Be Persuaded: Charming Retellings of Austen's Classic Romance 'Persuasion'
Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot in Netflix's Persuasion
Persuasion, sometimes considered the bridesmaid to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, is beloved around the world and has been adapted for the screen many times—the latest for Netflix, being released July 15. But did you know that this story of enduring love has been reinterpreted many times in fiction? Below you'll find retellings with variations on the characters and plot but revolving around the same central conflict.
Read the Classic
Persuasion
by Jane Austen
The romance between Captain Wentworth and Anne, the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, is doomed because of the young man's family connections and lack of wealth until he makes his fortune at sea and returns to claim her as his wife.
Try a Retelling
All Stirred Up
by Brianne Moore
A tale inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion follows the efforts of a woman to save her family’s struggling eatery in the face of a celebrity chef ex who would open a competing restaurant.
Possibilities
by Debra White Smith
When Allie falls in love with a young man her family thinks is unworthy of her wealthy Southern upbringing, she yields to the pressure and ends the relationship. But when they find themselves in the same city years later, can she face her regrets before he falls for someone else?
Where the Rhythm Takes You
by Sarah Dass
Reyna has spent most of her life at her family's seaside resort in Tobago, the Plumeria. It's been two years since Reyna's mother passed away and two years since her best friend and first love Aiden left the island to pursue his music dreams. He comes back into Reyna's life as a VIP guest at the resort with his Grammy-nominated band— and two gorgeous LA socialites.
The Stars We Steal
by Alexa Donne
Seeking a wealthy husband who will save her family from ruin, Princess Leonie, the heir to a faded European spaceship, clashes with her first love, a successful whiskey ship captain her family once deemed unsuitable.
Recipe for Persuasion
by Sonali Dev
When chef Ashan Raje joins the cast of a hit reality television show to save her restaurant, she finds herself paired with her first love, soccer star and celebrity Rico Silva.
The One That Got Away
by Melissa Pimentel
Follows the experiences of Manhattan career woman Ruby, who journeys to England to help with her younger sister's wedding before reconnecting with the ex she gave up a decade earlier.
By the Book
by Julia Sonneborn
An English professor fighting for tenure discovers that her first love and her ex-fiancâe has just become the college's new president—and her new boss—in a modern retelling of Jane Austen's classic Persuasion.
Persuasion, Captain Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread
by Mary Jane Hathaway
Lucy Crawford's efforts to save her family home bring her into contact with her first love, Jeremiah Chevy, who she was persuaded to dump because of his humble origins, and has now come back as a doctor as part of a rural physician program.
Another Little Piece of My Heart
by Tracey Martin
At her dying mother's request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she's ever loved. While Jared is catapulted into rock-star status by a hit single based on their breakup, Claire's heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio. When Jared shows up and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?
Persuade Me
by Juliet Archer
Ten years ago, Anna Elliot let the love of her life go because her overbearing family disapproved of him. Rick Wentworth moved on—and away—to Australia, where his work in marine conservation garnered international fame. When Rick travels home to England for a book tour, Anna makes an attempt at some closure for herself. Then their shared memories intrude—and the love they once had seems ready to reawaken.
For Darkness Shows the Stars
by Diana Peterfreund
A post-apocalyptic reimagining of Jane Austen's Persuasion finds 18-year-old Luddite Elliot North remembering the romance she gave up four years earlier out of a sense of duty toward her caste-conscious family's estate and renting her lands to her now-successful former love Kai, who reveals to Elliot what she gave up.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
by Helen Fielding
Bridget's new relationship with Mark Darcy should have improved her self-confidence, but the difficult adjustments of sharing an apartment and Rebecca's eagerness to cause trouble are making Bridget more uncertain than ever.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.