Persuasion

Jane Austen (1775-1817)

Approximate level: B2
Length: 84,115 words
Reading time: 7 h 1 min
Chapters: 24
Language: English
On Project Gutenberg since: 1994

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Jane Austen’s 1817 novel follows Anne Elliot, a young woman in a proud, financially strained family, as old attachments and questions of judgment shape her life. Its focus on rank, money, family duty, regret, and second chances reflects the social world of Regency England. The narration is witty and often ironic, with formal vocabulary about inheritance and social status. Sentences can be long and carefully balanced, so you may need to follow several linked ideas before reaching the point of a passage.

11,337 downloads on Project Gutenberg

Subjects

England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
Psychological fiction
Young women -- Fiction
Motherless families -- Fiction
Rejection (Psychology) -- Fiction
First loves -- Fiction
Dysfunctional families -- Fiction
Ship captains -- Fiction

Questions about this book

What level of English do I need for this book?

The estimate is B2, based on how common the words are and how long the sentences run. It is an approximation, not a test result. With a translation under every sentence you can start one level earlier than you would with a paper copy.

Is this book really free?

Yes. The text is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg, so it costs nothing. In Lingo7 you open the book and read the first page for free; a subscription unlocks the whole library, the audio and the word practice.

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Lingo7 shows the original sentence and, right under it, the same sentence in your language. Tap a word to see what it means, hear it, and save it for practice. The translation is made while you read, so it works for any book and for 50 languages.

How long does it take to read?

About 7 h 1 min at a native pace, spread over 24 chapters. In a foreign language plan for more: half an hour a day finishes a book of this size in a few weeks.