Once Persuaded, Twice Shy

November 1, 2023

Jane Austen's classic second-chance romance gets a modern twist in Edwards's (Jane & Edward) lovely new novel. Capable Anne Elliott reconnects with ex-boyfriend Ben Wentworth when his aunt and uncle purchase a winery near her home of Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. They propose a project between their budding business and the theater company that Anne leads, entangling their professional lives and, increasingly, their personal lives too. Surrounding them is a whole host of quirky characters that will be familiar to anybody who has lived in a small town (or read a small-town rom-com), including a perpetually disgruntled goose who helps move the action along. The town, too, plays an important role and is lovingly described. Edwards is clever in the way she uses the main plot and themes of Persuasion to create her story without feeling like she must translate it directly to modern times, and she delivers a novel that deftly straddles the line between romance and relationship fiction. VERDICT This artful novel keeps to the core of the Jane Austen source material, while allowing the updated story to soar on its own.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 8, 2024
Edwards (Jane & Edward) puts a 21st-century spin on Jane Austen’s Persuasion in this fast-paced second chance romance. At 32, ultra-capable Anne Elliot has been the executive director of the Elysium Theatre Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., for four years, having taken over the role from her late mother. It’s a big responsibility, and adding to Anne’s burdens are her efforts to pay her father’s ever increasing local bar tabs and manage her prima donna sister. When the new-to-town Fairchild family buys Kellynch Winery, once owned by Anne’s family, Anne hopes to convince them to sell some of the land back to the theater company for its expansion. The Fairchilds appoint their nephew, Ben Wentworth, to broker the deal. There’s just one problem: Ben was Anne’s college boyfriend, and she shattered his heart (along with her own) when she ended their relationship eight years ago. As Ben and Anne slowly resolve their past misunderstandings, Anne sees a glimmer of hope that they might be able to rekindle their relationship. Edwards successfully captures some of the essence of Austen’s Anne, a woman who puts others’ needs ahead of her own, often to her detriment. Readers will have no trouble rooting for her to reunite with the one that got away. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Ever since she broke Ben Wentworth's heart eight years ago, Anne Elliott has been able to avoid any further contact with him. But now her luck has run out. Ben's aunt and uncle have recently purchased Kellynch Winery, and the theater company for which Anne works wants to buy some of their land for an outdoor venue. Since Ben is acting as financial adviser for his aunt and uncle, this means Anne must now spend more time than she might like with the one man she hoped never to run into again. Edwards (Jane & Edward, 2023) perfectly captures the contemplative tone of Austen's Persuasion and delivers a superbly nuanced heroine who finally breaks free from taking care of everyone else in her life at the expense of herself. Combine this with a sublimely evoked Canadian small-town setting in all its autumnal glory, a charming plot that embraces everything from dealing with family expectations to the relationship wisdom embedded in Taylor Swift songs, and a bracing sense of wit, and you have the perfect read for Austen fans and every reader who enjoys artfully executed love stories.

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