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Emma and the City
WHEN ARROWS FLY, CUPID BETTER GET OUT OF THE WAY . . . OR RISK BEING SHOT
~~~
It-girl and blogger Emma Worth appears to have it all: beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous Manhattan apartment. Emma makes it her business to tell others what to wear and who to date because she knows best. Obviously.
Despite her designer outfits and glitzy New York lifestyle, something's missing . . . If she only knew what it was. That is, until a hot A-lister swoops into her life and sends Emma's pulse racing and fills her head with red-carpet fantasies.
Emma's neighbor Adam Knightley is disapproving, telling her she needs to fix her priorities and stop chasing celebrity pipe dreams. The man would look hot on a red carpet himself if only he’d stop frowning for more than five seconds.
When Emma’s matchmaking backfires and her meddling causes mischief, what's a girl to do? Try to lie her way out of it, of course. Anyway, who cares, right? Because Emma's finally getting the kind of attention she deserves. Except in her fantasies, things looked a lot different. And it didn’t feel this heartrendingly painful . . .
Love her or hate her, Emma is back––with a sexy makeover, 21st-century problems, and another chance to redeem herself in this grippingly entertaining, thoroughly original retelling of the Jane Austen classic.
~~~
It-girl and blogger Emma Worth appears to have it all: beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous Manhattan apartment. Emma makes it her business to tell others what to wear and who to date because she knows best. Obviously.
Despite her designer outfits and glitzy New York lifestyle, something's missing . . . If she only knew what it was. That is, until a hot A-lister swoops into her life and sends Emma's pulse racing and fills her head with red-carpet fantasies.
Emma's neighbor Adam Knightley is disapproving, telling her she needs to fix her priorities and stop chasing celebrity pipe dreams. The man would look hot on a red carpet himself if only he’d stop frowning for more than five seconds.
When Emma’s matchmaking backfires and her meddling causes mischief, what's a girl to do? Try to lie her way out of it, of course. Anyway, who cares, right? Because Emma's finally getting the kind of attention she deserves. Except in her fantasies, things looked a lot different. And it didn’t feel this heartrendingly painful . . .
Love her or hate her, Emma is back––with a sexy makeover, 21st-century problems, and another chance to redeem herself in this grippingly entertaining, thoroughly original retelling of the Jane Austen classic.
328 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2018
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78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 17, 2018
Toni Morrison said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” For me, Emma and the City is that book.
I've read Jane Austen's Emma and watched the Gwenyth Paltrow adaptation and Clueless multiple times. Each time I get sucked into the story, cheer on the characters, and swoon over Mr. Knightley, my favorite Austen hero by far. Emma is a story I adore and can't get enough of. Although, admittedly, it's a long book and can be a bit of a slog by modern standards.
I've wanted to be a novelist for a long time. When I finally decided to do it, I cast around for an idea. Modernizing Emma and setting it in New York jumped to mind; I'd first had the idea when I was living there in my late-20s. As a first-time novelist, I didn't know anything about plotting and storytelling and any of the other stuff it took to write a novel, so taking a successful classic story that I loved and modernizing it seemed like the perfect solution!
Let me tell you, there are no shortcuts to being a writer, and adapting a classic story also has its problems and drawbacks. By the end of a long journey that involved multiple drafts and hair-pulling, I'd learned a hell of a lot about the craft of writing.
I'd also written exactly the kind of book I loved to read and couldn't get enough of: It has the wonderful classic story at its core, with its twists, universal truths, humor and romance, and it has all the elements I love in an unputdownable feel-good romantic comedy, smart chick-lit and heartwarming romance, including modern relevance and pages that seem to turn themselves.
Each time I've read Emma and the City--once I've forgotten that I'd written it--I get sucked into the story, cheer on the characters, swoon over my very own Mr. Knightley, and read it compulsively as though I don't know what's going to happen next and can't wait to find out. To me, knowing that I can always reach for Emma and the City when I want to read a book that I know I will want to read, is success.
I've read Jane Austen's Emma and watched the Gwenyth Paltrow adaptation and Clueless multiple times. Each time I get sucked into the story, cheer on the characters, and swoon over Mr. Knightley, my favorite Austen hero by far. Emma is a story I adore and can't get enough of. Although, admittedly, it's a long book and can be a bit of a slog by modern standards.
I've wanted to be a novelist for a long time. When I finally decided to do it, I cast around for an idea. Modernizing Emma and setting it in New York jumped to mind; I'd first had the idea when I was living there in my late-20s. As a first-time novelist, I didn't know anything about plotting and storytelling and any of the other stuff it took to write a novel, so taking a successful classic story that I loved and modernizing it seemed like the perfect solution!
Let me tell you, there are no shortcuts to being a writer, and adapting a classic story also has its problems and drawbacks. By the end of a long journey that involved multiple drafts and hair-pulling, I'd learned a hell of a lot about the craft of writing.
I'd also written exactly the kind of book I loved to read and couldn't get enough of: It has the wonderful classic story at its core, with its twists, universal truths, humor and romance, and it has all the elements I love in an unputdownable feel-good romantic comedy, smart chick-lit and heartwarming romance, including modern relevance and pages that seem to turn themselves.
Each time I've read Emma and the City--once I've forgotten that I'd written it--I get sucked into the story, cheer on the characters, swoon over my very own Mr. Knightley, and read it compulsively as though I don't know what's going to happen next and can't wait to find out. To me, knowing that I can always reach for Emma and the City when I want to read a book that I know I will want to read, is success.
July 1, 2019
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
This is a good story, but it suffers the same problem as Jane Austen's Emma. The heroine is just not very likable.
At least we're given a reasonable explanation for her self-absorption. While Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse is just bored, Ms. Hilliges' Emma Worth had a gorgeous mother who disparaged her looks and then abandoned her and her father when Emma was still a child. Mr. Worth essentially abandoned her for his company Worth Papers & Stationery, leaving the various nannies and housekeepers to take care of her. She grew up looking forward to someday taking over the family business, only to have her father tell her he had no intention of bringing her on board when she graduated from college. She's had a strained relationship with him ever since.
Emma lives in New York City in an apartment building her father owns. She'd been sharing her apartment, but first her sister Isabel married and now her best friend Annalisa has just married and moved away, leaving Emma on her own, feeling restless and needing purpose. When she meets Hailey Smith, a country girl from upstate New York who just moved to the city, Emma enjoys being a role model and molding the girl into her own image.
After writing for an e-commerce site and being passed over for a promotion she felt she deserved, Emma left and now writes her own blog called "Worth It" reviewing the cool spots to eat, shop, see and be seen in the Big Apple. She's accumulated a small following, but she's eager to find ways to reach more readers. Inspired by her experience with Hailey, Emma redesigns her blog so it's geared specifically for young women new to the city and helping them become sophisticated New Yorkers like herself. She launches a marketing campaign to attract new followers which is buoyed by the publicity she garners when she starts dating a popular TV star, Ryan Churchill.
The story is told in third person, usually limited to Emma's skewed point of view. Some version of the most familiar residents of Highbury reside in her apartment building. Adam Knightley is her upstairs neighbor and good friend, though it bugs her that he often corrects her. Belinda Bates is a well-meaning chatterbox who lives with her mother in their rent-controlled apartment below, and Belinda's niece Juliette Fairfax comes to stay with them for the summer. Zak Elton is a musician who moves into the building, and Emma puts her matchmaking skills at work to get him together with Hailey.
The writing here is good, and the parallels between this and Emma book are very well done with obvious nods to Sex and the City. I like the way the relationship between Emma and Adam develops, with each attracted to the other but concerned that making a move would ruin the strong friendship they've had for years.
However, I've always struggled to like Jane Austen's Emma. Unfortunately, even understanding why this Emma is so shallow doesn't excuse all of her childish behavior, which just gets worse and worse as the story goes on. It's hard to be happy reading a book where you dislike the main character so much. At least the final section is satisfying - it's dispels some important misunderstandings (though without explaining why they were allowed to fester for so long) and allows her to redeem herself.
Much like Sex and the City, there's a good bit of MA content.
This is a good story, but it suffers the same problem as Jane Austen's Emma. The heroine is just not very likable.
At least we're given a reasonable explanation for her self-absorption. While Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse is just bored, Ms. Hilliges' Emma Worth had a gorgeous mother who disparaged her looks and then abandoned her and her father when Emma was still a child. Mr. Worth essentially abandoned her for his company Worth Papers & Stationery, leaving the various nannies and housekeepers to take care of her. She grew up looking forward to someday taking over the family business, only to have her father tell her he had no intention of bringing her on board when she graduated from college. She's had a strained relationship with him ever since.
Emma lives in New York City in an apartment building her father owns. She'd been sharing her apartment, but first her sister Isabel married and now her best friend Annalisa has just married and moved away, leaving Emma on her own, feeling restless and needing purpose. When she meets Hailey Smith, a country girl from upstate New York who just moved to the city, Emma enjoys being a role model and molding the girl into her own image.
After writing for an e-commerce site and being passed over for a promotion she felt she deserved, Emma left and now writes her own blog called "Worth It" reviewing the cool spots to eat, shop, see and be seen in the Big Apple. She's accumulated a small following, but she's eager to find ways to reach more readers. Inspired by her experience with Hailey, Emma redesigns her blog so it's geared specifically for young women new to the city and helping them become sophisticated New Yorkers like herself. She launches a marketing campaign to attract new followers which is buoyed by the publicity she garners when she starts dating a popular TV star, Ryan Churchill.
The story is told in third person, usually limited to Emma's skewed point of view. Some version of the most familiar residents of Highbury reside in her apartment building. Adam Knightley is her upstairs neighbor and good friend, though it bugs her that he often corrects her. Belinda Bates is a well-meaning chatterbox who lives with her mother in their rent-controlled apartment below, and Belinda's niece Juliette Fairfax comes to stay with them for the summer. Zak Elton is a musician who moves into the building, and Emma puts her matchmaking skills at work to get him together with Hailey.
The writing here is good, and the parallels between this and Emma book are very well done with obvious nods to Sex and the City. I like the way the relationship between Emma and Adam develops, with each attracted to the other but concerned that making a move would ruin the strong friendship they've had for years.
However, I've always struggled to like Jane Austen's Emma. Unfortunately, even understanding why this Emma is so shallow doesn't excuse all of her childish behavior, which just gets worse and worse as the story goes on. It's hard to be happy reading a book where you dislike the main character so much. At least the final section is satisfying - it's dispels some important misunderstandings (though without explaining why they were allowed to fester for so long) and allows her to redeem herself.
Much like Sex and the City, there's a good bit of MA content.
September 16, 2018
This is another retelling in the year of retellings. Emma and the City is a retelling of Emma by Jane Austen. I liked reading it. I was disappointed not to see descriptions of New York or Hartfield through Emma's point-of-view. There is barely any romance in the book so I would caution readers to not pick up the book expecting so.
Overall, I did not love the book as I had presumed. however,I would encourage readers to pick it up as it has potential to be a good women's fiction.
Overall, I did not love the book as I had presumed. however,I would encourage readers to pick it up as it has potential to be a good women's fiction.
September 23, 2018
I am a huge fan of Austen retellings because they are my favorite classics and I love them interpreted for a modern audience. But Emma is actually not one of those favorites, because it's hard to empathize with the main character for the most part and I always thought it would never work in a contemporary setting. That idea was busted when I read I Could Write A Book and loved it so much; so I decided I will give this adaptation a try too.
Emma in the classic is a meddlesome young woman with a good heart but the Emma in this book, however, is very patronizing, selfish and judgmental. She covers up her own insecurities about abandonment by her parents, by putting up a false confident image and uses this to project a certain version of herself for her blog and to her friends. She also uses people to further her needs, whether she realizes it herself or not. She thinks quite highly of herself, judging others for their beauty, social status and worthiness and ends up finding them lacking or in need of her intervention.
It's the side characters that really made this book a good experience for me. Adam Knightley is definitely the swoony hero worthy of the classic. He is a good person who deeply cares for Emma and only wants best for her. He is also very compassionate and understanding, lending a shoulder for Hailey to cry on when Emma's plans for her backfire; always looking out for Belinda and her mother; even looking out for Juliette when Emma's completely ruins her reputation. I liked that he never backed out from telling Emma the truth about her behavior, even when he couldn't express the depth of his true feelings. I also loved the characters of the slightly naive Hailey who gains self confidence through the novel and the lovely Juliette who may feel aloof, but is just a strong woman minding her own business.
I enjoyed the writing of this book very much. It was very easy to read and I could get through it very quickly. I also liked the changes to the original, like Emma's estranged relationship with her father and addition of the whole celebrity and gossip magazine angle. I just feel Emma is probably not a very easy protagonist to adapt for our current sensibilities, and trying to do that just made her more unlikable. I'm glad that she realizes her mistakes and works to better herself, but I also think we should have gotten more of her working towards forgiveness from everyone she has wronged. Even though I enjoyed the overall story, I just feel her redemption came too easy.
If you really like the story of Emma, you should definitely give this a try. It also sticks quite close to the original, so you should be prepared for an extreme slow burn with almost no romance till the end. But the conclusion is definitely very satisfactory.
Emma in the classic is a meddlesome young woman with a good heart but the Emma in this book, however, is very patronizing, selfish and judgmental. She covers up her own insecurities about abandonment by her parents, by putting up a false confident image and uses this to project a certain version of herself for her blog and to her friends. She also uses people to further her needs, whether she realizes it herself or not. She thinks quite highly of herself, judging others for their beauty, social status and worthiness and ends up finding them lacking or in need of her intervention.
It's the side characters that really made this book a good experience for me. Adam Knightley is definitely the swoony hero worthy of the classic. He is a good person who deeply cares for Emma and only wants best for her. He is also very compassionate and understanding, lending a shoulder for Hailey to cry on when Emma's plans for her backfire; always looking out for Belinda and her mother; even looking out for Juliette when Emma's completely ruins her reputation. I liked that he never backed out from telling Emma the truth about her behavior, even when he couldn't express the depth of his true feelings. I also loved the characters of the slightly naive Hailey who gains self confidence through the novel and the lovely Juliette who may feel aloof, but is just a strong woman minding her own business.
I enjoyed the writing of this book very much. It was very easy to read and I could get through it very quickly. I also liked the changes to the original, like Emma's estranged relationship with her father and addition of the whole celebrity and gossip magazine angle. I just feel Emma is probably not a very easy protagonist to adapt for our current sensibilities, and trying to do that just made her more unlikable. I'm glad that she realizes her mistakes and works to better herself, but I also think we should have gotten more of her working towards forgiveness from everyone she has wronged. Even though I enjoyed the overall story, I just feel her redemption came too easy.
If you really like the story of Emma, you should definitely give this a try. It also sticks quite close to the original, so you should be prepared for an extreme slow burn with almost no romance till the end. But the conclusion is definitely very satisfactory.
August 23, 2018
This might be a new take on a classic, but this story is original in every way. Those who loved "Emma" will be moved by the same sweetness and romance, and a character any modern woman can relate to. Highly recommend!
December 14, 2018
Emma and the City was a good retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma written by Amy Hilliges. As a huge fan of any and all Emma re-tellings and Sex in the City, needless to say, I loved this read! Emma and the City expounded in a few unexpected and original ways which I really appreciated. This book is Jane Austen’s Emma for this time period. What an enjoyable read.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
It-girl and blogger Emma Worth has it all: beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous Manhattan apartment.
But under the surface, she's got a huge hole in her life and tries to fill it . . . in all the wrong ways, from playing Cupid to chasing celebrity pipe dreams.
Emma's neighbor Adam Knightley thinks she's got her priorities all wrong, but Emma knows better . . . or does she?
When Emma’s matchmaking backfires and her actions result in scandal, will she finally learn what's important and change her ways?
Or will her desire for the one thing she doesn't have cause her to risk the one thing she never knew she wanted?
If you’re a fan of heartwarming romantic comedies, you’ll devour this grippingly entertaining, thoroughly original retelling of Jane Austen's timeless classic.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
It-girl and blogger Emma Worth has it all: beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous Manhattan apartment.
But under the surface, she's got a huge hole in her life and tries to fill it . . . in all the wrong ways, from playing Cupid to chasing celebrity pipe dreams.
Emma's neighbor Adam Knightley thinks she's got her priorities all wrong, but Emma knows better . . . or does she?
When Emma’s matchmaking backfires and her actions result in scandal, will she finally learn what's important and change her ways?
Or will her desire for the one thing she doesn't have cause her to risk the one thing she never knew she wanted?
If you’re a fan of heartwarming romantic comedies, you’ll devour this grippingly entertaining, thoroughly original retelling of Jane Austen's timeless classic.
September 26, 2018
I cannot deny it, I am a sucker for an Austen adaptation. Now admittedly they usually centre around Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion. The remaining ones, you can empathise, would be a little harder to adapt in some ways to modern times. So whilst this book was good, to make that transition from past to present, you have to let go of some traditional preconceptions.
"As her friend, you need to watch out for her feelings, not think about how great you’ll feel and how much you’ll be patted on the back if—and that’s a big if—they get together.”
This book is well written and easy to read - you will get through it quickly - it’s light and entertaining. Some of the changes are obvious, others less so - for example: Emma rather than devoted to her father, is estranged from him and our dashing hero Knightely is divorced - heaven forbid! On the flip side, there are sensible alterations such as the whole fiasco surrounding the family business which I very much appreciated. You will recognise characters and scenarios and, for me, that is what the essence of an adaptation is about.
"You’ve spread lies that could ruin lives! Juliette’s for one.”
Yes, he was angry indeed. “You have got to stop meddling in other people’s lives.”
Now to Emma herself. Emma is not one of my favourite Austen tales due to her behaviour. In Austen’s classic she may interfere but on most occasions, her heart was in the right place. For the modern adaptation, the author has really amped it up - alot! Personally, she has gone too far and created a really unlikeable character - selfish, snobbish and most definitely obnoxious! She is the classic ‘mean’ girl and therefore, not a true reflection of what Austen was working towards. Do not despair! The other characters more than make up for it! Adam Knightley is wonderful and a fabulous dashing hero, but heroic because he still tells Emma exactly as it is. Add to that the likes of Belinda Bates even naive Hailey and they bring the a lovely modern twist.
Another problem I have concerns the ending. Whilst I loved reading it, I felt that the acts of Emma redeeming herself were too easy and that was a little disappointing. Make her work for it people! She upset so many people and it could not all be forgiven so easily. I also quickly got over the many steamy scenes and the lewd language; for me, they were detrimental to the overall package, Emma shouldn’t be describing people as ‘stupid, insecure b****’.
"Her blatant hedonism was there for all the world to see."
Overall I found this to be a satisfying contemporary adaptation set in NYC. I whizzed through it very quickly which is always a good sign. If you liked Austen’s original, give it a try but leave all assumptions at the door.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release
"As her friend, you need to watch out for her feelings, not think about how great you’ll feel and how much you’ll be patted on the back if—and that’s a big if—they get together.”
This book is well written and easy to read - you will get through it quickly - it’s light and entertaining. Some of the changes are obvious, others less so - for example: Emma rather than devoted to her father, is estranged from him and our dashing hero Knightely is divorced - heaven forbid! On the flip side, there are sensible alterations such as the whole fiasco surrounding the family business which I very much appreciated. You will recognise characters and scenarios and, for me, that is what the essence of an adaptation is about.
"You’ve spread lies that could ruin lives! Juliette’s for one.”
Yes, he was angry indeed. “You have got to stop meddling in other people’s lives.”
Now to Emma herself. Emma is not one of my favourite Austen tales due to her behaviour. In Austen’s classic she may interfere but on most occasions, her heart was in the right place. For the modern adaptation, the author has really amped it up - alot! Personally, she has gone too far and created a really unlikeable character - selfish, snobbish and most definitely obnoxious! She is the classic ‘mean’ girl and therefore, not a true reflection of what Austen was working towards. Do not despair! The other characters more than make up for it! Adam Knightley is wonderful and a fabulous dashing hero, but heroic because he still tells Emma exactly as it is. Add to that the likes of Belinda Bates even naive Hailey and they bring the a lovely modern twist.
Another problem I have concerns the ending. Whilst I loved reading it, I felt that the acts of Emma redeeming herself were too easy and that was a little disappointing. Make her work for it people! She upset so many people and it could not all be forgiven so easily. I also quickly got over the many steamy scenes and the lewd language; for me, they were detrimental to the overall package, Emma shouldn’t be describing people as ‘stupid, insecure b****’.
"Her blatant hedonism was there for all the world to see."
Overall I found this to be a satisfying contemporary adaptation set in NYC. I whizzed through it very quickly which is always a good sign. If you liked Austen’s original, give it a try but leave all assumptions at the door.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release
October 26, 2018
"I didn't say I don't believe in love! said Emma. It was just that everyone she'd ever loved had chosen something else over her..."(quote from the book)
This is a very modern 21st Century adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Emma'. As Jane Austen herself said, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." is generally true. I think Ms. Hilliges has done a credible job with planting this story in New York City and using a brownstone apartment building as the nucleus for the story. Emma may be self-absorbed but she is smart. However, this Emma has more baggage...she feels abandoned by those who are suppose to love her.
For the most part, I enjoyed the dynamics and interactions of the characters. Emma, as the books says, is an "It Girl" with a trendsetting blog about life, fashion, hot spots and reviews of restaurants that one needs to go to in New York City. She now wants to expand her blog and become more of a 'life style expert'. How she meddles in the lives of those in her apartment building and her new friend, Hailey Smith, will have you cringing over her blunders and wanting to shake her. The modern day roles of the characters were well done.
For me, the F-bombs and other explicit language used in some scenarios took away from the story. There are some mature scenes as well that I could have done without, but in this day and age are realistic and uncomfortable, but I understand the reasons for them. I do feel Ms. Hilliges was brave in taking on 'Emma' for her debut novel and projecting her into today's world.
I was fortunate to win this book in a giveaway with no expectation of a review.
January 15, 2019
Although Emma is my least favorite of Jane Austen's novels, this book did a great job developing the characters and creating the same tension and hope that is characteristic of Austen's novels. I enjoyed the modern setting, found the main character, Emma, appropriately frustrating, and was satisfyingly elated with the all-around happy ending.
August 9, 2018
A wonderful contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma set in NYC. I stayed up way too late to finish it last night, but I wasn't disappointed: it definitely provided a feel-good warm & fuzzy feeling at the end. Highly recommend!
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October 6, 2018#EmmaandtheCity #NetGalley
If you loved Emma by Jane Austen then this book is for you. It funny, witty, and charming just like the original. The author blends her own humor with Austen's story and gives the reader that enchanting feel that you get when you read Austen. Sweet, easy read!
If you loved Emma by Jane Austen then this book is for you. It funny, witty, and charming just like the original. The author blends her own humor with Austen's story and gives the reader that enchanting feel that you get when you read Austen. Sweet, easy read!
June 18, 2020
Gratified by Hailey’s enthusiasm, Emma told Hailey more: About how her marketing campaign had brought Luxe tons of awareness and new customers. About how her event-planner friend, Sasha, could always be counted on to put her on some list for some party somewhere. About how cool it was to blog for a living.
“You’re just like Carrie from Sex and the City!” Hailey sighed.
(In case you were wondering, this book contains drug and alcohol use, explicit language, suggestive material, emoticons, and outdated product placement)
“The Ultimate Feel-Good Romantic Comedy Retelling of Emma”?
I got to the end and saw the Dear Reader section which says, “thank you for choosing to read Emma and the City over all the other books you could have read and for making it this far, which hopefully means you enjoyed the book.
Maybe you even loved it and are feeling warm and fuzzy right about now? If so, then my job is complete."
I started laughing.
I could (and probably should) have read many other books, but I’m tumbling further down the Austen rabbit hole I’ve fallen into instead of making a dent in my multiple-paged TBR list, and made it to the end because I have a bad
In what world is this a "feel-good romantic comedy"? I feel like I need to Listerine my brain after reading this. Judging by the top reviews, I'm in the minority yet again (surprise, surprise), but this did not work for me at all.
I'll start this off by saying I'm not a Sex and the City fan. I honestly don't know anything about it except for the fact that there's some woman named Carrie, so if there are any kind of references or nods or whatever to the series, they went way over my head in this one.
I do, however, know a little something about Emma, and while this loosely follows the plot, it completely loses the spirit of the original. I mean, Mrs. Elton's vulgar reincarnation and the "badly done, Emma" scene are the only things it does well. There are definitely some creatively liberties taken, especially with the latter, but Hilliges manages to put her own spin on things while still being somewhat faithful to canon.
I wish I could say the same for the rest of her choices. Emma is self-absorbed, but it's because she had a "bad childhood." Her mom left and her dad was a distant workaholic, so she has abandonment issues. Apparently her own insecurities and fear of rejection caused her to develop a "fake it til you make it" attitude and a public persona. It's a far cry from "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her."
The product placement is hopelessly anachronistic-I mean, a Motorola RAZR, really?- and makes the whole book feel dated. I honestly thought this was a book from the early 2000s and was going to make a whole speech about the dangers of unnecessarily including references when I realized this was published in 2018. 2018. I really only checked because there was a random bit about paper cranes in the epilogue that seemed like an Emma Approved reference, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this was written in the early 2000s and then shuttled around to different agents until it found a publisher a few years ago because the writing is not that great. It's awkward and a little nauseating at times (what does it even mean that "Emma could smell the maleness of him"?). There's this weird Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? dream sequence when everything falls apart, and when Emma tries to sort out her feelings about Knightley, it turns into some weird metaphor about hatching an unknown creature's egg. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
Emma and Knightley's relationship is such a travesty, I don't even want to revisit it, but I'll just let you know that when he first met Emma he'd apparently “entertained the idea of her as a rebound. In the second and third thought, he knew it would have been a terrible idea because: 1) She has never shown any signs of being interested in him; 2) she was a junior in college, not even the legal drinking age, and he was getting divorced and in the verge of 30; and 3) having a casual rebound with someone who lived one floor above you just couldn’t be a good idea.“
At one point, Emma gulps "back something that felt like a hot, wet, sour lump," and that's kind of how this book felt.
September 27, 2018
***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Red Envelope Press, and Amy Hilliges.***
Emma and the City, by Amy Hilliges, was a modernized retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. I read the synopsis on NetGalley and thought it sounded great, but it was just ok for me. Emma is a lifestyle blogger in NYC who is dissatisfied with the direction of her life. She takes new-to-the-city Hailey under her wing and attempts to guide her career-wise, socially and find her a boyfriend. At the same time, she’s starstruck by a rising Hollywood star she crosses paths with. Her longtime friend and neighbour Adam is quick to tell her when she crosses a line, but Emma hardly ever listens, and it all comes raining down on her eventually. Can she find happiness in the pieces that remain of her life?
This plot is rather intricate to detail, but I did read a synopsis of the original Emma to understand why Hilliges made some of the choices she made. It does follow the original quite closely with more modern situations substituted in. The modern takes were quite well done, which is why I found it a bit odd that the dialogue often had a more formal, old fashioned feel to it. I assumed it was on purpose—a throwback to the original book—but it made some scenes feel awkward for me.
This brings me to my biggest problem. For almost the entirety of the book, I disliked Emma. At the beginning I simply disapproved of some of her choices, by the middle I was disgusted by a couple of them. She ignores those who love her as she pursues fame and fortune, and I don’t think she was happy or enjoyed any part of the infamy. Plus, it didn’t make sense to me that she was dedicated to a fake relationship in lieu of finding support with those she shared a real connection with. She is undoubtedly one of the most selfish, self-involved, self-serving characterizations I have ever read.
I liked Adam. I liked the chemistry between Emma and Adam. I liked that he was never afraid to take her down a peg, warn her when she was overstepping boundaries, and give his opinion on her decisions. I liked that he also wasn’t afraid to apologize if he felt he’d gone too far with what he’d said. For me, the back and forth between them—especially the last misunderstanding—happened too many times. I found myself asking why Adam put up with her as he seemed to get very little back from her.
I liked many of the minor characters and thought they added a lot to the story.
The last 20% of the book was much better than the first 80%. It was good that Emma got some closure about her mother and from her father. I liked the changes she made in her life after the emergency. I think she was on her way to becoming a better person, but I wish there had been more growth. It might have been enough to convince me she wasn’t the monster she was for much of the story.
Though I’m an Austen fan, Emma wasn’t one of my favourites so to those who love it, this book would be perfect for you!
Emma and the City, by Amy Hilliges, was a modernized retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. I read the synopsis on NetGalley and thought it sounded great, but it was just ok for me. Emma is a lifestyle blogger in NYC who is dissatisfied with the direction of her life. She takes new-to-the-city Hailey under her wing and attempts to guide her career-wise, socially and find her a boyfriend. At the same time, she’s starstruck by a rising Hollywood star she crosses paths with. Her longtime friend and neighbour Adam is quick to tell her when she crosses a line, but Emma hardly ever listens, and it all comes raining down on her eventually. Can she find happiness in the pieces that remain of her life?
This plot is rather intricate to detail, but I did read a synopsis of the original Emma to understand why Hilliges made some of the choices she made. It does follow the original quite closely with more modern situations substituted in. The modern takes were quite well done, which is why I found it a bit odd that the dialogue often had a more formal, old fashioned feel to it. I assumed it was on purpose—a throwback to the original book—but it made some scenes feel awkward for me.
This brings me to my biggest problem. For almost the entirety of the book, I disliked Emma. At the beginning I simply disapproved of some of her choices, by the middle I was disgusted by a couple of them. She ignores those who love her as she pursues fame and fortune, and I don’t think she was happy or enjoyed any part of the infamy. Plus, it didn’t make sense to me that she was dedicated to a fake relationship in lieu of finding support with those she shared a real connection with. She is undoubtedly one of the most selfish, self-involved, self-serving characterizations I have ever read.
I liked Adam. I liked the chemistry between Emma and Adam. I liked that he was never afraid to take her down a peg, warn her when she was overstepping boundaries, and give his opinion on her decisions. I liked that he also wasn’t afraid to apologize if he felt he’d gone too far with what he’d said. For me, the back and forth between them—especially the last misunderstanding—happened too many times. I found myself asking why Adam put up with her as he seemed to get very little back from her.
I liked many of the minor characters and thought they added a lot to the story.
The last 20% of the book was much better than the first 80%. It was good that Emma got some closure about her mother and from her father. I liked the changes she made in her life after the emergency. I think she was on her way to becoming a better person, but I wish there had been more growth. It might have been enough to convince me she wasn’t the monster she was for much of the story.
Though I’m an Austen fan, Emma wasn’t one of my favourites so to those who love it, this book would be perfect for you!
October 18, 2018
Title: Emma and the City
Author: Amy Hilliges
Publisher: Red Envelope Press, September 18
Pages: 328 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
My Rating: 3.5 crowns
Synopsis:
WHEN ARROWS FLY, CUPID BETTER GET OUT OF THE WAY . . . OR RISK BEING SHOT
~~~
It-girl and blogger Emma Worth appears to have it all: beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous Manhattan apartment. Emma makes it her business to tell others what to wear and who to date because she knows best. Obviously.
Despite her designer outfits and glitzy New York lifestyle, something's missing . . . If she only knew what it was. That is, until a hot A-lister swoops into her life and sends Emma's pulse racing and fills her head with red-carpet fantasies.
Emma's neighbor Adam Knightley is disapproving, telling her she needs to fix her priorities and stop chasing celebrity pipe dreams. The man would look hot on a red carpet himself if only he’d stop frowning for more than five seconds.
When Emma’s matchmaking backfires and her meddling causes mischief, what's a girl to do? Try to lie her way out of it, of course. Anyway, who cares, right? Because Emma's finally getting the kind of attention she deserves. Except in her fantasies, things looked a lot different. And it didn’t feel this heartrendingly painful . . .
Love her or hate her, Emma is back––with a sexy makeover, 21st-century problems, and another chance to redeem herself in this grippingly entertaining, thoroughly original retelling of the Jane Austen classic.
My Thoughts
When I started reading Emma and the City, I knew it would be an adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic Emma. While it was an entertaining read, the main protagonist didn’t resemble the ‘real’ Emma enough for my liking. She was very hard to like and an extremely selfish person. The story begins with her best friend, Annalisa’s wedding, where Emma is maid of honour.
“Apparently, if there’s a Bridezilla at this wedding, it’s the maid of honour. From what I’ve heard, you’d think she was the one getting married!”
I did enjoy the character, Adam Knightley, Emma’s next door neighbour and friend. He was down to earth and wasn’t very happy with Emma’s ‘meddling ways’.
“In my grandma’s day, they called it ‘meddling.’”
There was also a character, who lived in Emma’s building, called Belinda Bates. She was a lovely lady, but I think Emma took advantage of her kindness and didn’t appreciate her until the end.
“Belinda Bates was that neighbour, the one who was always poking her nose into everyone’s business.”
You could tell from Emma’s relationships with her family and friends, that she was insecure and something had happened in her childhood. I don’t think the author explored that insecure side of her enough and made her unlikeable. I also didn’t think some of the descriptions and language was needed to get the point across.
The chapters were quite short so it made for an easy and quick read.
Overall, it was a light, easy and entertaining read, but if you love Austen’s Emma, make sure
you don’t have any expectations of this one.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release
Author: Amy Hilliges
Publisher: Red Envelope Press, September 18
Pages: 328 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
My Rating: 3.5 crowns
Synopsis:
WHEN ARROWS FLY, CUPID BETTER GET OUT OF THE WAY . . . OR RISK BEING SHOT
~~~
It-girl and blogger Emma Worth appears to have it all: beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous Manhattan apartment. Emma makes it her business to tell others what to wear and who to date because she knows best. Obviously.
Despite her designer outfits and glitzy New York lifestyle, something's missing . . . If she only knew what it was. That is, until a hot A-lister swoops into her life and sends Emma's pulse racing and fills her head with red-carpet fantasies.
Emma's neighbor Adam Knightley is disapproving, telling her she needs to fix her priorities and stop chasing celebrity pipe dreams. The man would look hot on a red carpet himself if only he’d stop frowning for more than five seconds.
When Emma’s matchmaking backfires and her meddling causes mischief, what's a girl to do? Try to lie her way out of it, of course. Anyway, who cares, right? Because Emma's finally getting the kind of attention she deserves. Except in her fantasies, things looked a lot different. And it didn’t feel this heartrendingly painful . . .
Love her or hate her, Emma is back––with a sexy makeover, 21st-century problems, and another chance to redeem herself in this grippingly entertaining, thoroughly original retelling of the Jane Austen classic.
My Thoughts
When I started reading Emma and the City, I knew it would be an adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic Emma. While it was an entertaining read, the main protagonist didn’t resemble the ‘real’ Emma enough for my liking. She was very hard to like and an extremely selfish person. The story begins with her best friend, Annalisa’s wedding, where Emma is maid of honour.
“Apparently, if there’s a Bridezilla at this wedding, it’s the maid of honour. From what I’ve heard, you’d think she was the one getting married!”
I did enjoy the character, Adam Knightley, Emma’s next door neighbour and friend. He was down to earth and wasn’t very happy with Emma’s ‘meddling ways’.
“In my grandma’s day, they called it ‘meddling.’”
There was also a character, who lived in Emma’s building, called Belinda Bates. She was a lovely lady, but I think Emma took advantage of her kindness and didn’t appreciate her until the end.
“Belinda Bates was that neighbour, the one who was always poking her nose into everyone’s business.”
You could tell from Emma’s relationships with her family and friends, that she was insecure and something had happened in her childhood. I don’t think the author explored that insecure side of her enough and made her unlikeable. I also didn’t think some of the descriptions and language was needed to get the point across.
The chapters were quite short so it made for an easy and quick read.
Overall, it was a light, easy and entertaining read, but if you love Austen’s Emma, make sure
you don’t have any expectations of this one.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release
September 23, 2018
As a huge Austen fan I was excited to receive an ARC of this book. I remember reading "Emma" as a teenager and loving the story (in fact, it might be my favorite Austen book ever) so I was hopeful about this one as well. The original Emma did get on my nerves but in the end she had a good heart and always hoped for the best - even when it did not necessarily mean that others thought it was best too.
"Emma and the City" tells the story of Emma Worth, a blogger and IT girl, navigating life in the Big Apple. She lives in an apartment building with an eclectic crew of characters and loves to meddle in other peoples lives. She is insecure and it is very visible throughout the book. She thinks nobody loves her and tries to constantly show everyone that she has worth and value. Unfortunately she comes across as selfish and very self involved. She thinks about everything in the terms of what it will offer HER. Every time she tries to help someone it ends in a disaster. However, I do think that everyone was too easy on Emma about her actions and there should have been more repercussions about her behavior. In the end the character does redeem herself somewhat and I was glad for the way it ended.
My favorite character was Adam, the love interest. I remember loving the original Knightley and I was impressed with the modern one too. He cares deeply for Emma , and is overall a good man. He helps the ladies in his apartment building, cares for his brother and his family and has his life together. I was surprised how he was always there for Emma, even when she did not deserve it. He is also honest with her and tries to push her into becoming a better person. But , as we all know, change can only happen when a person really wants it.
I thought that the book was written well. I got some British chick lit vibes from the writing so I often found myself surprised that it actually took place in the NYC. I thought the characters were pretty similar to the original "Emma" characters, but of course more modern. I think the author did a good job with the retelling and would recommend it to other "Emma" fans.
"Emma and the City" tells the story of Emma Worth, a blogger and IT girl, navigating life in the Big Apple. She lives in an apartment building with an eclectic crew of characters and loves to meddle in other peoples lives. She is insecure and it is very visible throughout the book. She thinks nobody loves her and tries to constantly show everyone that she has worth and value. Unfortunately she comes across as selfish and very self involved. She thinks about everything in the terms of what it will offer HER. Every time she tries to help someone it ends in a disaster. However, I do think that everyone was too easy on Emma about her actions and there should have been more repercussions about her behavior. In the end the character does redeem herself somewhat and I was glad for the way it ended.
My favorite character was Adam, the love interest. I remember loving the original Knightley and I was impressed with the modern one too. He cares deeply for Emma , and is overall a good man. He helps the ladies in his apartment building, cares for his brother and his family and has his life together. I was surprised how he was always there for Emma, even when she did not deserve it. He is also honest with her and tries to push her into becoming a better person. But , as we all know, change can only happen when a person really wants it.
I thought that the book was written well. I got some British chick lit vibes from the writing so I often found myself surprised that it actually took place in the NYC. I thought the characters were pretty similar to the original "Emma" characters, but of course more modern. I think the author did a good job with the retelling and would recommend it to other "Emma" fans.
October 7, 2018
It girl and blogger, Emma Worth, seems to have it all - beauty, brains, connections and a fabulous manhattan apartment. However there is something missing. As an a-lister swoops in to steal her heart, things around her begin to change. Is the man she’s looking for the one on the red carpet? Or maybe one closer to home.
I have to say, this was a really interesting look on the world of social media and rising popularity of internet fame. Some people will do whatever they can to be famous, it doesn’t matter who gets heart along the way. Emma did just that and to be honest, I hated her through most of the book. Each decision she made just seemed to be to help her social gain, yet she couldn’t see that she was ruining the lives of those around her.
It was a good book, light hearted and entertaining, but it didn’t wow me. I found the ending a bit predictable and it felt disjointed from the rest of the book - there wasn’t really much of Emma realising that she had hurt people and going through understand that, but rather a “oh I’ve hurt people, let me quickly apologise and everything will be fine”. She didn’t spend much time in that lonely, fragile phase and I think this made everything else seem a bit superficial - like it was handed to her.
Despite that, it was still a good book (hence the three stars), and the end was sweet, mushy and heart warming. Definitely one of the romantics out there.
I have to say, this was a really interesting look on the world of social media and rising popularity of internet fame. Some people will do whatever they can to be famous, it doesn’t matter who gets heart along the way. Emma did just that and to be honest, I hated her through most of the book. Each decision she made just seemed to be to help her social gain, yet she couldn’t see that she was ruining the lives of those around her.
It was a good book, light hearted and entertaining, but it didn’t wow me. I found the ending a bit predictable and it felt disjointed from the rest of the book - there wasn’t really much of Emma realising that she had hurt people and going through understand that, but rather a “oh I’ve hurt people, let me quickly apologise and everything will be fine”. She didn’t spend much time in that lonely, fragile phase and I think this made everything else seem a bit superficial - like it was handed to her.
Despite that, it was still a good book (hence the three stars), and the end was sweet, mushy and heart warming. Definitely one of the romantics out there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2019
This book was basically a DNF by the 50% mark but I did skim the rest so... bumping up a star. Barely.
I really wanted to like this. I love retellings, and I love Jane Austen. But this just didn’t work for me. I was oddly distracted by all the dated references to things that made the setting feel like 2003 instead of 2018, when it was published. But that probably wouldn’t have bothered me if the pacing and writing was better. These are craft issues, honestly, and given this is a debut... well, I’m trying to be kind... but yikes.
The original Emma Woodhouse is by no means a traditionally “likable” character, but she’s charmed readers for over 200 years anyway. This Emma? Was just plain mean. She was so self-centered, constantly slut-shaming other women, and never thinking about how her actions affected others. There was really nothing redeemable about her character, and that’s ultimately the big failure here in this book. But I didn’t really care about the poorly developed side characters either, so nothing really stood out in this book.
Sorry, but I have to recommend giving this one a pass.
I really wanted to like this. I love retellings, and I love Jane Austen. But this just didn’t work for me. I was oddly distracted by all the dated references to things that made the setting feel like 2003 instead of 2018, when it was published. But that probably wouldn’t have bothered me if the pacing and writing was better. These are craft issues, honestly, and given this is a debut... well, I’m trying to be kind... but yikes.
The original Emma Woodhouse is by no means a traditionally “likable” character, but she’s charmed readers for over 200 years anyway. This Emma? Was just plain mean. She was so self-centered, constantly slut-shaming other women, and never thinking about how her actions affected others. There was really nothing redeemable about her character, and that’s ultimately the big failure here in this book. But I didn’t really care about the poorly developed side characters either, so nothing really stood out in this book.
Sorry, but I have to recommend giving this one a pass.
October 1, 2018
Emma and the City is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, unfortunately this book did not meet the standard. Emma, a lifestyle blogger, is helping her old nanny’s child settle into New York in her work life and dating life.
The writing and narration in this book felt weird and choppy. Although Emma was the main character and narrator, they would be random snippets of side character’s inner monologues and commentary that didn’t fit in with the scene.
Emma was quite an unlikable character from her own commentary and the strange commentary inserts from side characters that showed her to be unapologetic, brash and arrogant. She’s clearly a meddler with no thought of how her actions will actually affect other people.
Overall, Emma and the City is not a book I would link to resembling Jane Austen’s classic.
Netgalley provided me with an e-arc for review
The writing and narration in this book felt weird and choppy. Although Emma was the main character and narrator, they would be random snippets of side character’s inner monologues and commentary that didn’t fit in with the scene.
Emma was quite an unlikable character from her own commentary and the strange commentary inserts from side characters that showed her to be unapologetic, brash and arrogant. She’s clearly a meddler with no thought of how her actions will actually affect other people.
Overall, Emma and the City is not a book I would link to resembling Jane Austen’s classic.
Netgalley provided me with an e-arc for review
December 2, 2018
Modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma. I had never read the original book but I have watched the movie. The two do not compare but I still found my reactions to be the same. Emma was still a bit snobby, irratating and missing the big picture, most of the time. Emma loved meddeling in others affiars and didn’t see the problem with alot of her choices until it was too late. Although Emma did make some questioning choices at some points, I did enjoy the progression of growth and maturity in her character. Emma wanted some much in her life to be a certain way and during that time she lost a sense of who she was to be someone different. Sometimes we are blinded by our actions. Sometimes we need our friends or families to remind us of who we really are. That being said I did like this modern retelling of the story. Amy Hilliges did a wonderful job retelling this this modern day adpatation.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
September 20, 2018
A pity that this book is a retelling of such a legendary book because honestly it just does not cut it. I am an avid reader and hardly leave any book midway through but this one just could not hold me. The protagonist of this book, unlike the original, is full of fluff and nonsense who doesn’t even come across as an interesting fictional character. The portrayal lacked depth of perception or even language. It is very sad to have to write a review like this because books are my religion but I was given this as an ARC by #Netgalley (@netgalley) for an honest review.
September 30, 2024
when i saw this on netgalley i was so excited! i love Austen retellings. sure, normally i read P&P or Persuasion retellings, simply because they are more common. i think the reason they are more common is that they translate so well to a modern time, whereas emma or S&S just... don't. northanger really doesn't. that's not the fault of the people writing the retellings, it's just how it is.
i love the original Emma, of course. so i was excited for this one. unfortunately it fell flat for me and i hate that. i wanted to like it. i feel like i give retellings a head start that i wouldn't give other books - i already love them for the story i know and love. i try not to compare every little thing, i love spotting the similarities and discovering what things the author changes. i could never be that imaginative. unfortunately, in this one, i liked some of the differences but the others rubbed me the wrong way. emma, in the original, is meddling, sure, but she means well. she's spoiled and a daddy's girl but she's not nasty or malicious. this emma just did not work for me.
i hate when i don't like books. i don't want to pick apart every single thing i didn't like. i am sorry i didn't like this. i hope other people do. the writing was good and i will pick up another book by this author. i just didn't like this particular spin on an old favourite.
i have no idea how much blood sweat and tears go into writing a book.. but the simple fact is there is no one book that will please everyone and conversely, we can't like every single book we read.
ARC received from netgalley in exchange for honest review
i love the original Emma, of course. so i was excited for this one. unfortunately it fell flat for me and i hate that. i wanted to like it. i feel like i give retellings a head start that i wouldn't give other books - i already love them for the story i know and love. i try not to compare every little thing, i love spotting the similarities and discovering what things the author changes. i could never be that imaginative. unfortunately, in this one, i liked some of the differences but the others rubbed me the wrong way. emma, in the original, is meddling, sure, but she means well. she's spoiled and a daddy's girl but she's not nasty or malicious. this emma just did not work for me.
i hate when i don't like books. i don't want to pick apart every single thing i didn't like. i am sorry i didn't like this. i hope other people do. the writing was good and i will pick up another book by this author. i just didn't like this particular spin on an old favourite.
i have no idea how much blood sweat and tears go into writing a book.. but the simple fact is there is no one book that will please everyone and conversely, we can't like every single book we read.
ARC received from netgalley in exchange for honest review
October 6, 2019
One that I thought I was going to enjoy, as it’s an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma – and I love all things Austen. I couldn’t get into this book though – there were some weird twists where all of a sudden characterization disappeared. Emma is supposed to be well-intentioned but overbearing and with a high opinion of herself, but in this adaptation she just was a cow, and worse. Also, there are more than one point of view, and we also get an insight into Knightley’s mind, and if there is one person in that book who should be an enigma, it’s Knightley. Without that, you lose any sort of tension or uncertainty in the plot. Not a fan.
Disclaimer – This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
Disclaimer – This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
October 7, 2018
Check out the detailed review in my blog : http://bookbugworld.com/review/emma-a...
September 17, 2018
Jane Austen's Emma is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, she even might be my favorite Austen heroine, despite all her flaws and imperfections.
Suffice it to say, I was excited about reading this retelling.
I'll just say this before anything else - Emma and the city doesn't even come close to living up to the original. And I didn't even expect it to. That's simply impossible. And no author should even aim for that. All I wanted was the author to give her own fresh twist to the old story. And she sorta did. But I couldn't bring myself to like it or even find it fresh.
I won't even bother comparing this retelling with the original. Even on its merit, Emma and the city felt weak to me. Okay, here goes my rant. (And a few Clueless gifs)
I'll start with what I found unbelievable. You can't just have a dynamic like Emma-Harriet in a modern age setting without bringing changes to it. For those who haven't read the original, there Emma takes Harriet - a girl from an unremarkable background - under her wings and guides her in navigating the high society.
In this retelling, Emma helps her old nanny's niece Haley settle down in New York after she moves there. And that's all fine and dandy. But Emma also takes dating decisions for Haley and feeds her a false narratives about her neighbor Zak's interest in him, based on her own assumptions. That, to me, felt like an overkill for me in this setting.
Hilliges's Emma comes across as a delusional and obnoxious busybody with no sense of boundaries and not a single apologetic bone in this book. At least Austen's Emma was written as an unassuming and well-intentioned lady but this Emma was too haughty for my liking.
Although I did like some of the modern twists - having Knightley divorced, Emma's issues with her father, inserting a celebrity spin to Churchill-Fairfax's story. But, most of it felt too mechanical to me, as if they were engineered just for the sake of following the trajectory of the original.
In other words? Execution left a lot to be desired.
I have to be honest here. Even disregarding any comparisons with the original, I couldn't but compare this with other retelling I've read this year and how much more I enjoyed them. Emma and the city falls far behind on that mark too.
Suffice it to say, I was excited about reading this retelling.
I'll just say this before anything else - Emma and the city doesn't even come close to living up to the original. And I didn't even expect it to. That's simply impossible. And no author should even aim for that. All I wanted was the author to give her own fresh twist to the old story. And she sorta did. But I couldn't bring myself to like it or even find it fresh.
I won't even bother comparing this retelling with the original. Even on its merit, Emma and the city felt weak to me. Okay, here goes my rant.
I'll start with what I found unbelievable. You can't just have a dynamic like Emma-Harriet in a modern age setting without bringing changes to it. For those who haven't read the original, there Emma takes Harriet - a girl from an unremarkable background - under her wings and guides her in navigating the high society.
In this retelling, Emma helps her old nanny's niece Haley settle down in New York after she moves there. And that's all fine and dandy. But Emma also takes dating decisions for Haley and feeds her a false narratives about her neighbor Zak's interest in him, based on her own assumptions. That, to me, felt like an overkill for me in this setting.
Hilliges's Emma comes across as a delusional and obnoxious busybody with no sense of boundaries and not a single apologetic bone in this book. At least Austen's Emma was written as an unassuming and well-intentioned lady but this Emma was too haughty for my liking.
Although I did like some of the modern twists - having Knightley divorced, Emma's issues with her father, inserting a celebrity spin to Churchill-Fairfax's story. But, most of it felt too mechanical to me, as if they were engineered just for the sake of following the trajectory of the original.
In other words? Execution left a lot to be desired.
I have to be honest here. Even disregarding any comparisons with the original, I couldn't but compare this with other retelling I've read this year and how much more I enjoyed them. Emma and the city falls far behind on that mark too.
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