To put things quite succinctly, I think this is a good YA book, but I'm not sure it works as well for adults. The concepts in it might be more profound to someone who hasn't read a million other books already. Still, it's a decent read. (Note: I haven't read Persuasion, on which it is apparently based, so I'm evaluating it on its own merits, not as an "adaptation" of Jane Austen to an SF setting.)