Persuasion (everyman's Library)

A masterpiece of high comedy and an enchanting romance, Persuasion (1818) chronicles Anne Elliot's struggle for authenticity as she attempts to reclaim her discarded love. When she first met Captain Wentworth, he had "nothing but himself to recommend him, and no hopes of attaining influence." The captain returns, eight years later, a strikingly successful naval officer; now, Anne must search for a means to overthrow both her father, a snobbish and petty baronet, and the ideals of decorum which forbid expression of female desire.