Seeking Persephone – a Review | Shannon Winslow's "Jane Austen Says…"

Before I get to the main topic of this post, I have a little announcement to make.

Tada! A long last, A Bug’s Tale is now available in audio! Izzy Valkyrie, a very talented narrator, strikes just the right note voicing Leonard (who in my head I picture as an intelligent but emotionally immature teenager) – goofy but sincere, with a big heart (as the subtitle says). Whether you’ve read it already or not, I hope you’ll give this little story a listen. Available here.

No, on to Seeking Persephone.

Until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of this film. Then I asked for movie recommendations on a Facebook post one day, and several people nominated it. “You’ve got to see Seeking Persephone! It’s wonderful! I’ve watched it so many times! I know you’ll love it!” And so forth. I figured I’d better check out something that sparked that much enthusiasm! So I tracked it down and watched it.

Seeking Persephone is a 4-episode miniseries based on a novel of the same name by Sarah M. Eden, which takes some inspiration from the Persephone of Greek mythology. And I knew going in (from the Facebook comments) that it was an independent film, created with a very limited budget, cast, and crew. The point being that some allowance might need to be made for the less-than-stellar production values. But I would be glad to overlook that for the sake of a good story.

The story is about an ultra-rich, reclusive, and very intimidating duke, who decides to marry because he needs an heir to prevent his weak, sniveling cousin from inheriting the old, honored title and estate. Since Adam, (the Duke of Kielder), has a badly scarred face and scary reputation, he figures he can’t be too particular when seeking a wife. He’s not looking for love anyway, just a practical solution to his problem.

So he follows his lawyer’s suggestion that he offer, sight unseen, for the eldest daughter (Persephone Lancaster) of an impoverished gentleman, who can’t afford to turn down a tremendously generous settlement that will solve his family’s money woes forever. To save her beloved family, Persephone agrees to the bargain. She and the duke are married without so much as an introduction beforehand, and they’re left to sort out their awkward circumstances afterward.

Adam is totally thrown by the fact that his new wife turned out to be young and desirable instead of the desperate old maid he’d expected. He avoids her as much as possible, barely looking at her or speaking a civil word. Persephone misses her family terribly, and she doesn’t know what to make of her new husband’s odd behavior. But she’s determined to do what she can to make a place for herself in her new home, hoping to eventually bridge the great gulf between Adam and herself.

Right away, my logical mind had an issue with the premise. The idea that a super-wealthy duke (no matter how disfigured and disagreeable) would have to pay a king’s ransom to find a female willing to marry him and become a duchess was pretty far fetched. So was the fact that he then seemed to instantly forget the only reason he had married in the first place: to beget and heir.

But then, Regency romances often require that we ignore our logical objections to some unrealistic elements. (The fairytale aspect of these stories is one reason we like them, after all.) So, I suspended my disbelief as well as I could and proceeded to enjoy the film.

The two steps forward and one step back progress in the relationship between Adam and Persephone (as well as each in their own person growth) and the culmination are very satisfying. It has been termed a “slow burn” romance, but to me that implies a lot more overt sexual tension than I saw. There was mutual attraction, certainly, along with the knowledge that they were already husband and wife. But it was more about Persephone learning to understand Adam’s scars, especially the ones o the inside, and Adam coming to the point where he was willing to tear down his walls enough to let Persephone in.

Since that first viewing, I have read the book and watched the series twice more – partly for my own enjoyment and partly in an effort to put my finger on why Seeking Persephone has developed such a fanatical following.

Along with the questionable premise, detractors cite the less-than-prefect accents, sub-par costuming, and the fact that wolves (who play a vital role in the story) were extinct in England long before this time. But for the teaming throngs who are mad about this series, none of that matters. They can’t praise it enough and are eagerly awaiting the release of the next installment of the Lancaster family saga (book 2 of Eden’s series: Courting Miss Lancaster). I might be well on my way to joining them.

In any case, I applaud the principal actors, who did an amazing job portraying complex characters in interesting circumstances. I admire the independent producers for believing in this project so deeply, for personally risking and investing so much, for persevering against long odds in order to bring Seeking Persephone to the public. And I hope the film industry at large will take note of its amazing popularity – proof that movies don’t have to be overpriced, overblown, and oversexed to be successful! There IS a market for clean, quieter fare as well. Making that point is one of the best reasons to support this film, imo.

What about you? Have you seen Seeking Persephone (or read the novel)? Are you among the “Mad for it!” crowd? Or was your reaction more tepid? Does it at least help to fill the gap when we run out of Jane Austen adaptations to watch?