It is very hard trying to read this story without thinking of the story ahead, but I tried my best, and one thing struck me in chapter 1. We don't really get the sense that Anne is the heroine. We hear lots about Sir Walter and his vanity, and we hear all about he and Elizabeth going to London regularly and Elizabeth's failed romance with Mr. Elliot, but really no knowledge of Anne. This really seems to reinforce the low place she has in her family. We start out feeling quite sorry for her, even before we learn that Lady Russell persuaded her to drop her true love.