way he intended but still successful beyond his wildest dreams." p.115. Captain Wentworth, I mean, James is determined to play it cool and aloof towards Anne. I mean Laurel! And Laurel's regrets are freshly re-visited as she is keenly aware of her depraved status and jealously towards the younger woman James now bestows his attentions. But Laurel's generous, self-assured spirit unearths old feelings he thought long buried and a companionable friendship blossoms. When a water skiing accident throws the two together, emotions come to the surface. "And he had whispered her name and called her beautiful and sweet. She could hear the words, and then `want, want' It had made her roar to life inside her lower belly. Yes, she thought, I want too.' But then he left." p 177. Maybe too much time and hurt had passed between them...
If you are looking for the cookie cutter formula of a "Persuasion" adaptation, this may not be it. For example, you might be surprised that Austen's pretentious, preening Sir Walter Elliot has been transformed into a struggling but kind hearted marina owner. And Anne Elliot's selfish, self-absorbed elder sister Elizabeth has morphed into an affectionate, married, and doting mother named Virginia. Although many of Austen's key characters have also been re-named and undergone a modern makeover, they remain comfortably familiar to the Austen fan. I admit, some of my appreciation was in recognizing the subtle parallels. (Please note that although the novel opens with Laurel and James as children, their tender love scenes later in years most assuredly rates this an adult read.) However, one need not have read "Persuasion" beforehand to enjoy this novel. "Find Wonder In All Things" stands on its own and no wonder at all, why it was awarded the GOLD MEDAL in the Romance category at the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Congratulations, Karen M Cox on another lovely read! 5 stars as per my original review at Austenprose in 2012.
*The 2020 re-release has been polished and tightened, though the story remains the same. I also liked the addition of Discussion Questions. This is a story not to miss.
books-that-i-have-not-finished
April 14, 2015I won this at the Southern Festival of Books!
June 14, 2023
4.5 stars
Find Wonder in All Things is a modern Persuasion retelling set in a small lake town. Laurel and James met when they were kids, and she always had a crush on him. James is from the big city and he only ever visited the small town in the summer. James and Laurel are reunited years later when James accepts a job at Laurel's father's marina. At this point, Laurel has graduated high school and James is in college. And that's when their romance truly begins.
What's different about this retelling is that the story is told in chronological order. In Part 1 of the book, we briefly see how Laurel and James knew each other as kids. And then we delve deep into their reunion as young adults, when they start dating, when they fall in love, and what made Laurel break up with James. The author includes Part 1 and Part 2 intermissions, which is such an interesting creative choice. I only mention these details because I actually loved how the author formatted the story. Part 2 of the book is when the second chance romance starts, packaged with the forced proximity, pining, angst, and tension.
Out of all the Persuasion retellings I've read so far, I think Laurel and James are probably the most accurate depictions of Anne and Wentworth that I've come across. Anne's kindness, her reclusiveness, and the way she supports her family were translated really well in this modern retelling. It's not easy to write a contemporary Anne Elliot because society today does not place as many restrictions on women as it did back then. But I think the author did a great job showing us how and why Laurel was stuck in her circumstances, and what motivated her to finally get over her fear and to leave the "mountain nest."
What's a bit different with James is that even though he blames Laurel for breaking up with him, he also admits that he was young and impulsive. He understands Laurel's misgivings a lot better as an adult. And this is partly because the story is dual POV!!! It's so rare coming across a dual POV retelling of Persuasion, and this one was so well-done!! The inclusion of James's POV added a lot more depth to the story and to his own characterization. What I love the most here is that Laurel and James took time to both reflect on themselves and to communicate with each other before starting afresh. Again, the dual POV really helped make that clear. The steam was also a bonus! I totally was not expecting it because most retellings keep it closed door or fade to black.
Something else that I really appreciated about this book is that James and Laurel don't cross the flirtation line with Heather and Cooper, respectively. Some of the other modern retellings actually have the main characters hook up with these supporting characters, which left a bad taste in my mouth. But here, there's only mild flirtation and one-sided interest, which is true to the original story. So I'm very happy on that end.
The only minor complaint I have is about the writing style. Don't get me wrong, this book was very well-written. It's just that sometimes it gets dialogue-heavy, to the point where I forget if the characters are standing or sitting and what the setting actually is. But this could also just be a me-problem because I was reading really fast LOL. I would have to re-read to confirm this.
Overall, I truly loved this retelling. I would say it's my second favourite Persuasion retelling so far. I just love that it's accurate story-wise and character-wise. I'm definitely going to check out the author's other classic retellings.
Find Wonder in All Things is a modern Persuasion retelling set in a small lake town. Laurel and James met when they were kids, and she always had a crush on him. James is from the big city and he only ever visited the small town in the summer. James and Laurel are reunited years later when James accepts a job at Laurel's father's marina. At this point, Laurel has graduated high school and James is in college. And that's when their romance truly begins.
What's different about this retelling is that the story is told in chronological order. In Part 1 of the book, we briefly see how Laurel and James knew each other as kids. And then we delve deep into their reunion as young adults, when they start dating, when they fall in love, and what made Laurel break up with James. The author includes Part 1 and Part 2 intermissions, which is such an interesting creative choice. I only mention these details because I actually loved how the author formatted the story. Part 2 of the book is when the second chance romance starts, packaged with the forced proximity, pining, angst, and tension.
Out of all the Persuasion retellings I've read so far, I think Laurel and James are probably the most accurate depictions of Anne and Wentworth that I've come across. Anne's kindness, her reclusiveness, and the way she supports her family were translated really well in this modern retelling. It's not easy to write a contemporary Anne Elliot because society today does not place as many restrictions on women as it did back then. But I think the author did a great job showing us how and why Laurel was stuck in her circumstances, and what motivated her to finally get over her fear and to leave the "mountain nest."
What's a bit different with James is that even though he blames Laurel for breaking up with him, he also admits that he was young and impulsive. He understands Laurel's misgivings a lot better as an adult. And this is partly because the story is dual POV!!! It's so rare coming across a dual POV retelling of Persuasion, and this one was so well-done!! The inclusion of James's POV added a lot more depth to the story and to his own characterization. What I love the most here is that Laurel and James took time to both reflect on themselves and to communicate with each other before starting afresh. Again, the dual POV really helped make that clear. The steam was also a bonus! I totally was not expecting it because most retellings keep it closed door or fade to black.
Something else that I really appreciated about this book is that James and Laurel don't cross the flirtation line with Heather and Cooper, respectively. Some of the other modern retellings actually have the main characters hook up with these supporting characters, which left a bad taste in my mouth. But here, there's only mild flirtation and one-sided interest, which is true to the original story. So I'm very happy on that end.
The only minor complaint I have is about the writing style. Don't get me wrong, this book was very well-written. It's just that sometimes it gets dialogue-heavy, to the point where I forget if the characters are standing or sitting and what the setting actually is. But this could also just be a me-problem because I was reading really fast LOL. I would have to re-read to confirm this.
Overall, I truly loved this retelling. I would say it's my second favourite Persuasion retelling so far. I just love that it's accurate story-wise and character-wise. I'm definitely going to check out the author's other classic retellings.
April 30, 2020
A modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which is one of the original second chance romances. I enjoyed this novel immensely, though I’m not likely to reread it like I do Persuasion. I enjoyed that some of the book was from James’ point of view, then it switched to Laurel’s perspective. The first third of the book is the story of how they fell in love the first time, which is not covered in the original. The setting in the Appalachian mountains is beautiful and captures the idyllic nature of rural childhood.
The author modifies the characters so they are neither as selfish nor as cruel as Austen’s originals. She also captures the quiet trauma of loving a parent with severe mental illness, and this is the main reason for he separation. These changes bring the novel to the modern era well, but also make Laurel less of a victim that Anne was in the first half of Persuasion. Anne Eliot was a shadow of her former self who comes back to life when seen and loved. Laurel Elliott is strong, self contained, and successful - she is alone and sometimes lonely, but she is not withering.
One challenge of bringing Austen to the modern era is women’s independence. We can work, support ourselves, live outside the family home. We are not dependent on a man to care for us financially. I think the author has handled this well - she has made Laurel financially self-supporting. Laurel does not need James, she chooses James. The only true villain in the book is the man who tries to reduce Laurel to a dependent who needs to be supported. It’s an interesting twist on Austen, and I’ll be thinking about it more.
I had one small nit with the book: the author uses dates, and they are not necessary. They took an element of fantasy away from me, by making me remember what it was like in 1991 and 1986. I would have preferred “10 years ago” “15 years ago”, “Present Day”. But that’s just my personal preference.
This was a satisfying interpretation of a beloved classic. I will read more from this author. I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The author modifies the characters so they are neither as selfish nor as cruel as Austen’s originals. She also captures the quiet trauma of loving a parent with severe mental illness, and this is the main reason for he separation. These changes bring the novel to the modern era well, but also make Laurel less of a victim that Anne was in the first half of Persuasion. Anne Eliot was a shadow of her former self who comes back to life when seen and loved. Laurel Elliott is strong, self contained, and successful - she is alone and sometimes lonely, but she is not withering.
One challenge of bringing Austen to the modern era is women’s independence. We can work, support ourselves, live outside the family home. We are not dependent on a man to care for us financially. I think the author has handled this well - she has made Laurel financially self-supporting. Laurel does not need James, she chooses James. The only true villain in the book is the man who tries to reduce Laurel to a dependent who needs to be supported. It’s an interesting twist on Austen, and I’ll be thinking about it more.
I had one small nit with the book: the author uses dates, and they are not necessary. They took an element of fantasy away from me, by making me remember what it was like in 1991 and 1986. I would have preferred “10 years ago” “15 years ago”, “Present Day”. But that’s just my personal preference.
This was a satisfying interpretation of a beloved classic. I will read more from this author. I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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