Anne Elliot is 27-years-old and wildly unhappy, but when a past lover unexpectedly returns to her life, so does her hope. Jane Austen's last completed novel, Persuasion, is a story of lost love and second chances.

Published in 1817, six months after Austen's death, Persuasion is a humourous novel written in the author's well-known ironic voice, but steeped with heartfelt emotion. Overlooked by her precocious older sister and arrogant father, Anne Elliot is the eldest of Austen's heroines and spends most of her life in the shadows. Eight years before we meet Anne, she was persuaded to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, her true love, and now she has all but given up on her dream of a happy ending.

When Anne's family find themselves on the brink of bankruptcy due to Mr Elliot's absurd spending, they are forced to move to a smaller house. The Elliots rent their estate to an Admiral and his wife, whose brother turns out to be Frederick Wentworth, Anne's lost love.

Now a successful navy officer, Wentworth is still unwed, but appears unforgiving. Anne is kind and intelligent, but often lets her pride get the better of her despite her unwavering love for the Captain. Will the pair be able to rekindle their old flame?

Read & Co. Classics is proud to have republished this timeless love story, now in a beautiful new edition. Persuasion is not to be missed by collectors of Austen's work or fans of romance.