BOOK 50: Persuasion, by Jane Austen

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: 27-year-old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he and Anne's paths cross again.

This is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels. It's about forgiveness, second chances and the power of persuasion. It's a very simple plot, yet it's a complex personal and emotional journey. Anne loses the love of her life, only for him to come back and rub it in her face. Yet Austen doesn't make the reader hate Wentworth. Rather, we feel equally sorry for him as we do for Anne.

BOOK 49: North And South, by Elizabeth Gaskell

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.

I had to pick up this novel after watching the BBC movie. I loved the movie and have been recommending it to everyone with a pulse. I loved the book too, though there are quite a few differences. I liked the nice mix of romance with social awareness. I enjoyed watching Margaret grow as a character, as well as Mr. Thornton. And, of course, I enjoyed watching them grow together. :)