Beth Durban is persuaded to write a letter to the editor's page of a national Sunday newspaper in response to a film critic's prejudice against adaptations of Jane Austen's novels. When she receives an unexpected visit from the newspaper's critic, F. William D'Arcy, she is bemused but, after several sightings of the inquisitive journalist, she's neither pleased nor amused. Beth is so distracted by the unwelcome interest from such an arrogant man she fails to see that a close work colleague is falling in love with her. As a scientific researcher in a Scottish University, she has led a varied life travelling the world, spending time in New Zealand, Canada, Australia, America, Singapore and Israel. With such a full life, she has had little time to form any serious, romantic attachments that might lead to a permanent relationship. When she decides to take driving lessons, Beth opens up new opportunities for herself and realises that perhaps she isn't too old to find love after all.
The Power of Persuasion
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Author
My first children's novel, Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine, which appeals to just about anyone, received excellent reviews. The Power of Persuasion is aimed at Jane Austen fans. Although Austen is one of the most beloved authors of all time, not everyone is a fan! Consequently, I found these few words encouraging:
"I read your book some weeks ago and hope you do not mind, put some thoughts on paper:
I was intrigued the way you set out your book with the link of the mysterious appearances of D'Arcy. My very early and mistaken assumption was that Beth's letter was equivalent to Elizabeth's refusal of Darcy's proposal of marriage by Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. If you saw the production with Colin Firth, he became frustrated at this and was obviously haunted by her. I was particularly interested in the 'snapshots' -- I could see where the university scenarios came from and those concerned with human interaction showed your perception of how we mortals behave. You must have done a lot of research on some of the geographical visits -- I have been to most places so recognize the authenticity. Many of these could be expanded into short stories and then you could have your own anthology. Well done!"
--Eileen McLeish --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
"I read your book some weeks ago and hope you do not mind, put some thoughts on paper:
I was intrigued the way you set out your book with the link of the mysterious appearances of D'Arcy. My very early and mistaken assumption was that Beth's letter was equivalent to Elizabeth's refusal of Darcy's proposal of marriage by Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. If you saw the production with Colin Firth, he became frustrated at this and was obviously haunted by her. I was particularly interested in the 'snapshots' -- I could see where the university scenarios came from and those concerned with human interaction showed your perception of how we mortals behave. You must have done a lot of research on some of the geographical visits -- I have been to most places so recognize the authenticity. Many of these could be expanded into short stories and then you could have your own anthology. Well done!"
--Eileen McLeish --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
From the Back Cover
Comments on the Opening Chapters from youwriteon.co.uk:
Impeccably written, creating a smooth flow to your opening chapters. Overall, the grammar and syntax was excellent. Good luck.
I was intrigued by the premise of your story - it put me in mind of other novels centered round a literary mystery or controversy, like AS Byatt's 'Possession' or Carol Shield's 'Mary Swann'. You write in a clear unfussy prose that is easy to read.
You write very effectively, your ideas come across well. Good luck with this!
Your premise is intriguing and so is your narrator. I had no idea where this was going - a plus - and I would have read on to find out. Thanks for a fascinating read!
This is very well written and starts off really well describing the effect of journalists especially Mr D'Arcy on the reader. The clever links with Jane Austen's novels and the excellent writing would definitely make me want to read on to find out what happens next. Good luck with this and well done. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
Impeccably written, creating a smooth flow to your opening chapters. Overall, the grammar and syntax was excellent. Good luck.
I was intrigued by the premise of your story - it put me in mind of other novels centered round a literary mystery or controversy, like AS Byatt's 'Possession' or Carol Shield's 'Mary Swann'. You write in a clear unfussy prose that is easy to read.
You write very effectively, your ideas come across well. Good luck with this!
Your premise is intriguing and so is your narrator. I had no idea where this was going - a plus - and I would have read on to find out. Thanks for a fascinating read!
This is very well written and starts off really well describing the effect of journalists especially Mr D'Arcy on the reader. The clever links with Jane Austen's novels and the excellent writing would definitely make me want to read on to find out what happens next. Good luck with this and well done. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
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More About the Author
Shelagh Watkins is writer, editor and publisher at Mandinam Press. Her first novel, Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine, was serialised on Preston FM community radio in 2009. The sequel, Mr. Planemaker's Diving Machine, was published in 2011. Shelagh's second novel, The Power of Persuasion, was published in 2008. The same year, she edited and published Forever Friends, an anthology of short stories and poems written by members of publishedauthors.org. A follow-up anthology, Forever Travels, was published in 2010. A third anthology, Forever Families, will be released later this year.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointment,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Power of Persuasion (Kindle Edition)
This book began with an interesting premise and I was hopeful. After the first 20 pages, however, I was disappointed. Most frustrating were the lengthy digressions about travel or rugby that did nothing to further the plot. The dialogue was stilted and unreal. The characters undeveloped and I never figured out where the plot was going or exactly what it was. It wasn't another hokey takeoff on Pride and Prejudice by our beloved Austen, but could have been very clever and interesting. I wish this author more time, a very good editor, because I sense a spark of good writing that was just not realized in this book.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wanted to like it, but virtually no plot,
By Luanne H (HUDSON, FL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Power of Persuasion (Kindle Edition)
I am a Jane Austen fan, but this book has very little to do with Austen, other than the names of a couple of characters. The plot is disconnected and episodic. I found it very hard to care about any of the poorly developed characters. Their actions have almost no motivation. The reader is not given enough information in a coherent way about the characters to identify with them or understand them. The book contains accounts of many rounds of golf and gives minute descriptions of various geographical locations. Often the travelogues have very little to do with the story. The ending is shocking, but not in a good way. The novel just does very little to set up for what happens. This novel might have made a workable short story, with the deletion of the many irrelevant travel accounts and the addition of more information about the characters.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Storyline lost in the Woods,
By AK Mystery Mom (Anchorage, AK United States) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Power of Persuasion (Kindle Edition)
I think I'd like Beth as a friend. She has lots of interesting little experiences to share that would be fun in a conversation. But they don't come together to create a story. In a novel, if I'm told about someone ruining a former roommate's tablecloth it needs to be so that I can understand the personality of that roommate as she is part of the story today, not just as an aside that has no bearing on the story. Most of the book is made up of unrelated happenings and minor characters that appear and disappear with little rhyme or reason, and the main plot starts late is is never fully developed.
I think perhaps this should have been a short story involving Beth, Mr. D'Arcy, and John. Some of the other rememberances in the book could be developed into their own short stories. Then the book could be published as a collection of short stories about Beth, each complete in itself. -Lisa Hall Deckert
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