Persuasion

Persuasion by Jane Austen. Great fiction offers us a genuine escape from our mundane cares, and no-one does that better than Jane Austen. Her settings, scenarios, and language are all so elegant, but also so remote and removed from contemporary life. And yet her themes, her observations, and her humour remain entirely relevant to modern readers. And "Persuasion" is, in my opinion, the best of her works, featuring a heroine who must grow into her heroism and self-confidence, rather than coming by it intrinsically (as do Lizzie Bennett, or Emma Woodhouse, or Elinor Dashwood). Whenever I find myself in need or greater courage or resolution, this book is a wellspring.

-- Damian Conway