Emma: A Modern Retelling

by Alexander McCall Smith

The bestselling and beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series now gives us his charming take on Jane Austen with this modern-day retelling of Emma.

The summer after university, Emma Woodhouse returns home to the village of Highbury, where she will live with her health-conscious father until she is ready to launch her interior-design business and strike out on her own. In the meantime, she will do what she does best: offer guidance to those less wise in the ways of the world than herself. Happily, this summer brings many new faces to Highbury and into the sphere of Emma's not always perfectly felicitous council: Harriet Smith, a naive teacher's assistant at the ESL school run by the hippie-ish Mrs. Goddard; Frank Churchill, the attractive stepson of Emma's former governess; and, of course, the perfect Jane Fairfax.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Retellings, Chick Lit, Classics, Audiobook

361 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2014

About the author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not with a bang but a whimper...

I wouldn't have thought it possible for any of these Austen Project books to reach lower depths than Joanna Trollope's Sense & Sensibility, but I fear this one does. After Val McDermid's surprisingly enjoyable take on Northanger Abbey, I hoped the series might be capable of redemption – I was wrong. There are some MILD SPOILERS ahead...

The first few pages are quite fun with lots of little jokes about class and McCall Smith's hometown of Edinburgh. But it's a false dawn – very quickly the book descends into a miserable and poorly written attempt to make Austen's observations about class relevant to today's society.

The characterisation is dreadful. Emma may have been unlikeable in the original, but one can see why she got away with it. Firstly, she is superficially pleasant and, secondly, she is socially superior to everyone she meets and they are conditioned by society to respect her. In this version, she's simply a nasty, selfish, small-minded piece of work, to whom no-one in the real world would give the time of day. Her main belief seems to be that women should set out to catch a rich husband so that they don't need to work – slightly different from Austen's women who had no opportunity to work. Harriet, not the brightest candle in the chandelier in the original, is so thick in this one that it's amazing she remembers to breathe. Mr Woodhouse, our selfish hypochondriac, is probably closest to the original, but I fear it doesn't work in this one, since he is far from elderly and perfectly fit, meaning that he's just annoying and repetitive, with no possibility of gaining sympathy from the reader.

Knightley's barely in the book until near the end – McCall Smith obviously has his own reservations about the 'grooming' aspects of the original, so has simply removed him from Emma's upbringing and reduced the age difference by several years. Instead he has been replaced by Miss Taylor – now a cross between Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee – as the sole influence in the revolting Emma's upbringing. Not a recommendation to hire her to look after your own sprogs, if you want them to turn out...human. Frank and Jane, also hardly in it really, are awful – silly little people trying to make each other jealous for no good reason.

I've mentioned that several of the characters are hardly in the book. This is because McCall Smith has decided to fill the first quarter of the book with descriptions of Emma's upbringing and childhood. We get Isabella's courtship with John Knightley, tons and tons of stuff about Miss Taylor, mainly so McCall Smith can continue his quips about Edinburgh, and the whole history of Emma's education at school and university. What does this add to the story? Well, tedium, primarily. When Harriet and Mr Elton finally appear their whole story is dealt with in three or four meetings, culminating in what really comes close to an assault on Emma by a drunken Mr Elton. Should I mention the nude Harriet scene and the lesbian overtones? Nope, can't bring myself to. But Mr Elton does provide an opportunity for McCall Smith to make what is clearly his favourite joke, that he drives a BMW Something-Something. I say favourite joke, because he repeats it an amazing nine times. Mind you, he repeats the joke about the English language students asking the way to the railway station an astonishing 22 times...

Although only half the length of the original, the book feels twice as long. Each little bit of story is surrounded by pages and pages of repeated descriptions of Emma's selfishness or Harriet's stupidity or Mr Woodhouse's obsession with germs. And in case we fall into the Harriet spectrum of intelligence, McCall Smith spells out his conclusions about Emma's character all the way through, so we can be sure to keep up.

"It had been an important summer for Emma, as it had been the summer during which moral insight came to her – something that may happen to all of us, if it happens at all, at very different stages of our lives."

If an author has to spell out his point, then he's failed to make it.

Would I recommend this? Only to someone I really didn't like...

PS I've now read three of these but from here on the Austen Project will have to limp along without me. If they really had to do this, they could have done it so much better, by truly transplanting the stories to the modern day and looking at some of the real issues for women in today's society instead of pretending that we still face the same ones as Austen's heroines. With the exception of McDermid, who admittedly had an easier task with the much lighter Northanger Abbey, this has done nothing to enhance the reputations of the authors involved to date – both of whom perform significantly better when writing their own stories in their own style.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Melindam · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Badly done. Badly done indeed." - Mild Spoilers ahead

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”

I am sorry to say that I found this book extremely disappointing. Alexander McCall Smith - while grasping the issues of Emma by Jane Austen on a certain, superficial level - seems to have totally missed out on all the fine points in his attempt at "translating" this perfect work of art into modern.

The book has 2 major (and several minor) drawbacks.
One is that it completely lacks the relationship dynamics that drove the original book forward: the relationship between Emma & Mr Knightley, Frank Churchill, Jane Fairfax are almost non-existent. It is barely surprising as Mr K., Frank and Jane hardly feature in the book at all and when they do, the scenes are lame, boring and unrealistic. Long pages are given up to lengthy, uninteresting background stories of all characters, but almost none for them to interact with each other. And when they do, it leaves you nonplussed as to why AMS bothered.

The characters have either been unrecognisably changed (Isabella and John Knightley and even Anne Taylor) or dumbed down to an unbearable level. George Knightley can hardly be made to express an opinion and when he does, he keeps apologising for it afterwards. Harriet seems to be without any functional brain cells and has the emotional depth of a ditch, and her "crush" (?) over Philip Elton is as short-lived as it is unbelievable.

The other drawback is that Emma is just not likeable at all. She is a condescending, unfeeling, spoiled brat and stays that way as the supposedly dramatic climax never happens.
I know that the original Emma is hard to like (though I do like her myself), but she has some saving graces which her modern counterpart is absolutely devoid of.

All in all, it is an exceedingly lame excuse for a book and I don't recommend reading it, if you love/appreciate the original.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a couple of real disasters I promised myself I would not read any more books from the Austen Project. Then along came my favourite Austen novel Emma rewritten by one of my favourite authors Alexander McCall Smith and how could I resist? And I am so glad I didn't because I loved this book! McCall Smith chose to write the story exactly as Austen did just putting it in a modern time frame and expanding a little on the characters' back stories and their behaviours. It is all written in Alexander McCall Smith's inimical style and I enjoyed every single word. Okay sometimes I could hear Isobel Dalhousie speaking instead of Emma and sometimes even Mma Ramotswe seemed to be there in the background but I just love this author's style so for me it was perfect. Thank you Mr.McCall Smith for redeeming the Austen Project for me. I may even try another one now. Depending who writes it of course.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ummm.

Well, for starters, this was a very mean book because it seemed okay for the first half of the book, so by the time I grew disgusted with it, I was committed and wanted to see how it turned out. (Because even though it's a retelling, I had my doubts about how it would end!!!)

And this book has probably more important problems, but my biggest problem is Knightley was hardly in it!!! Like, he and Emma basically have three conversations. This is why I didn't know how the book would turn out, especially since Emma doesn't seem interested in men. The original Emma wasn't interested in marriage, but this Emma "shivers" when she thinks about sex and is somewhat attracted to Harriet. So add that to the lack of Knightley and I just wasn't sure where this was going.

And I know that famous Austen quote about Emma's unlikability, but this Emma really was unlikeable a lot of times. She thinks quite mean thoughts about Harriet.

And as for those bigger problems . . . well, Emma's hard to bring into modern times and I don't think Smith did enough to change it. There's this idea that woman who aren't rich need men to take care of them. (And sometimes even if they are rich, as in Isabella's case.) Emma matchmakes Harriet and Mr. Elton, not so that they'll get married, but so Elton will pay for Harriet's gap year. Then Emma tells Harriet the Elton assaulted her, so Harriet will stay away!!! Also, Frank Churchill tells Emma he is gay and needs to flirt with her as cover. But, really, he just wanted to make Jane jealous!!!

I did like Mr. Woodhouse. I have had some major struggles with the same kind of anxiety he has. I know we're probably still supposed to read him as comic, but I didn't (and wasn't offended either).

ANYWAY. Next week is Claire LaZebnik's Emma YA retelling and I am pretty sure she will save me!

[Julie Bestry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a well-written but not-very-good book. Stay with me here. Of the various Austen Project books, I'd say it's the least awful, which is, I suppose, praising with faint damnation.

Alexander McCall Smith writes very well. That isn't the problem. There's a brief section in the backstory of John and George Knightley where we learn that the parents divorced and the mother, who stayed on at Donwell, eventually met a man with whom she traveled, and the paragraph is intriguing, as if it could have been a story all of its own:

It was on one of these trips, a visit to an international bridge tournament in Kerala, that she was hit by a car -- an old Hindustan Ambassador with minimal brakes -- and died. Her last memories were of the sun above her -- so brilliant, so unrelenting--and concerned faces looking down on her: a boy wearing a blue shirt, a man in a khaki uniform who was shouting at the others; and then the sun again, and darkness.

And yet this has nothing to do with Emma Woodhouse or Emma, nor even much to do with the backstory of George Knightley, whom McCall Smith seems to make into a drudge and then forget even more so than Austen might have. He has a brief scene with Mr. Woodhouse, then a few more, and perhaps one argument with Emma, and then one other, and then the ending is eventually sprung on the reader, who wondered if perhaps McCall Smith might part ways and make Emma a lesbian (as hinted at a few times earlier in the book). George Knightley has always been my favorite Austen hero because he's gentle but not infantile, strong but not annoying. Here, he's just Mr. Woodhouse without the anxiety.

McCall Smith makes a few interesting choices. We get a much stronger backstory of Mr. Woodhouse. (Indeed, I was left chagrined to realize that he's significantly younger than I.) I always felt that Austen laughed a bit too much at Mr. Woodhouse, believing that something must have made him so fearful, and that it couldn't have merely been the death of his wife. McCall Smith treats him with more respect than Austen, herself, and for that, I'm appreciative. But the rest of this book is a mess.

Poor Miss Taylor comes off, not as a gentle and lovely woman who falls sweetly for Weston, but a kooky and pushy Mary Poppins. Weston himself gets a brief description and nary anything else. We learn the why of Miss and Mrs Bates' financial ruination (not that an American is likely to understand the ins and outs of it), but so much more could have been done to modernize both characters and give this texture.

Isobel and John Knightley are two-dimensional characters; sure enough, we heard little of them from Austen, herself, so that wouldn't be a problem. Instead, the early bit of the book makes us dislike both of them (and John Knightly of McCall Smith's making is an asshat, something I believe Austen never intended).

Frank's weird way of flirting is, perhaps, a bit better than most of the modernization, and Philip Elton is less oozingly awful, but Jane Fairfax doesn't intrigue at all, and in the end, she turns out to be a pain.

Some bits are played up, like Mrs. Goddard, but the jokes are odd. Pot brownies foisted on the unsuspecting? This is funny? Harriet's naivete makes sense in the early 1800s, but she's mere caricature here as a dumb lump eager to please Emma. And the oft-repeated railway jokes? Why? Why?

And Emma. What is she? Austen's Emma is young, and has been spoiled, but has a good heart and if my feminist sisters fear that Knightley too old at 34 and is "icky" in his attempts to gently mold her, I'm afraid I don't share that fear, given the era in which it was written. Here, Emma is older and college-educated, but none-the-wiser (and no more self-aware), selfish, sneaky, unrelentingly manipulative even in a tale about that very thing, and apparently asexual. The only erotic interest she shows is in Harriet, and she isn't even sure of herself in that regard.

All this said, Austen's Emma weren't so beloved, I might have endured all that, because unlike the prior Austen Project updates, this story was amusing and the writing, in and of itself, was professional and never plodding. But Alexander McCall Smith being a good writer was not enough to save this update, and his lack of awareness of modernity actually hurt it. Technology barely appears in this book. Texting, apps, smart phones, computers -- there's scant reference to something that has basically taken over the lives of teens, 20-somethings and the other people populating this book.

I wanted to love this book, and I liked the first half well enough, but by the time we join the "present" time, and Emma as an adult, the book ceases to be enjoyable. I believe there must be a way to modernize Austen, but as yet, outside of "Clueless," I've not seen it done well. Bah.

[Jon McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALEXANDER McCall Smith is a brave man. A very brave man. How else can you explain his willingness, indeed his eagerness, to meddle with Emma, one of the most cherished of Jane Austen's novels?

It's true that Mr McCall Smith left the country almost immediately after his modern retelling of Emma hit the bookshops, but I'm told his decision to publish and be absent wasn't an indication of doubt on his part as to the novel's critical reception but was actually because he needed to embark on a promised US book tour.

He was nevertheless prepared to risk his considerable reputation on what can only be seen as a high-stakes venture.

Millions of readers around the world regard Miss Austen's novels with a reverence usually reserved for the works of Shakespeare, and woe betide anyone who thinks they could make a better job of them.

To even try to do so, whether you disguise it as a "modern retelling" or not, would have been viewed by many of Miss Austen's characters as an unforgivable impertinence.

Yet (and this is an important yet), Mr McCall Smith succeeds. Admirably.

Miss Austen, having perished at the age of 41, isn't here to tell us what she thinks of this modern version of Emma, but I would venture to suggest that she'd love it.

She would almost certainly be a fan of Alexander McCall Smith anyway, not least because of his love of the English language, the dexterity of his prose, and the playfulness with which he writes - all qualities for which she was feted herself.

Her bookshelves, like mine, would be filling with his works, including the nine volumes so far in the 44 Scotland Street series and the other McCall Smith franchises that make him one of the most prolific authors alive.

But most of all, she would admire the way in which he's taken her basic plot, settings and characters and breathed a new, 21st Century life into them.

Although prized for her prose, she might even feel just a little envious of Mr McCall Smith's more polished, more reader-friendly, narrative style, benefiting as it does from the 200 years of literary progress since she last had the chance to put pen to paper.

He clearly shares the reverence associated with everything Austen, allowing his modern retelling to be at once an homage to the original while standing alone as an original work in its own right.

Mr McCall Smith described himself on the recent Meet The Author programme with the BBC's Nick Higham as a writer of social comedies, and Emma is a supreme example of his ability.

It is exquisitely written and imbued with the wit that we associate with Jane Austen - full this time with modern references that are every bit as funny as those that delighted the original Emma's readers 200 years ago.

He writes of someone who enunciates her words "as if she were speaking with gloves on" – a thought that Miss Austen would have been proud of – and has a wonderful theory about garlic and vampires that's too delightful to give away here, tempting though it is.

Miss Taylor, his modern version of the governess, seems almost to be a mouthpiece for Miss Austen herself with a stream of wit and a precision of language that's certainly worthy of her.

Our use of language has changed in two centuries, and so has our sense of humour, but Miss Austen would undoubtedly be amused and enthused by Mr McCall Smith's references to "project husbands" that appeal to women who believe they can marry a man and change him, and to the "metaphysical gyms" that people intend to go to but never do.

There are insights too, as incisive as any on Miss Austen's characters in those 200 intervening years; one of the finest being that Emma treats Harriet as "the next best thing to having a doll, whose life could be organised, who could be dressed up and made to do things to enliven an otherwise uneventful life".

That's Emma in a nutshell, and Miss Austen, were she alive, would probably be kicking herself that she hadn't thought of it.

This will no doubt be viewed as heresy by die-hard Austen fans, but I enjoyed Alexander Mcall Smith's novel rather more than the original.

It has all the qualities with none of the drawbacks and brings a fresh sense of humour to what was, and remains, a highly entertaining plot.

Anyone who enjoyed the original is very likely to enjoy the modern retelling, too. But those who simply pick it up and read it, even if entirely unaware of the original, will be in for a treat.

This is vintage Alexander Mcall Smith, the man with the Midas typewriter, and couldn't be more highly recommended.

• Jon McKnight is author of the comic novel A Prize To Die For.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

#itried

I wanted to love it, I really did. I have loved all incarnations of this character, from Austen's own to 'Clueless' to the BBC adaptions to 'Emma Approved.' But...this just didn't capture any charm for me and if you're going to revamp an Austen novel, you better have bucket loads of charm, clever banter and character development that goes beyond a few expositional paragraphs told from too many perspectives. This story felt like it was being told using literary elements right out of the 19th century which doesn't interest me because I've already read a version of Emma from the 19th century... the original. The unnecessarily dense and action-less prose (without an ounce of the wit and underlying sweetness that Emma should have) just wasn't engaging enough, though technically well-written. It's not that Smith's societal observations were un-Emma-esque or boring, it's that they weren't delivered in a way that excited me.

If you're in the market for a fresh, fun and modern take on Austen's Emma, take a trip to Youtube for the series 'Emma Approved.'

[booklady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off promising, went down from there. Did not care for McCall Smith's inference that bringing Emma up-to-date meant that morals had to go downhill. But even that aside, true Emma-aficionados beware!* Stick to Jane.

Oh! But if you have (temporarily) exhausted Ms. Austen and are looking for a good author who will take you a little beyond Pemberly, say, look up my friend, Skylar Hamilton Burris. She writes in the true tradition of J.A.

*It is not bad-bad, but it is exactly what two stars stands for, just okay.

[Helle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure a modern take on Austen’s classic was a good idea in this case. McCall Smith didn’t exactly murder Emma, but he turned her/it into something rather silly that bore little resemblance to Austen’s wonderful original. I have enjoyed McCall Smith’s books previously, his gentle, humorous musings on life in either Edinburgh or Botswana, but this was a disappointment. There were some OK scenes here and there but too many inane conversations and too many changes that didn’t result in a modern take, in my opinion, but rather in a version that strayed too far from Austen’s Emma.

Not sure if I should tackle other novels in this Austen Project (which Val McDermid and Joanna Trollope have also contributed to). Maybe a *true* Austenite just shouldn’t read modern renditions of Jane’s originals?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Austen Project and I really had high hopes. Alexander McCall Smith writes one of my favorite series, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and I thought he might bring the needed warmth to the story. It was a good book, pleasant to read, but nothing special. It struggles with the juxtaposition of Emma in modern times. Part of the problem is not the author's fault. It is just disconcerting to see Emma with a cell phone and an e-mail.

The character still interact with the stiff formality of the original books which is just odd in modern times. It's hard to see adults addressed with their surnames while they text out a message. When Emma suggests Harriet Smith break her date with the son of a local B & B, she encourages her to do it by text message. I just think that's out of character. In this day and age, is it really a terrible thing for a penniless orphan to date the son of the owner of the B& B? The parentage of Miss Smith is a little odd too.

Still, it's a fine book that doesn't catch the magic of Jane Austen but then who can?

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful writer! I keep meaning to get to his Ladies #1 Detective Agency series, and now I see he has a whole lot of titles and series to his name! There was a certain sweetness to this novel that's an updated version of Austen's original, which I am sad to say I haven't read yet either, so I'm now curious to see how it compares. I so enjoyed the story of Emma and how she matures into her life with such insightfulness. I'm a fan now of Smith - he's truly accomplished.

Thanks to Goodreads giveaways for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. A wonderful, light read that makes one think and reflect on one's own life and meaning of. (I definitely wish I had the money hand leisure time of the Woodhouse's!)

Companionate

Cadit quaestio - the question falls away. Sed quaestio manet - but the question still remains.

Not having to have to (deal w/another)

Some people were just worriers, and there were worse things for a parent to be.
That is all one can hope for in life: that one's parents are harmless.

You need to see people to get in touch with them.

the reassurance of those around us that we have done the right thing almost always helps, although it may not, as in this case, remove the underlying anxiety that we have acted selfishly or foolishly, or even perversely.

that he should do two things: one was to enjoy Frank's good fortune - thereby validating his own, earlier choice - and the other was to envisage a sense of future for himself.

He felt nothing: there was no pang, not the slightest one, and that confirmed his feeling that he was ready to find somebody who would not think him unexciting, as she clearly had.

You can be very uncharitable, Emma.
I know, she said. I shall try to do better. She smiled at her father.

Delicious thought: the absurd is always so tasty. But then, if one comes to think of it, any announcement of that sort is bound to seem sudden. It involves, you see, a transition. At one moment one is not engaged, and then the next moment one is. That, I think, is largely inevitable, given the nature of engagement.

I'm going to miss you so much, she said. I just am.
And I'm going to miss you too, said Miss Taylor. I'm going to miss you, even if I see you every day. Does that sound odd to you?
No, said Emma. It doesn't sound odd, because I think that's exactly what I'm going to feel.

And as far as her manner was concerned, there was a reserve about her, she felt; a slightly distant air. Was that the yearning that Miss Taylor mentioned?

I love clocks that sound like clocks. Tick-tock. That's what clocks should say, don't you think? You can believe a clock that goes tick-tock.

Weaknesses of character or personality issues-such as insecurity-are hardly a matter of choice.

She hates me. It had never occurred to her that she might be disliked.
"He had no enemies." - It could not be said of me, she thought, I have enemies to spare - all of my own making.

It had been an important summer for Emma, as it had been the summer during which moral insight came to her-something that may happen to all of us, if it happens at all, at very different stages of our lives. this had happened because she had been able to make that sudden imaginative leap that lies at the heart of our moral lives: the ability to see, even for a brief moment, the world as it is seen by another person. It is this understanding that lies behind all kindness to others, all attempts to ameliorate the situation of those who suffer, all those acts of charity by which we make our lives something more than the pursuit of the goals of the unruly ego.

for none of us is perfect, except, of course, the ones we love, the things of home, our much appreciated dogs and cats, our favourites of one sort or another.

She realised that happiness is something that springs from the generous treatment of others, and that until one makes that connection, happiness may prove elusive.

The eyes of the young woman are not on the young man, nor upon the hand she holds, but fixed on the one who views the painting, and they convey, as do so many of the figures in art that would say anything to us, this message: You do it too.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly bought this because I was at a signing and wanted to get more of his books signed, and I'm pleased that I picked this one. Emma, more than the other Austen books, lends itself to a modern setting. Meddling, spoiled rich girls exist even now, whereas a lot more of the social mores in the other books would have to be changed or updated. Here, Emma's father is a germaphobe and health nut who never leaves their grand house, and Emma is . . . a spoiled rich girl with a passion for making things pretty and having her own way. It works quite well, I think. You don't like her any better than you do in the original, but Smith is so sympathetic to his characters that you can understand her a bit better. I do feel that, in order to make her comeuppance more poignant, she got blamed for a couple of things that weren't her fault, in regards to what I'll call The Frank Churchill Situation. Frank lied to her, used her, and then blamed her when it blew up in his face, and both Emma and Miss Taylor acted like, "Yes, more evidence that I/Emma needs to grow up." No, she should have held Frank accountable for using her!

Other than that: quite fun! (And of course she drives a MiniCooper.)

[Kaya Dimitrova · Rating 3 out of 5]

„Ема” от Алегзандър Маккол Смит е една от онези книги, които бих описала като изключително симпатични. Лек, неангажиращ, със завидна доза чувство за хумор, романът разказва за едно упорито момиче и уроците за живота, които ѝ се налага да научи.
Цялото ревю тук -> http://justonebooklover.blogspot.bg/2...

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there anything Alexander McCall Smith writes that isn't a breath of fresh air?

This retelling of Jane Austen's Emma was delightful and very adroitly done. I love the character of Emma's father best of all. His little quirks and paranoid delusions were wonderful! I think I've known people with those beliefs but never all in the same person!

Emma is the same as we've know before except now she drives a Mini Cooper and studied interior design.

I really enjoyed this book.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for an advance reader's copy.

I could only think as I finished this book, "What a waste." The Austen Project is SUCH a good idea, and Alexander McCall Smith is SUCH a charming writer, but somehow nothing here is reaching its potential. Instead of truly updating Emma, he wrote what feels like a vanity project. He obviously adores Mr. Woodhouse, and while I enjoyed the character, he is not the meat of Emma and shouldn't have been the main focus here. Emma herself isn't frustratingly lovable, as in the original, but flatly uninteresting and unlikable. I can see the temptation to flesh out the backstory, such as Isabella and John's courtship, but really, does anyone care? Especially when the actual plot of the original is drastically shortchanged? And then Mr. Knightley makes an appearance and the book is suddenly over, wrapped up in such an odd way. A complete disappointment.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jane Austen's Emma is a finely crafted novel. Clues are carefully woven throughout the story, so that the astute reader can pick up on the mystery of the novel. McCall Smith's Emma lacks the finesse of the original. I had really high hopes for The Austen Project, but after reading Val McDermid's take on Northanger Abbey and McCall Smith's take on Emma, I think that it's safe to say that this project is not for me. There really is no author like Austen, and these retellings are quite weak. Maybe I've been especially hard on this one because Emma Woodhouse is my favourite Austen heroine, but I was immensely disappointed with McCall Smith's offering.

In order to modernise an adaptation, you need to follow the general plot of the original, while making changes that both update it to a modern setting and make sense within the original narrative. It's what made Clueless such a great modernisation of Emma and Bridget Jones's Diary an interesting take on Pride and Prejudice.

The original Emma is an incredibly sheltered young woman, who is wealthier and therefore social superior than almost every individual in Highbury. She has no equal in Highbury, and literally befriends Harriet so she would have somebody to walk with. This Emma is unlikeable, selfish and nasty. It's kind of implied that the only reason Emma befriends Harriet is because she is overwhelmed by her beauty... to the point that Emma wonders if she is gay. The original Emma was upfront with Harriet about Elton's proposal and takes her share of the blame - this Emma spins a web of lies in order to come out completely blameless. Emma is also supposed to be clueless in regards to Elton's true character, only realising the littleness of his character after his proposal - but here, Emma is completely aware of it the entire time! Similarly, my favourite part of the original Emma is the mystery surrounding Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill - this is downplayed. Frank Churchill is an overgrown child, Jane Fairfax, while accomplished, has none of the goodness of the original, and both manage to be unlikeable in the little page-time they have.

Harriet is even thicker than the original, so I was very surprised when she managed to hide the fact that she'd been dating Robert Martin the entire time from Emma. Knightley barely features in the book, which makes one wonder when Emma had time to fall in love with the man. Their interactions are reduced to Knightley chatting to Emma on his way out the door. The original Miss Taylor was Emma's friend and mother figure as well as governess, this Miss Taylor is entirely responsible for Emma's disgusting personality.

The first quarter of the book is filled with descriptions of Emma's early life, which means that the first quarter of the book is more tedious than the rest. It does nothing to advance the plot, nor provide any real insight into Emma's character, except to add to the perception that she's a horrible human being. This novel is about half as long as the original, but it took me twice as long to read, and the entire time I was checking how many pages I had until the end.

If you want to get into Austen, just read her novels. The Austen Project is just a very pale imitation.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a modern re-telling of the Jane Austen classic by Alexander McCall Smith for the Austen Project. I’ve read Jane Austen’s version, although many years ago, but from what I remember of it, it would be hard to deny that it is more superficial than my favourite Austens, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

This version, however, is even more superficial, and where the original Emma is at least a generally nice person and motivated to help others for their benefit, this Emma is a more self-serving type of person who is more spoilt and less tolerant of her father’s peccadilloes (I loved that she was so kind to her father without any hint of being patronising in Austen’s Emma) and her motivation in “helping” people is often to serve her own purposes.

However, I did like the way that McCall Smith started the book from the time of Emma’s father as a young man and the way that he has imagined him into the nervous, pedantic older man that we know. In fact, I liked the way that McCall Smith has imagined a bit more of a back story for most of the characters - drawing on what we know of them from Austen’s Emma, although I felt his interpretation of Isabella and John Knightley were both a bit more wild child than I had gathered. I generally liked the way that McCall Smith took situations from the original Emma and gave them a modern slant - for example, Harriet Smith does not send a regretfully-worded letter to Robert Martin under Emma’s instruction, but a carefully-worded text (still under Emma’s instruction!).

So I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I am undecided whether to read the other Austen Project books - I’ve heard mixed results!

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed McCall Smith's re-telling of 'Emma' in a modern setting. Emma has remained a spoilt, over-indulged daughter of the privileged classes who needs less ego and more empathy and her father Mr Woodhouse is still an anxious hypochondriac worrying about all sorts of modern diseases and calamities like global warming . I also enjoyed Harriet Smith re-invented as a temporary ESL teacher while waiting to embark on a gap year. However, I did feel that we didn't see enough of Mr Knightley to get a feel for his character. He only made a few cameo appearances and comes over as rather dull and lacklustre. Isabel also barely rates a mention apart from her very brief courtship and marriage to John Knightley. Apart from that, I enjoyed the re-telling of the various scenes, in particular the dinner party and the later picnic. McCall Smith is such a good observer of human character that there were lots of little asides and observations throughout the book to chuckle at so overall it was lots of fun. 3.5★

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading two of the four books that are part of The Austen Project, I have given up. It is clear that no matter how much we love the stories themselves, they just aren't the same without our beloved Jane telling them.

I know authors like Alexander McCall Smith and others have greatly relished this opportunity, but I am done with this project. The Emma I read about in this retelling was not just a modernized version of Austen's Emma. This Emma is a spoiled, manipulative brat. She blunders around saying tactless things to her neighbors and friends and believes herself to be a virtuous citizen.

What made me like this retelling was the way McCall Smith so neatly tied up most of the loose ends, although there was a big hint about Frank Churchill that was somewhat glossed over and could have been given much more story emphasis.

Don't read this book if you want a Jane Austenesque experience. It just isn't possible. If you are looking for a humorous and entertaining chicklit story, then this book will fit the bill.

[Jaline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some folks do not enjoy retellings – that is, a modern or adapted version of a classic. That got me thinking about why I do enjoy them. For me, most stories are retellings as they retell, from an author’s perspective, a story that happened somewhere, sometime, somewhere.

Sub sole nihil novi est. From what I have read, this phrase was first pulled from Ecclesiastes and translated as “There is nothing new under the sun.” I do realize there is more context to this that takes the meaning to a different place. Having said that, when it comes to stories I do believe that the primary value is in how the story is told, and the measure of that is how it makes me feel.

Likewise, just as I wouldn’t dream of comparing one friend to another, I don’t compare one book to another. That isn’t their main purpose for me. Each book I read I open with “beginner’s mind” and give each one a chance to engage me in the storyline.

Emma: A Modern Retelling felt fresh and immersive to me from the beginning. There are several characters introduced throughout the book and I was impressed by how distinct each individual “voice” was – even as they grew and developed. (The story takes place over some 20+ years). Each character also had their particular challenges to overcome, and an appealing part of the story was about how living in the same small town and interacting as neighbors and friends helped each one of them to grow.

Mission accomplished for me: an interesting story peopled with intriguing characters who find themselves in all manner of situations and occasions that bring about small and large transformations in themselves and their lives. A fun, relaxing, and rewarding read.

[Ieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Šis liekas veiksmīgs atradums grāmatu maiņas plauktos – jā, pašas Ostinas Emma ir daudz spilgtāka un apburošāka (un arī paša Makola-Smita Prešesa no Dāmu detektīvaģentūras N.1 tāda ir), bet šis ir tāds jauks stāsts, ko vislabāk lasīt lietainā dienā un sajusties tiešām omulīgi. Stāstā saglabātas galvenās oriģināl sižeta līnijas un diezgan veiksmīgi pārceltas uz 21.gs. sākumu. Droši vien, ka šis ir tādai nišas auditorijai -tiem, kam jau patīk Emma un kam patīk vienu un to pašu stāstu dzirdēt vairākās variācijās.

[Indrani Sen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this re-telling of Emma a lot. It's just that Emma is not very likeable. McCall Smith's style is more subdued in this novel. I found myself missing his usual style a little. If you have not read Emma yet, this would be good and easy to read.

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an embarrassing confession to make: I have never read a Jane Austen novel. [Gasp!] I know, sad isn't it, especially since my older daughter is a Janeite who reads Austen's books over and over. For that reason, I feel inadequate to really evaluate Alexander McCall Smith's "modern retelling" (until I have read the original telling, at least---which I plan to do). I will say that, if you like McCall Smith's work, you will probably like this, as it is, in many ways, vintage McCall Smith. He has a wide cast of interesting characters who each have their highs and lows. As always, he deals with their foibles with an amused, understanding eye. You get a lot of interior philosophizing as the characters play out their dramas. He deals with his creations with a lot of sympathy, even for the generally unlikeable characters. He seems to be a keen observer of human nature and one who gets great enjoyment out of just living and observing the grand circus around him.
I read this book in preparation for hearing the author speak at our public library, although I had read some books in all of his many series. I think of his books as the great escape after a particularly hard day. In McCall Smith's world, virtue always wins in the end. He said as much in his talk last night. Oh, and what a talk! This man is a natural-born storyteller. At the end, one woman told him this was the best author-talk she'd ever heard, and everyone burst into applause, at which she said,"you see, I am not alone." He is utterly charming, with this wry sense of humor that can take an ordinary event (like picking up a rental car) and turn it into a wildly improbable and totally amusing tale. Another attendee asked him how he could, as a man, write from a woman's point of view so well. He answered, "well, I am wearing a skirt [he wore a kilt], so that helps". Really, as Lisa (the librarian who introduced him) said, "You could listen to him talk all night".
Okay, so for the book at hand, the only tiny criticism and false note I felt while reading it, was when Emma talked her friend into posing for a portrait (done by Emma herself) in the nude. Her friend obviously felt uncomfortable , but Emma pushed the point and got her way, so maybe this was McCall Smith's way of showing Emma's self-centered, "clueless" (sorry, I had to throw that in) nature. Still, I couldn't really imagine two young women having this interaction, even now in the 21st-century. I think it was a big task to try to translate very early nineteenth-century sensibilities into the 21st century. The whole role of women in society has (thankfully) changed so drastically. Still, it was an interesting exercise, and, as I said, you can read McCall Smith just for the pleasure of his prose.
Now, to read the original "Emma", and perhaps "Persuasion", which so many Janeites have told me is their favorite. And also, on to reading the next installment in the adventures of Mma Ramotswe, and Isabel Dalhousie, and Bertie, and Prof. Dr. von Igelfeld...So many books, so little....

**Note: This book is part of the Austen Project, in which current authors are asked to rewrite one of her books for modern times. This is the third in the series and celebrates the 200-year anniversary of the original publication of Jane Austen's "Emma".

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

1995: Watched Clueless, loved it.
1995-1996: Tried to read Emma, could not get into it.
1996: Watched Gwyneth Paltrow movie, confirmed that this story was not for me.
2016: After reading Eligible for book club, decided to give AMS's retelling a try, even though my previous experience with AMS (also for book club) was not successful.

And...it was pretty good. Emma is seriously f***ing annoying, but she's supposed to be. George Knightley, I didn't really get. He just seemed a bit dull and self-important, and I don't really understand the romantic attraction between the two, but whatever. For me, the supporting cast was the best part. Emma's father cracked me up. AMS decided to take his implied hypochondria and blow it up to a serious obsession with health. Quite entertaining. Also endearing was Mrs. God(dard), running an English language school, with an affinity for "special" baked goods.

Overall, a quick, entertaining summer read.

[Racheli Zusiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

עיבוד מודרני לרומן "אמה" של ג'יין אוסטן. הכתיבה מצוינת ומשעשעת. מק'קול-סמית' בחר לעבד את הסיפור בצורה מעניינת - הוא שם דגש מאוד גדול על דמויות המשנה. אם ברומן המקורי הסיפור סובב סביב אמה, והחיבור שלה לנייטלי, אז כאן היא דווקא סוג של דמות משנית, וכמעט כל דמות משנית מתוארת הרבה יותר באריכות, כולל ההיסטוריה שלה. זה נותן תובנות נוספות לסיפור המקורי וגרם לי להבין אותו בצורה טובה יותר. ממש מוצלח.

[ayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

“…for none of us is perfect, except, of course, the ones we love, the things of our home, our much appreciated dogs and cats, our favourites of one sort or another.”

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

This modern retelling of Emma has way too much backstory. The first quarter of the book is all about Mr. Woodhouse and his history, then how Miss Taylor came to live with them (with a Sound of Music reference - love it!) and how Isabella met John. Finally, about halfway through we meet Emma, recently returned from University in Bath with a degree in design and nothing to do. She hosts a dinner party for the neighbors and decides to fix up her former governess, Miss Taylor, with widower James Weston. She also invites Harriet Smith, a young woman who assists the English as a Foreign Language teacher Mrs. Goddard. Emma, fresh from her success with the Westons turns her attentions to Harriet. You know the rest or you think you do but there are some surprises towards the end. Most of the plot is removed to make room for backstory and I really wish he had included more plot and less pondering because I liked the writing style. The writing sort of mimics Jane Austen's cadence a bit without being ponderous or old-fashioned,it's witty, like Jane Austen. At times though there were some really odd passages that stuck out - Emma pondering on sex and physical attraction - that I didn't feel fit in with the tone of the story. Also the moral at the end was too much for a modern book. It didn't need to be spelled out. I wanted more plot.

Mr. Woodhouse's story is cute and funny and I really liked him as a character. I also loved Mrs. Goddard aka Mrs. God, the hippie teacher. She's a lot of fun. Harriet is a sweet girl and deserves happiness. Mr. Knightly is barely in the book. George is Mr. Woodhouse's friend and neighbor but he doesn't spend much time with Emma. He's very kind and generous and more empathetic than his brother. Emma is portrayed as controlling. From her childhood to the revelation at the end, she insists on controlling everyone in her life. I have never seen Emma that way - just spoiled, selfish and bored. This Emma is not quite as lively and witty as the original. Maybe if there was more plot she would have been. As in the original, there's no good reason why she doesn't like Jane Fairfax except for jealousy. Frank Churchill appears here too but in a limited role. He's not quite the same as the original - not fully developed and appearing briefly to advance the mystery of Jane Fairfax plot.

I preferred other retellings of Emma over this time. Even the webseries Emma Approved grew on me over time. I will try to check out some of the author's other books because I did like his writing style.

Content some might find objectionable:
discussions about sex, homosexuality
nudity
brief contemplation on physical attraction
hinted drug use
characters living together before marriage

[Lyubov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Започвам с уточнението, че съм голям фен на творчеството на Алегзандър Маккол Смит и неговото неподражаемо умение да създава уютна, леко сънна и някак си вълшебна атмосфера сякаш току-що сме прекрачили в една от картините, в които обичаше да се забавлява Мери Попинз.
Посягайки към „Ема” изпитвах известни опасения, защото не съм фен (о, ужас!) на Джейн Остин и всякаква модернизирана версия на нейното творчество естествено предизвиква у мен леко повдигане на вежда. Но любимият ми Маккол Смит не ме подведе и този път. Неговата Ема се чете бързо, леко и приятно и след затварянето на последната страница оставя едно светло чувство, което не може да бъде обяснено до край, но повдига духа и ни кара да се усмихваме.



Ема е една от тези леко досадни многознайки, които неуморно се бъркат в живота на другите и винаги смятат, че знаят точно кое е най-добро за хората. Всеки от нас има поне по един такъв приятел, а ако нямате, значи чисто и просто вие самите сте такива ;) Романът е населен със симпатичните жители на английската провинция, но моят безспорен любимец си остава г-н Удхаус, бащата на Ема. Невероятно мил и очарователно старомоден, за мен той си е чисто въплъщение на самия Алегзандър Маккол Смит, а фамилията му струва ми се е реверанс към неповторимия цар на тънкия английски хумор П. Г. Удхаус. Наистина в „Ема” има някои невероятно забавни бисери като твърдото убеждение на г-н Удхаус, че „ако момичетата продължат да посещават местната гимназия, те чисто и просто ще забременеят” или ведрите разсъждения, че за да бъдеш приет в Кеймбридж е достатъчно просто да знаеш да гребеш. Самите ситуации на нагласени срещи, манипулиране на съседите и безброй сватосвания ми напомняха на неумелите машинации на Бърти Устър из провинциалните имения на приятелите му, които обикновено завършваха с гръм и трясък и предизвикваха сълзи от смях у читателя.



Маккол Смит не е прекалил с модерните елементи в романа, което за мен лично е плюс. Няма айфони, няма Фейсбук, няма Инстаграм. Само мъничък лъскав зелен Мини Купър и тонове чай и капучино. И разбира се известна доза морални поуки, защото без тях няма да сме в света на Джейн Остин. Но те не се натрапват, не дразнят и са естествено вплетени в повествованието.
Така че не ни остава нищо друго освен да си налеем чаша чай и да последваме г-н Маккол Смит в света на дискретната сатира и старомодния уют.

[Fluffychick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma is a rich, spoilt young woman, fresh from university and back in Norfolk where she enjoys being a big fish in a tiny pond.

The idea of getting well known authors to re-work Austen’s novels into a modern setting is a tricky one. The focus on class and the responsibilities of those with money has less importance and so Emma’s interfering seems less plausible. Emma as a character provokes strong reactions and although her spoilt and manipulative traits remain at the core of the story it is less clear why she is so loved by those that know her.

What I did enjoy is that McCall Smith begins before the original and shows Emma’s growing up. However, I think many of the characters lost depth became over simplified. Harriet remains annoying, now a pretty airhead rather than an impoverished naïve innocent. George Knightley is a man of his time and I don’t think he transfers well. The loss of the monstrous Mrs Elton was a great pity although the development of Mrs Goddard is an unexpected move.
Despite my reservations, Mr Woodhouse is wonderfully drawn and all his neuroses transfer well into today and Miss Taylor as the governess from Edinburgh, who is sharper and less tolerant of Emma’s faults and is a typically delightful McCall Smith creation.

It’s not perfect but I did enjoy this book. It’s a light, entertaining read and there are glimmers of true McCall Smith warmth that echo his Mma Ramotswe novels.

Thank you to lovereading and Harper for my review copy.

[Jenne · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay....this was just bizarre.
So for one thing, this is called a "modern" retelling, and I guess it's sort of modern in that women go to university, and there are...cars? But no one seems to have a cell phone or computer or Facebook or anything, and everyone basically acts exactly the same as if it were at least 100 years ago (maybe it's slightly updated from 200 years ago).
Actually, this would have made WAY more sense as "Edwardian Emma"! Someone go write that!

Anyway, both Clueless and Emma Approved do a far better job of bringing the story into the modern day. In this one, no one's behavior makes any sense at all, and he's made Emma into a truly horrible person, instead of the kindhearted yet self-absorbed and overconfident character from the original.
I kept reading, hoping maybe he was going somewhere with the Lesbian Feelings subplot, but nope.

The only saving grace was Mr. Woodhouse, who is actually interesting and human for once.