Persuading Annie B [Paperback]

Nathan Melissa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2000

Annie Markham has a secret - she's never fallen out of love with her first boyfriend, despite their bitter parting. Jake Mead has a lot on his mind, he's about to come back into the life of the girl who once rejected him. Now it's his chance to prove to Annie what a mistake she made...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Annie Markham is trapped in a fairy tale existence complete with a narcissistic family and a godmother, but her prince turns out to be a toad. At 19, Jake Mead was her true love until her godmother Susannah stepped in and Jake ran away. Now, seven years later, Annie's wealthy family is heading toward bankruptcy, and Susannah brings in the best consultant in England to rescue their London public relations agency. The wunderkind turns out to be Jake, who is out for revenge. Annie spends her time working, something unheard of in her family, and doing good deeds while trying to avoid Jake. Both Annie and Jake are actively seeking relationships, but their thoughts keep turning back to each other. Fun and interesting multidimensional characters populate this very charming story that proves that a prince cum toad can eventually turn back into a prince and rescue the princess from her relatives. A truly enjoyable read that should increase Nathan's popularity across the pond. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

“Irresistible moments ensure that Persuading Annie scores as entertainment.” (Jane Austen Society of Australia ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus Hb/Tpb (December 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749932228
• ISBN-13: 978-0749932220
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,190,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Friendly Persuasion, May 22, 2004

By 

R. Chaffey "beckahi" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Persuading Annie (Hardcover)

"Persuading Annie" is Melissa Nathan's reworking of Jane Austen's classic "Persuasion". It follows the fate of the Markham family - owners of a once prestigious PR firm that is fast losing money and sending the family into possible bankruptcy. Nathan has reworked Austen's central characters (Anne, her loopy father and sisters, and Captain Wentworth) into believable, vulnerable and often hilarious modern persons.

The story beings in 1994 when the youngest of the Markham daughters, Annie, believes herself to be pregnant at the age of nineteen. She is prepared to elope with her boyfriend Jake, when she discovers that she was only late, not pregnant. Jake doesn't stick around long enough to hear the truth of the matter and leaves Annie heartbroken and bitter before her years. Skip ahead seven years, when Jake re-enters Annie's life, as the only possible savior to her family's impending doom. He is hired on as a marketing consultant who can resurrect Markham's PR, but must contend with the perceivably bitchy Annie and his own feelings about what transpired between the two of them. And little did either Jake or Annie suspect that they would have to confront their emotions towards the other.

Melissa Nathan's prose is quick-paced, light-hearted and witty. Her characters come to life as their stories intertwine to follow the plotline of Austen's "Persuasion". At times there seem to be an overabundance of characters, but their fates are so intertwined with those of the main characters and every subplot is completed by the novel's end. "Persuading Annie" is a quick, enjoyable read; especially for Austen fans who wish there were more original Jane Austen material to read. Melissa Nathan's novels are a worthy substitute.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A modern reworking of Jane Austen's Persuasion, January 9, 2004

By 

Kate (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Persuading Annie B (Paperback)

Melissa Nathan, who previously wrote a modern version of Pride and Prejudice, take a stab at updating Persuasion in Persuading Annie.

Overall, Persuading Annie is a good chick-lit book. I found both Annie and Jake to be likable characters with a believable relationship, although the supporting characters can get a bit campy at times. Some of the adaptations Nathan makes to Persuasion (the Markhams own a large company rather than an estate, how Jake returns to Annie's life, the alley scene) were great, while others seemed to be a bit of a stretch. But the book is still funny and well paced.

Persuading Annie is an enjoyable book, although I prefer Pride, Prejudice, and Jasmin Field. Austen fans will get a kick out of seeing Persuasion's characters in a modern setting.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A modern-day version of the Jane Austin classic, January 3, 2005

By 

Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Persuading Annie (Paperback)

In Persuading Annie, author Melissa Nathan has paid homage to Jane Austen's classic novel Persuasion with not only her title but also her cast of characters. Annie, a young, motherless college student from a wealthy family, is persuaded to reconsider her plans to elope with her college sweetheart, Jake, by her interfering stepmother. Seven years later, Annie is still unhappily single, and the family business is rapidly going downhill. Re-enter Jake, a business consultant, to not only save the family but possibly Annie as well.

Although Nathan mirrors Austen's style of using chance encounters, misunderstandings, and various group outings to futher the plot, her writing lacks Austen's wit as well as its unique charm. This leaves the reader with a very average, somewhat amusing boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back story which ultimately fails to live up to the classic novel which inspired it.