Influenced: A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion

by Jennifer Goodman

Anne Elliott is a shell of her former self. She lives her life in service to her father and sisters for two reasons. When she was in college 10 years earlier, her mother died, and she fell in love with Rick. In the devastating wake of her mother’s death, Rick proposed, and in the absence of her beloved mother, a close family friend advised her to reject the proposal because of their age and financial situations. She lives in mourning for her mother, and in regret for refusing Rick. Without her mother’s level-headed influence, Anne’s father and sister have squandered the family fortune and are forced to sell their beautiful home. The buyers are Rick’s sister and husband. Anne and Rick are thrown together again through the unknowing actions of their respective families. Will they reconnect? Or is Rick too bitter from being rejected all those years ago? Can Anne shake off the loss and lack of respect from her family and move forward with her life with or without Rick?

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Jen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly straight retelling hitting with a few characters recast with the major plot points with a few details reworked to fit the modern era. It mostly worked, there was only the second last chapter where I felt that the author succumbed too much to telling rather than showing that didn't feel natural (unlike the rest that flowed quite nicely).