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Persuading Annie: A Witty and Heartwarming Romantic Comedy About Second Chances and Holiday Magic
After years as a sweet, good-natured pushover, Annie Markham has had to face up to three hard truths:
You've got to be tough to succeed in business and romance.
Sometimes your meddling loved ones are right about your worthless, no-good boyfriend being worthless and no good.
The only reliable thing about men is that they're totally unreliable.
Okay, she's been persuaded. So now, seven years after wisely and abruptly dumping the "love of her life," Jake Mead, things should be going better for Annie Markham, right? Unfortunately, her life's going nowhere, her family's going mental, and the family business is heading straight down the tubes. Could it get worse? Of course! Jake's back, Annie's getting ready for bankruptcy, and no one's ready for Christmas ... let alone a happy New Year.
And no amount of persuasion will ever convince Annie that magic does happen and dreams do come true, not even at the stroke of midnight on December 31 at New York's Plaza Hotel ... will it?
You've got to be tough to succeed in business and romance.
Sometimes your meddling loved ones are right about your worthless, no-good boyfriend being worthless and no good.
The only reliable thing about men is that they're totally unreliable.
Okay, she's been persuaded. So now, seven years after wisely and abruptly dumping the "love of her life," Jake Mead, things should be going better for Annie Markham, right? Unfortunately, her life's going nowhere, her family's going mental, and the family business is heading straight down the tubes. Could it get worse? Of course! Jake's back, Annie's getting ready for bankruptcy, and no one's ready for Christmas ... let alone a happy New Year.
And no amount of persuasion will ever convince Annie that magic does happen and dreams do come true, not even at the stroke of midnight on December 31 at New York's Plaza Hotel ... will it?
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
21 people are currently reading
3395 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Nathan
11 books247 followersMelissa Jane Nathan (13 June 1968 – 7 April 2006) was a journalist and UK author of popular "chick lit" novels in the early 2000s.
When working on Persuading Annie (2001), Nathan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She refused to let the illness dominate her life, and - in public anyway - was unfailingly positive. She had no time for most journalism written by cancer sufferers: "self-indulgent dirges without a helpline in sight", as she described them; she tried to joke about cancer's unoriginality in her Jewish Chronicle column and then added:
That was what you call laughing in adversity. It's what makes people smile mistily at me, as if I'm fading in front of their very eyes while telling knock-knock jokes. What they don't know is that I have daydreams about being the oldest person at their funeral.
Ironically, the characters in Nathan's first book, 'Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field', were starring in a play version of Pride & Prejudice that benefitted breast cancer research. The book was written prior to Nathan knowing about her own future diagnosis with the disease.
She died aged 37 from breast cancer in April 2006. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Saffron, and their son, Sam.
Her final novel, The Learning Curve, was published posthumously in August 2006. A writing award has been established to recognize quality comedy romance writers in her honor.
When working on Persuading Annie (2001), Nathan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She refused to let the illness dominate her life, and - in public anyway - was unfailingly positive. She had no time for most journalism written by cancer sufferers: "self-indulgent dirges without a helpline in sight", as she described them; she tried to joke about cancer's unoriginality in her Jewish Chronicle column and then added:
That was what you call laughing in adversity. It's what makes people smile mistily at me, as if I'm fading in front of their very eyes while telling knock-knock jokes. What they don't know is that I have daydreams about being the oldest person at their funeral.
Ironically, the characters in Nathan's first book, 'Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field', were starring in a play version of Pride & Prejudice that benefitted breast cancer research. The book was written prior to Nathan knowing about her own future diagnosis with the disease.
She died aged 37 from breast cancer in April 2006. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Saffron, and their son, Sam.
Her final novel, The Learning Curve, was published posthumously in August 2006. A writing award has been established to recognize quality comedy romance writers in her honor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
April 24, 2011
When she thought she was pregnant, nineteen-year-old Annie Markham and her college sweetheart, Jake Mead, happily decided to elope to Paris. However, on the night of their intended departure Annie discovers it was just a false alarm; and when she tries telling Jake this he jumps to the wrong conclusion and assumes the worst of her, launching them both into a bitter argument. Since that fateful day Annie and Jake have not seen or heard from each other. Seven years later, when the Markham's family business is facing dire financial difficulties they hire a management consultant, who happens to be none other than Jake Mead, to save them! Although Jake and Annie strive to hide their past relationship from everyone, they make no attempt to conceal their resentment and distrust for one another. Will Jake be able to save the extravagant Markhams from financial ruin? Will Jake and Annie finally forgive each other and find the peace and closure they have been without these past seven years?
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March 25, 2014
A young college student finds out she is pregnant. Being young and unmarried she is faced with difficult decisions. The good news is that both H/h are in love even if they are young and sometimes aren't mature enough to make the right decisions. Outside factors such as family and friends from hell reak havoc in the young couple's lives to the point that they breakup and go their separate ways.
Neither one really moves on and the story starts seven years later when they meet again. The author tries to make this into a "Cinderella" theme with two sisters, a godmother, a ball at midnight, the list goes on. Instead of adding to the story, it detracts because she never takes it further. The characters are just card board figures that barely function from page to page. There is very little complexity or worthiness. The heroine incredibly bland and never inspired me to care what happened. It did keep my attention, in that I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it never does.
Neither one really moves on and the story starts seven years later when they meet again. The author tries to make this into a "Cinderella" theme with two sisters, a godmother, a ball at midnight, the list goes on. Instead of adding to the story, it detracts because she never takes it further. The characters are just card board figures that barely function from page to page. There is very little complexity or worthiness. The heroine incredibly bland and never inspired me to care what happened. It did keep my attention, in that I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it never does.
September 27, 2008
I always say I don't like chick lit (and movies). That's not entirely true. What I don't like about chick lit (and movies) is that moment near the end where it gets awkward and embarrassing and then it gets cheesy and embarrassing. And I'm left gagging and my whole enjoyment of the tension the first half is ruined. But if the story could skip over the awkward and cheesy phases and go straight to happy ending, well then I could like said chick lit (or movie). As evidence I enter exhibit A.
I actually liked this story enough to stay up late into the night to finish it. Maybe that's because it's a remake and stories just don't have the complexity they used to. I love modern remakes of old classics. This one is a modern-day retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion and it was fun wondering how she was going to translate the guy who wanted to save the family name by marrying his cousin, the girl who fell off the stairs, the conversation Captain Wentworth overheard in the drawing room, and how this girl would dutifully obey her elders and reject the love of her life.
While all the scenarios she does come up with to answer the classic dilemmas are modern (such as an unexpected pregnancy that initially prompts the engagement) Nathan does follow the storyline considerably well, adjusting minor characters and storylines into other ones when needed. At times it was this idea of a shadowed plot that pulled me along, knowing this is where the characters were headed more than my belief in its natural progression. Not that it's ever unbelievable, it just occasionally would have felt an odd turn in the story or a strange action from a character. But overall I loved the choices she made to update the novel.
There are a handful of f-words and a few non-descript sex scenes (as well as some entertaining banter) to modernize this tale, but overall I loved it. I was worried they'd be revenge sex in this book that would make me cringe, but gratefully it's pretty clean. The kissing isn't mushy, the dialogue is often funny, and the characters are quite colorful. Austen presented her less than stellar supporting cast without judgment, but here we get the full force of selfish, shallow, deviant, conniving, haught of couture. Characters I can truly despise.
I wanted to wring Victoria, or at least strip her of her wealth and leave her homeless; her relationship with Charles was one of my favorites to watch unfold. Not that I didn't love Jake, of course I did, but I enjoyed the craziness of the spoiled rich kids just as much. George was so much more shallow of a father and Divina such a stronger gold digger. I loved the addition of Cass, a character not in the novel but giving Annie a much needed best friend and confidant, and felt for her challenges in life. Surprisingly my only two characters sometimes hard to target were Susannah the loving but sometimes shallow godmother and Annie who seemed reserved and easily controlled at times and sarcastic and defiant at others, but then again I can relate to that dexterity. I loved the cast in all my disdain of most of them.
I haven't enjoyed chick lit this much in a long time. This book is for all you closet chick-lit lovers out there who like me could like it if it weren't so obnoxious and unreal. Read this one. You'll like it. At least I did.
I actually liked this story enough to stay up late into the night to finish it. Maybe that's because it's a remake and stories just don't have the complexity they used to. I love modern remakes of old classics. This one is a modern-day retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion and it was fun wondering how she was going to translate the guy who wanted to save the family name by marrying his cousin, the girl who fell off the stairs, the conversation Captain Wentworth overheard in the drawing room, and how this girl would dutifully obey her elders and reject the love of her life.
While all the scenarios she does come up with to answer the classic dilemmas are modern (such as an unexpected pregnancy that initially prompts the engagement) Nathan does follow the storyline considerably well, adjusting minor characters and storylines into other ones when needed. At times it was this idea of a shadowed plot that pulled me along, knowing this is where the characters were headed more than my belief in its natural progression. Not that it's ever unbelievable, it just occasionally would have felt an odd turn in the story or a strange action from a character. But overall I loved the choices she made to update the novel.
There are a handful of f-words and a few non-descript sex scenes (as well as some entertaining banter) to modernize this tale, but overall I loved it. I was worried they'd be revenge sex in this book that would make me cringe, but gratefully it's pretty clean. The kissing isn't mushy, the dialogue is often funny, and the characters are quite colorful. Austen presented her less than stellar supporting cast without judgment, but here we get the full force of selfish, shallow, deviant, conniving, haught of couture. Characters I can truly despise.
I wanted to wring Victoria, or at least strip her of her wealth and leave her homeless; her relationship with Charles was one of my favorites to watch unfold. Not that I didn't love Jake, of course I did, but I enjoyed the craziness of the spoiled rich kids just as much. George was so much more shallow of a father and Divina such a stronger gold digger. I loved the addition of Cass, a character not in the novel but giving Annie a much needed best friend and confidant, and felt for her challenges in life. Surprisingly my only two characters sometimes hard to target were Susannah the loving but sometimes shallow godmother and Annie who seemed reserved and easily controlled at times and sarcastic and defiant at others, but then again I can relate to that dexterity. I loved the cast in all my disdain of most of them.
I haven't enjoyed chick lit this much in a long time. This book is for all you closet chick-lit lovers out there who like me could like it if it weren't so obnoxious and unreal. Read this one. You'll like it. At least I did.
February 13, 2019
2015, Vienna
Read in Vienna back in 2015 in my local library. Felt that the book was a super hot chick lit, but learning about the author made it so much more. The book was borrowed from the library and that person did not return it for a really long time. I told myself I will buy it some day.
2018/2019, Prague
Found a reaaaally interesting bookstore Shakespeare and Sons during my visit. And this heart warming book was waiting for me lined up against back of the shelf. The poor guy had to endure my happy dance and some light screaming. One of the best and cheapest purchase ever. <3
Read in Vienna back in 2015 in my local library. Felt that the book was a super hot chick lit, but learning about the author made it so much more. The book was borrowed from the library and that person did not return it for a really long time. I told myself I will buy it some day.
2018/2019, Prague
Found a reaaaally interesting bookstore Shakespeare and Sons during my visit. And this heart warming book was waiting for me lined up against back of the shelf. The poor guy had to endure my happy dance and some light screaming. One of the best and cheapest purchase ever. <3
April 6, 2017
Well, it was better than the other Persuasion retelling I've read . . . but it wasn't great. Everyone kept saying how wonderful Annie was, but there was exactly zero evidence that it was true. Whereas, Anne Elliot is patently sublime.
Also, this:
"I can't bear it any longer. I can hear everything your'e saying through the intercom-and it's like a dagger in my soul. have I ballsed it all up?"
Does NOT compare to this:
"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever."
2.75 stars
Also, this:
"I can't bear it any longer. I can hear everything your'e saying through the intercom-and it's like a dagger in my soul. have I ballsed it all up?"
Does NOT compare to this:
"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever."
2.75 stars
June 3, 2023
Not for me. More about Family than romance.
Since it's a Jane Austen's classic retelling, this one's on me as it was true to the classic. I just need loads of fun situations in my reads for them to be enjoyable.
Since it's a Jane Austen's classic retelling, this one's on me as it was true to the classic. I just need loads of fun situations in my reads for them to be enjoyable.
July 17, 2018
I can’t quite decide if I liked Persuading Annie more or less than Acting Up from Melissa Nathan. Annie was obviously a nicer person than Jasmin Field but the story itself felt a lot more boring. The writing style is very confusing.. character’s perspectives (with a lot of inner monologues) change within paragraphs. Let’s say less entertaining than the first but nonetheless an okay read.
Jane Austen July 2018: Read a modern retelling of a Jane Austen book.
Jane Austen July 2018: Read a modern retelling of a Jane Austen book.
December 1, 2010
Once upon a time....the beautiful, auburn headed, vivacious teenager Annie Markham had an awful scare. She thought that she was pregnant. And when she shared this bit of news with her teen boyfriend, Jake...he turned an unbecoming shade of puce, yelled out a panicky speech and promptly fainted. Vivacious Annie should have seen this as a prologue for things to come. But when she discovered that she wasn’t really pregnant, she told Jake again. The gallant Jake promptly turned a slimy shade of green, yelled out another heart-ripping speech and promptly disappeared. Annie should have listened to her wise Godmother Susannah’s advice. Men weren’t to be trusted.
The End.
Once upon a more recent time, Annie Markham is a beautiful young lady. She has a heart of gold, works at a local art gallery, moonlights as a phone Samaritan and seems to be the only sensible duckling in an eccentric self-absorbed family of pretentious swans. But the bouncing curls and witty facade hide an embittered soul. Annie has never really got over Jake’s abrupt departure from her life and he continues to colour all her interactions with the opposite sex.
But Annie has more pressing problems. The once-flourishing family business is in danger of folding. Her figure-head (in every sense of the word) of a father is too busy chasing everything in a short-skirt to do anything useful. Her eldest sister, Katherine is single and too busy playing coiffed socialite to contribute anything meaningful. Her middle sister Victoria is too busy being stuck in a dead-end marriage to the lovable yet golf-crazed Charles and lives out the daily drama of playing hapless mother to two energetic tots.
Susannah, who now works for Markhams decides to bring in the best Managment-Consultant team to save the company from bankruptcy. Said Management Company is headed by the dynamic Jake Mead. Yep, the very same: turn into the colours of a rainbow ->faint -> run Jake from Annie’s past.
Jake, despite being hugely successful and handsome to boot, has never really recovered from what he believes to be Annie’s duplicity. When he learns that Annie is the youngest member of the Markham family, he sees this as a perfect opportunity to seek some long-overdue revenge (or "closure", as his psychiatrist would like to stress). Annie too, is determined to be stoic/sarcastic/condescending when she encounters the big howling ghost from her past.
But the best-laid plans of management gurus and curly-topped viragoes can always hit a roadblock. Soon the two find themselves thrown into improbable situations that result in unexpected results.
The witty Melissa Nathan strikes yet again. Her writing is cheeky, loaded with quips and generously peppered with realistic insights into the minds of different personalities. The characters may seem like caricatures, but they revel in their predictabilities. Annie is an endearing heroine, Jake has the requisite charm to make you overlook his pigheadedness and the rest of the supporting cast have enough eccentricities to keep you hooked till the last page.
R.I.P.
The End.
Once upon a more recent time, Annie Markham is a beautiful young lady. She has a heart of gold, works at a local art gallery, moonlights as a phone Samaritan and seems to be the only sensible duckling in an eccentric self-absorbed family of pretentious swans. But the bouncing curls and witty facade hide an embittered soul. Annie has never really got over Jake’s abrupt departure from her life and he continues to colour all her interactions with the opposite sex.
But Annie has more pressing problems. The once-flourishing family business is in danger of folding. Her figure-head (in every sense of the word) of a father is too busy chasing everything in a short-skirt to do anything useful. Her eldest sister, Katherine is single and too busy playing coiffed socialite to contribute anything meaningful. Her middle sister Victoria is too busy being stuck in a dead-end marriage to the lovable yet golf-crazed Charles and lives out the daily drama of playing hapless mother to two energetic tots.
Susannah, who now works for Markhams decides to bring in the best Managment-Consultant team to save the company from bankruptcy. Said Management Company is headed by the dynamic Jake Mead. Yep, the very same: turn into the colours of a rainbow ->faint -> run Jake from Annie’s past.
Jake, despite being hugely successful and handsome to boot, has never really recovered from what he believes to be Annie’s duplicity. When he learns that Annie is the youngest member of the Markham family, he sees this as a perfect opportunity to seek some long-overdue revenge (or "closure", as his psychiatrist would like to stress). Annie too, is determined to be stoic/sarcastic/condescending when she encounters the big howling ghost from her past.
But the best-laid plans of management gurus and curly-topped viragoes can always hit a roadblock. Soon the two find themselves thrown into improbable situations that result in unexpected results.
The witty Melissa Nathan strikes yet again. Her writing is cheeky, loaded with quips and generously peppered with realistic insights into the minds of different personalities. The characters may seem like caricatures, but they revel in their predictabilities. Annie is an endearing heroine, Jake has the requisite charm to make you overlook his pigheadedness and the rest of the supporting cast have enough eccentricities to keep you hooked till the last page.
R.I.P.
October 13, 2016
This beautiful adaptation of Jane Austen's "Persuasion" comes with one simple message : Take responsibility for your life or else, you will end up living your life on someone else's terms, trying to fulfill their expectations of you.
When Annie heeded the advice of her godmother, Susanna, to not elope with her then boyfriend, Jake, she thought she did the right thing. In fact, when Jake broke up with her, without giving her the chance to explain herself following a misunderstanding, she was convinced she had made the right decision. Until, she met him again, 7 years later at her father's office. Jake Mead, her once upon a time immature, goofy and irresponsible ex-boyfriend that she was madly in love with 7 years ago is today a successful management consultant, who (and here's where it gets interesting) is going to help restore her dad's PR firm that is well on its way to bankruptcy.
Annie thinks meeting Jake after all these years would be a cakewalk; but with Jake in revenge mode, things are not going to be as easy as she thought!!
I simply loved this book!!! :) This is one book I wouldn't mind reading again and again!! :)
When Annie heeded the advice of her godmother, Susanna, to not elope with her then boyfriend, Jake, she thought she did the right thing. In fact, when Jake broke up with her, without giving her the chance to explain herself following a misunderstanding, she was convinced she had made the right decision. Until, she met him again, 7 years later at her father's office. Jake Mead, her once upon a time immature, goofy and irresponsible ex-boyfriend that she was madly in love with 7 years ago is today a successful management consultant, who (and here's where it gets interesting) is going to help restore her dad's PR firm that is well on its way to bankruptcy.
Annie thinks meeting Jake after all these years would be a cakewalk; but with Jake in revenge mode, things are not going to be as easy as she thought!!
I simply loved this book!!! :) This is one book I wouldn't mind reading again and again!! :)
May 1, 2011
I kept leaving and coming back to this book which I think may give some idea as to how much it grabbed my attention.
The story itself was pretty good; a family in trouble asking for help from someone who just happened to date one of the family members and all the entwining of business and personal lives that such a thing involves and creates.
To be honest, the overall ending of the book, or at least one part of it, could be seen coming from about 2/3's the way through the book and I don't think that's much of a good thing.
Melissa Nathan is a good writer don't get me wrong, but for me this story was just a little flat and certain aspects of it could be guessed before they appeared on the page, and for that, I can't rate this book very highly.
The story itself was pretty good; a family in trouble asking for help from someone who just happened to date one of the family members and all the entwining of business and personal lives that such a thing involves and creates.
To be honest, the overall ending of the book, or at least one part of it, could be seen coming from about 2/3's the way through the book and I don't think that's much of a good thing.
Melissa Nathan is a good writer don't get me wrong, but for me this story was just a little flat and certain aspects of it could be guessed before they appeared on the page, and for that, I can't rate this book very highly.
July 26, 2009
I was really excited to read this book for two reasons. 1) I love remakes of Jane Austen stories and 2) I enjoyed this author's remake of Pride and Prejudice, entitled Pride Prejudice and Jasmine Field. However, this remake of Persuasion was lackluster. Little creativity, and the characters were way off the mark in my opinion.
May 23, 2012
Cute summer read - read Persuasion though, it's better! (Jake's note in this book can't compare to the letter Anne receives in Persuasion. Swoon!)
July 2, 2020
Annie and Jake are pregnant and they make plans to runaway together. When Annie finds out it was a mistake and she isn't pregnant she backs out on the plans, but before she can explain Jake walks out on her supposedly never to return. He pops back up several years later as a consultant to save her family's business from ruin. Annie is not sure how she feels about that. She is livid with him for sure, but she may still have feelings for him.
The plot was decent, and I liked the modern interpretation of Persuasion. I didn't really like any of the characters, even Annie who is usually so likeable. I found her annoying, and kind of beastly.
I'm sorry but I thought in 2004 women's lib was way beyond how it was portrayed in this book. I had to recheck the publishing date. How the women were being treated, and how they treated each other was appalling.
The plot was decent, and I liked the modern interpretation of Persuasion. I didn't really like any of the characters, even Annie who is usually so likeable. I found her annoying, and kind of beastly.
I'm sorry but I thought in 2004 women's lib was way beyond how it was portrayed in this book. I had to recheck the publishing date. How the women were being treated, and how they treated each other was appalling.
February 23, 2012
Bon bein voilà, c'est dit, ceci est, sans conteste possible, le livre que j'ai le plus apprécié depuis que j'ai commencé à lire des livres autour de l'oeuvre de Jane Austen. Certes, le fait que Persuasion soit mon roman préféré doit y être pour quelque chose mais tout de même...
J'avais déjà beaucoup aimé Acting Up, de Melissa Nathan, un auteur qui écrit bien et nous présente des personnages des plus attachants, dans un anglais que je comprend. Je ne m'attendais d'ailleurs pas à une réecriture en ouvrant ce livre étant donné qu'Acting Up n'en était pas une. Mais ici, après seulement quelques pages, je suis obligée de me rendre à l'évidence, je suis en présence d'une Anne Elliot de mon époque! Et Melissa Nathan en fait une parfaite réecriture en gardant absolument tout ce qu'il faut tout en apportant de nouvelles choses de manière intelligente, comme l'histoire plus approfondie de la soeur d'Anne (ici Annie) et de son mari que j'ai trouvé très touchante.
Annie Markham donc, est une jeune fille douce et gentille issue d'une famille londonienne riche et capricieuse. Malheureusement, son père a investi tout son argent dans sa société mais est incapable de la diriger. Susannah, la marraine d'Annie, et l'une des directrices de Markham Entreprise, ne voit qu'une solution pour les sauver de la faillite: engager un consultant pour redresser la situation et envoyer la famille d'Annie a New-York en attendant pour qu'ils n'interfèrent pas. Annie décide de rester à Londres et quelle n'est pas sa surprise quand le consultant arrive et n'est autre que Jake, son amour de jeunesse...
C'est un de ces livres que l'on a pas envie d'avoir terminé, on aimerait rester encore un peu avec les personnages. Quand on le pose, ils restent dans notre tête et on pense à eux comme à des amis. D'ailleurs quand on arrive au mot fin, on a pas envie d'en entamer un autre tout de suite, on veut faire durer le plaisir.
Et puis, c'est plus fort que moi, je ne peux pas vous expliquer à quel point cette histoire me touche, je suis triste, en colère, amoureuse avec Annie. Le seul reproche que je pourrais faire à ce livre est que le début est un tout petit peu long mais ensuite on voudrait qu'il ne finisse jamais!
J'avais déjà beaucoup aimé Acting Up, de Melissa Nathan, un auteur qui écrit bien et nous présente des personnages des plus attachants, dans un anglais que je comprend. Je ne m'attendais d'ailleurs pas à une réecriture en ouvrant ce livre étant donné qu'Acting Up n'en était pas une. Mais ici, après seulement quelques pages, je suis obligée de me rendre à l'évidence, je suis en présence d'une Anne Elliot de mon époque! Et Melissa Nathan en fait une parfaite réecriture en gardant absolument tout ce qu'il faut tout en apportant de nouvelles choses de manière intelligente, comme l'histoire plus approfondie de la soeur d'Anne (ici Annie) et de son mari que j'ai trouvé très touchante.
Annie Markham donc, est une jeune fille douce et gentille issue d'une famille londonienne riche et capricieuse. Malheureusement, son père a investi tout son argent dans sa société mais est incapable de la diriger. Susannah, la marraine d'Annie, et l'une des directrices de Markham Entreprise, ne voit qu'une solution pour les sauver de la faillite: engager un consultant pour redresser la situation et envoyer la famille d'Annie a New-York en attendant pour qu'ils n'interfèrent pas. Annie décide de rester à Londres et quelle n'est pas sa surprise quand le consultant arrive et n'est autre que Jake, son amour de jeunesse...
C'est un de ces livres que l'on a pas envie d'avoir terminé, on aimerait rester encore un peu avec les personnages. Quand on le pose, ils restent dans notre tête et on pense à eux comme à des amis. D'ailleurs quand on arrive au mot fin, on a pas envie d'en entamer un autre tout de suite, on veut faire durer le plaisir.
Et puis, c'est plus fort que moi, je ne peux pas vous expliquer à quel point cette histoire me touche, je suis triste, en colère, amoureuse avec Annie. Le seul reproche que je pourrais faire à ce livre est que le début est un tout petit peu long mais ensuite on voudrait qu'il ne finisse jamais!
Read
January 5, 2010Another one of Melissa Nathan's retellings of Jane Austen, this one, based on "Persuasion," doesn't have the zip of "Pride, Prejudice and Jasmine Field," but retains many trademarks of the author's witty dialogue and hilarious characters.[return][return]Through a misunderstanding, college sweethearts Annie and Jake are torn apart with much bitterness. Years later, they are thrown back together when Jake is hired to save the company owned by Annie's spendthrift family, and boy is it awkward. Misunderstandings and jealousy ensue, but the old feelings are still there.[return][return]The novel shines in scenes concerning Annie's pompous father (who is outraged that his valet has the audacity to be ugly) and silly sisters, their hypocrisy and selfishness as sharp as it is in their Austen counterparts. Annie and Jake have a thrilling moment confronting a purse snatcher, but their romance doesn't have the heartstopping emotion of Captain Wentworth and Anne, especially in the novel's climax. (An e-mail full of spelling mistakes? I know the guy was a little choked up, but still..what a buzzkill!)[return][return]Annie is as virtuous as Austen's Anne, if not more, as she patronizes art galleries and volunteers at the local suicide hotline, in contrast to her sisters' behavior: The eldest still partying hard after all these years, and the married, bratty middle child with children of her own. Anne is the black sheep with her goodness, counterbalanced by her vulgar family. Though she risks falling into the "almost too good" category, Nathan keeps her grounded and approachable.[return][return]Though it's not Nathan's best, in my opinion, it's still a cute story that is imaginative with classic material.
March 1, 2015
A quick, fun, predictable read. My only complaint is that the book included too many characters that had too little to do with the plotline.
December 29, 2017
Utter bilge
July 29, 2016
Updated; 14 June 2014
The first time I read it, I hadn't had a clue Persuading Annie is a retelling of one of Jane Austen's works, Persuasion. Despite completely missing out on the reference, my former self doted on the book. I thought the book was hilarious. Two years later and after had acquainted myself with Austen's Persuasion, while not as overly fond of chick flick as I used to be, the book still holds some of its charm over me. To my intense pleasure, I still found the book to be as hilarious as I remembered it was. All in all, Persuading Annie is a rather good rendition of one of my favourite Austen's books.
First read; 23 July 2012
4 stars
I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard over a book. Or maybe because I've been feeding myself with emotionally draining stories more than I should, this one is indeed a welcome change. It has been a while since I last read chick flick. While I don't particularly love chick flick, this one was worth the energy, the time, yadda yadda. You get the drill. If you need to de-stress or read something light for a chance, then read Persuading Annie.
One thing that bugged me though -- I feel Annie and Jake are underdeveloped when they are supposed to be the main characters of the story.Instead, the attention unnecessarily goes to Victoria and Charles. I'd like to know more of what happened to Annie and Jake after their break up. By the end of book, I felt rushed and everything fell into place way too quickly. Like Melissa has ran up the pages number and needed to quickly fold the story and hence the ending.
But it was good nonetheless. Annie and Cass are so hilarious!
The first time I read it, I hadn't had a clue Persuading Annie is a retelling of one of Jane Austen's works, Persuasion. Despite completely missing out on the reference, my former self doted on the book. I thought the book was hilarious. Two years later and after had acquainted myself with Austen's Persuasion, while not as overly fond of chick flick as I used to be, the book still holds some of its charm over me. To my intense pleasure, I still found the book to be as hilarious as I remembered it was. All in all, Persuading Annie is a rather good rendition of one of my favourite Austen's books.
First read; 23 July 2012
4 stars
I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard over a book. Or maybe because I've been feeding myself with emotionally draining stories more than I should, this one is indeed a welcome change. It has been a while since I last read chick flick. While I don't particularly love chick flick, this one was worth the energy, the time, yadda yadda. You get the drill. If you need to de-stress or read something light for a chance, then read Persuading Annie.
One thing that bugged me though -- I feel Annie and Jake are underdeveloped when they are supposed to be the main characters of the story.Instead, the attention unnecessarily goes to Victoria and Charles. I'd like to know more of what happened to Annie and Jake after their break up. By the end of book, I felt rushed and everything fell into place way too quickly. Like Melissa has ran up the pages number and needed to quickly fold the story and hence the ending.
But it was good nonetheless. Annie and Cass are so hilarious!
January 12, 2013
4.5 stars
Funny, light hearted and enchanting, Melissa Nathan's spin on Jane Austen's Persuasion is delightful.
Ever since Acting Up, M. Nathan has been one of my favorite romantic comedy writers and this one just adds to her credit.
Persuading Annie involves a 26 year old art lover Annie Markham, the youngest daughter of the illustrious Markham family. Her widower father, George and two older sisters, Katherine and Victoria form the primary cast of this book. Katherine, a 30 something party animal longs for Victoria's marries status while Victoria envies her sister's perpetual freedom from family responsibilities.
I loved it how Nathan involved the other character's point of view too and not only Annie's, thus subtly changing the readers attention when the main plot gets boring. New characters like Cass and Brutus, Annie's best friends were introduced who contributed to the simple charm of the family with their realistic stories.
Jake, of course, every bit a Captain Wentworth was definitely lovable and charming. The famous letter at the end was marvelously replicated by Nathan. Definitely recommended for all chicklit lovers.
Funny, light hearted and enchanting, Melissa Nathan's spin on Jane Austen's Persuasion is delightful.
Ever since Acting Up, M. Nathan has been one of my favorite romantic comedy writers and this one just adds to her credit.
Persuading Annie involves a 26 year old art lover Annie Markham, the youngest daughter of the illustrious Markham family. Her widower father, George and two older sisters, Katherine and Victoria form the primary cast of this book. Katherine, a 30 something party animal longs for Victoria's marries status while Victoria envies her sister's perpetual freedom from family responsibilities.
I loved it how Nathan involved the other character's point of view too and not only Annie's, thus subtly changing the readers attention when the main plot gets boring. New characters like Cass and Brutus, Annie's best friends were introduced who contributed to the simple charm of the family with their realistic stories.
Jake, of course, every bit a Captain Wentworth was definitely lovable and charming. The famous letter at the end was marvelously replicated by Nathan. Definitely recommended for all chicklit lovers.
November 13, 2011
It took me ages to get through this book. The characters were boring, there were too many people in this story. Most of the time it was confusing too and I felt no attraction between the main couple. Not something I'd recommend.
December 4, 2015
It's a great book. The author has written some really amazing endings to each chapter, making you cringe and keep reading for more. You will hate every character as a person but in the end the good ones will shine and you will love them for that.
February 5, 2015
Loooooved it. As a big fan of Persuasion I like the adaptation in the actual times: spicy, funny, lovely... Read it!
October 24, 2016
Think of Persuasion done in the most crass and unimaginative way possible, and that's this book. I could use a time-turner right now to get those two hours back.
January 13, 2023
3 1/2 Stars - I really liked this modern day adaptation of Persuasion. I thought the scenario of the failing family business that Jake, the consultant and modern day captain of industry, was brought in to help save felt like a good modern day analogy. It's been a while since I've read the original story, but Annie's family, godmother, and the side characters all felt like good modern day interpretations based on what I remembered. I did have a hard time liking Jake on the story, but that might not be so far from the original story. I almost needed to see a little more of their love story in college to feel like I understood why he and Annie were interested in each other to begin with.
It seemed strange that no one could figure out where the money was going in the company. I get that the CEO could hide quite a bit of what they were doing, but there still should have been accounts with transfers that pepper in the company could see, so the way the fraud was described didn't feel particularly believable as it was described.
There were some typos and it felt like the book could go through a round of editing to clean up, but I still enjoyed the story.
It seemed strange that no one could figure out where the money was going in the company. I get that the CEO could hide quite a bit of what they were doing, but there still should have been accounts with transfers that pepper in the company could see, so the way the fraud was described didn't feel particularly believable as it was described.
There were some typos and it felt like the book could go through a round of editing to clean up, but I still enjoyed the story.
May 6, 2017
Annie Markham is grieving. One moment she had everything she longed for and the next her happiness was stolen from her. Hurt and confusion had been her companion ever since that time, that time seven years ago. No wonder that it left her bitter, on the verge of breakdown.
And now memories of that time are resurfacing, because Jake Mead appears again in her life. The one that was impossible to forget, loved and hated at the same time... and if she was honest with herself, she would realize that he was also dearly missed. Even though life went on, she was trapped in the memories of what happened seven years ago.
Could this possibly be a life changing meeting? Is Annie still able to forgive, forget and give herself and Jake another chance? Will Annie open her eyes and finally realise that it's high time she stood her ground? Only one way to find out! Read.
January 24, 2021
Persuading Annie is a modern retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen. This was....a really hard book for me to get through. I think my biggest complaint is that it didn't need to be 300 plus pages. The length of the book wasn't even the problem but they could've told the same story in less than 300 pages! I will also never be a fan of romances when one person treats the other like crap for most of the book but making it seem like it's ok because "he or she actually REALLY likes them!" That's not cute at all! I know that was "normal" in Jane Austen's day-everyone being repressed and whatnot-but if this is a modern retelling, Jake could've been an adult and communicated. I will say that my favorite part of the book was Annie finally telling off her godmother Susannah. Even if she meant well, her trying to manage Annie's life caused way more harm then good. Overall a "meh" read.
May 23, 2024
I had taken it upon myself, a few years ago, to read as many JA retellings as I can. I seem to have read Persuading Annie before my Goodreads days and so I had no record and completely forgot about it. Anyway, a re-read helped as I had all but forgotten the plot.
Persuasion is one of the lesser-explored books of Jane Austen. While P&P and S&S are on the top of the list, not many authors approach Persuasion. Which is a pity, given that Persuasion is equally good and is one of my JA faves (but I say it for all her books. Sue me.)
Persuading Annie manages to capture the essence of Persuasion quite well. Set in contemporary times but before the advent of instant messaging and tweeting and online dating, this sweet book is almost a perfect retelling.
4 wholehearted stars.
Persuasion is one of the lesser-explored books of Jane Austen. While P&P and S&S are on the top of the list, not many authors approach Persuasion. Which is a pity, given that Persuasion is equally good and is one of my JA faves (but I say it for all her books. Sue me.)
Persuading Annie manages to capture the essence of Persuasion quite well. Set in contemporary times but before the advent of instant messaging and tweeting and online dating, this sweet book is almost a perfect retelling.
4 wholehearted stars.
December 10, 2025
I realllly enjoyed this book! You know me, I love quirky characters and boy did this book have its fill of them. It helps push the book along so much when the supporting characters are just as strong as the lead and their stories are basically just as interesting as well. Annie and Jake were the real stars tho, I loved their development through the book (love a good girl finding herself moment). The book was written really interestingly too. It was broken off into different paragraphs for every train of thought from each character and I loved that style bc you got a little bit of everybody. Overall I’m so glad my mom threw this book in my cart at the Salvation Army bc it was well worth the read
May 17, 2020
I've read two other books by Melissa Nathan and enjoyed them immensely, but this one didn't quite do it for me. A university romance is derailed by a simple misunderstanding. Seven years later, the estranged couple are mooning around until fate (aka the plot) throws them together when He is brought in to save Her family business. I'm afraid I wasn't particularly enamoured by the characters; they're not a likeable bunch, all privilege and somewhat snobbish, but Nathan's characteristic wit kept me reading to the end. The one-liners are as scathing as ever and many lines make you laugh out loud. I just didn't care.
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