The novels of Jane Austen were reasonably popular during the course of the author’s life, though every single one of her books was published anonymously. Sense and Sensibility, for example, was described on the title page as having been written “by a lady.” Eventually, after achieving some success with her early works, Austen’s newer novels appeared with the title note “By the Author of Sense and Sensibility.”

When she died in 1817, Austen had completed two final novels, written slowly as she battled a mysterious debilitating disease, both published after her death. One was Persuasion, a lesser Austen novel that was typical of her style and sense of humor while also being not quite up to her usual masterpiece-level standards - but it has its charms, amongst them a heroine who is both prickly and vulnerable, less plucky than most Austen heroines, with her intelligence rumbling from behind a crisp wrapper of pain and regret. The plot, too, is a bit simplistic, and the novel has fewer twists and curlicues than Pride and Prejudice or Emma, yet it has no shortage of colorful characters.

In the new stage adaptation of Persuasion being presented at Marin County’s Ross Valley Players, the strengths and weakness of the novel are on display. With a relatively new script by South Bay writer Jennifer Le Blanc, this tidy and frequently clever adaptation has been staged just once, last year, in Silicon Valley. Working with director Mary Ann Rodgers, Le Blanc has made a few additional changes for the RVP production, which is notable for its sprawling cast of 18 actors - unheard of in an era when most companies prefer shows with only four five performers.

The story revolves around Ann Eliot, the wisest and yet least appreciated of three sisters. Years ago, she was persuaded by her family to break off her engagement with a poor young sailor, a decision she’s regretted ever since. When her father’s extravagant spending forces the Elliots to leave their family home, Ann eventually relocates to the fashionable city of Bath, where she is accidentally reunited with Captain Wentworth, the man she spurned, who is clearly still hurt by her rejection, though he’s since become wealthy and much sought-after by the other women of Bath.

Extremely well acted by a strong, grounded cast - who look awesome in the gorgeous period costumes - the plot, such as it is, unfolds easily but with few surprises. The chief pleasure of this slightly over-long adaptation is the obvious joy the playwright feels for Jane Austen’s clever-and-funny language. Various characters pass Austen’s narration about like a plate of cookies at a Holiday ball, giving us the sense that Jane Austen herself is narrating her final tale from beyond the grave.

Though a bit flat on occasion, and less explosively emotional than Austen’s better-known works, Ross Valley Player’sPersuasion is as pleasant and amiable as an afternoon spent by the fire with a good old slightly unfamiliar book.

Persuasion runs weekends through December 14 at Ross Valley Players, rossvalleyplayers.com.