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The younger sister
Catherine Anne Hubback, niece of Jane Austen, wrote The Younger Sister, a completion of Jane Austen's The Watsons. The Watsons is an unfinished novel by Jane Austen. She began writing it c. 1803 and probably abandoned it after her father's death in January 1805. It has five chapters, and is less than 18,000 words long. Mr. Watson is a widowed clergyman with two sons and four daughters. The youngest daughter, Emma, has been brought up by a wealthy aunt and is consequently better educated and more refined than her sisters. But when her aunt contracts a foolish second marriage, Emma is obliged to return to her father's house. There she is chagrined by the crude and reckless husband-hunting of two of her sisters. She finds the kindness of her eldest and most responsible sister, Elizabeth, more attractive.
372 pages, Paperback
Published January 23, 2017
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About the author
Catherine Anne Austen Hubback
37 books4 followersCatherine Anne Hubback (7 July 1818 – 25 February 1877) was an English novelist, and the eighth child and fourth daughter of Sir Francis Austen (1774-1865), and niece of Jane Austen.
She began writing fiction to support herself and her three sons after her husband John Hubback was institutionalized with a breakdown. She had copies of some of her aunt's unfinished works and, in 1850, remembering Austen's proposed plot, she wrote The Younger Sister, a completion of Jane Austen's The Watsons. In the next thirteen years, she completed nine more novels.
She emigrated to California, USA in 1870. In the autumn of 1876 she removed to Gainesville, Prince William Co, VA, where she died in 1877.
Source: Wikipedia
Catherine Anne Austen Hubback is the mother of author John Henry Hubback and the grandmother of Edith C. Hubback.
She began writing fiction to support herself and her three sons after her husband John Hubback was institutionalized with a breakdown. She had copies of some of her aunt's unfinished works and, in 1850, remembering Austen's proposed plot, she wrote The Younger Sister, a completion of Jane Austen's The Watsons. In the next thirteen years, she completed nine more novels.
She emigrated to California, USA in 1870. In the autumn of 1876 she removed to Gainesville, Prince William Co, VA, where she died in 1877.
Source: Wikipedia
Catherine Anne Austen Hubback is the mother of author John Henry Hubback and the grandmother of Edith C. Hubback.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 1, 2022
Era da tantissimo tempo che volevo leggere questo completamento del romanzo incompiuto di Jane Austen I Watson a opera di sua nipote Catherine. Il bello è che Catherine - l'ottava dei dieci figli di Francis Austen, meglio conosciuto come Frank - non conobbe mai la zia Jane, perché nata nel 1818 (mentre Jane Austen morì a luglio 1817), per cui doveva conoscere il romanzo da zia Cassandra o da Martha Lloyd, che nel 1828 divenne sua matrigna. E, quando suo marito, ricoverato in un ospizio, non poté più mantenere la famiglia, Catherine decise di vivere della sua scrittura, sfruttando la storia iniziata da zia Jane e utilizzando i suoi personaggi - con l'aggiunta di qualche nuova conoscenza - e portando la storia là dove aveva pensato di portarla Jane Austen, probabilmente per vie diverse.
La prima parte, quella in cui si compiono le vicende presenti nei Watson, sono tutte scritte ex novo, anche perché il manoscritto era custodito gelosamente dalle mani dei cugini del ramo di James Austen, che infatti, nella seconda edizione del 1871 della biografia della zia, A Memoir of Jane Austen di James Edward Austen-Leigh, pubblicano il testo originale della zia quasi a voler smascherare Catherine Hubback (ho sempre visto una grande rivalità tra i vari rami dei cugini Austen).
Se nella prima parte c'è una grande ironia con dei guizzi che fanno ripensare proprio a Jane Austen:
"I am not quite sure whether I should think any one improved by copying Mr. Tom Musgrove*, from his cravat to his shoe-buckles: but I have, I am afraid, a wicked prejudice, against any individual who is considered universally agreeable."
"Alas you discourage my young ambition; if to be universally agreeable is to be hated by you, I shall leave forthwith my attempts at pleasing. To how many individuals is it allowable to be friendly? to how many cold? to how many repulsive in order to win your good opinion."
Più avanti la storia diventa un po' priva di fantasia, con personaggi poco caratterizzati (Penelope e Sam Watson faranno solo delle brevi comparse a fine romanzo, per cui è molto difficile inquadrarli).
Dopo il ritorno da casa degli zii benestanti da cui era stata cresciuta a causa della morte dello zio e del nuovo matrimonio della zia - unica beneficiaria del testamento - con un irlandese, Emma Watson rientra a Winston**, nella canonica in cui abitano il padre e la sorella maggiore, Elizabeth. Emma ha altre due sorelle, Penelope e Margaret (entrambe succubi del fascino di Tom Musgrove) e due fratelli. Robert - avvocato a Croydon, sposato con Jane, con una figlia, Janetta,*** presso cui si trova per una visita Margaret, la terza sorella Watson - e Sam, che sta facendo praticantato per diventare medico in un'altra zona d'Inghilterra.
A un ballo, Emma entra in amicizia con il gruppo proveniente da Osborne Castle, cioè il giovanissimo barone, Lord Osborne, sua sorella e, in particolare, il suo tutore, il giovane reverendo Howard con la sorella vedova, Mrs. Blake, e il figlio Charles, di dieci anni.
Ma presto la sua vita viene sconvolta dalla morte del padre e dal trasferimento delle tre sorelle - Elizabeth, Margaret ed Emma - a Croydon dal fratello Robert e dalla cognata Jane, che è invidiosissima di Emma e la tratta come la sua schiava, facendola diventare la bambinaia non retribuita di sua figlia Janetta.
Qui Emma incontra il medico del paese, Mr. Morgan, una sorta di Henry Crawford di mezza età, che si diverte per vanità a corteggiare e a far innamorare di sé tutte le giovani donne di Croydon, rovinandone la reputazione. La bella Emma cade nelle sue spire non perché si innamori di lui (il suo cuore è rimasto a Winston con Mr. Howard), bensì perché Mr. Morgan si comporta come un autentico stalker, e la povera Emma, sempre l'epitome della gentilezza e della buona educazione, non riesce ad allontanarsi dalle sue indesiderate attenzioni.
Per fortuna, Robert, quando non è impegnato a racimolare ricchi clienti, presta attenzione alla sorella, e, a volte, prende le sue parti più per far dispetto all'insopportabile Jane che per effettiva constatazione delle ragioni di Emma. Comunque, l'importante è che Emma riesca ad averla vinta almeno quando si tratta di proteggere la propria reputazione.
Ma le signore di Croydon, tutte infatuate del dottore, hanno già cominciato a malignare su Emma, che viene salvata prima dall'anziano parroco di Croydon, Mr. Bridge, che la manda a vivere con la sorella nubile, e poi da una visita a Osborne Castle, dove Miss Osborne la invita come sua amica particolare adesso che è diventata Lady Gordon (Sir William Gordon è una delle aggiunte di Catherine Hubback meglio riuscite). Qui Emma ritorna alle sue vecchie conoscenze e ritroverà l'uomo di cui è innamorata, anche se Mr. Howard ritiene di dover rinunciare a lei per cedere il posto a un partito migliore di lui. Il suo allievo, Lord Osborne, infatti, gli ha rivelato di essere innamorato di Emma, ma la sua timidezza e le circostanze avverse lo hanno fatto finora restare sulle sue.
Sicuramente ho trovato che per Catherine Hubback è stato molto difficile gestire tanti personaggi - sia di Jane Austen che suoi - per cui a volte ne manda qualcun in vacanza per un periodo di tempo infinito; inoltre, la sua fantasia nel creare colpi di scena convincenti mi è sembrata molto limitata e forse anche influenzata da letture sensazionalistiche ma piuttosto ingenue.
E se all'inizio ero davvero incantata dalla scrittura che mi sembrava molto vicina a quella della zia (forse perché aveva le fondamenta nella trama della zia), in seguito l'ho trovata ridondante e poco incisiva.
Però ringrazio Catherine Hubback per aver portato a termine I Watson seguendo le autorevoli linee guida di zia Cassandra.
* Chi conosce I Watson sa che il personaggio originale si chiamava Musgrave, segno che la piccola Catherine dovette conoscere la storia oralmente, essendole stata letta o raccontata da zia Cassandra, e non attraverso una lettura diretta. Musgrove, invece, è un cognome che Jane Austen utilizzò in Persuasione.
** Nell'originale di Jane Austen, la cittadina si chiamava Stanton.
*** Anche il nome della bambina è stato cambiato: nell'originale di Jane Austen la piccola - viziatissima - si chiamava Augusta, nome che poi Austen utilizzò per il personaggio di Mrs. Elton, che somigliava moltissimo a quello di Jane Watson, in effetti.
La prima parte, quella in cui si compiono le vicende presenti nei Watson, sono tutte scritte ex novo, anche perché il manoscritto era custodito gelosamente dalle mani dei cugini del ramo di James Austen, che infatti, nella seconda edizione del 1871 della biografia della zia, A Memoir of Jane Austen di James Edward Austen-Leigh, pubblicano il testo originale della zia quasi a voler smascherare Catherine Hubback (ho sempre visto una grande rivalità tra i vari rami dei cugini Austen).
Se nella prima parte c'è una grande ironia con dei guizzi che fanno ripensare proprio a Jane Austen:
"I am not quite sure whether I should think any one improved by copying Mr. Tom Musgrove*, from his cravat to his shoe-buckles: but I have, I am afraid, a wicked prejudice, against any individual who is considered universally agreeable."
"Alas you discourage my young ambition; if to be universally agreeable is to be hated by you, I shall leave forthwith my attempts at pleasing. To how many individuals is it allowable to be friendly? to how many cold? to how many repulsive in order to win your good opinion."
Più avanti la storia diventa un po' priva di fantasia, con personaggi poco caratterizzati (Penelope e Sam Watson faranno solo delle brevi comparse a fine romanzo, per cui è molto difficile inquadrarli).
Dopo il ritorno da casa degli zii benestanti da cui era stata cresciuta a causa della morte dello zio e del nuovo matrimonio della zia - unica beneficiaria del testamento - con un irlandese, Emma Watson rientra a Winston**, nella canonica in cui abitano il padre e la sorella maggiore, Elizabeth. Emma ha altre due sorelle, Penelope e Margaret (entrambe succubi del fascino di Tom Musgrove) e due fratelli. Robert - avvocato a Croydon, sposato con Jane, con una figlia, Janetta,*** presso cui si trova per una visita Margaret, la terza sorella Watson - e Sam, che sta facendo praticantato per diventare medico in un'altra zona d'Inghilterra.
A un ballo, Emma entra in amicizia con il gruppo proveniente da Osborne Castle, cioè il giovanissimo barone, Lord Osborne, sua sorella e, in particolare, il suo tutore, il giovane reverendo Howard con la sorella vedova, Mrs. Blake, e il figlio Charles, di dieci anni.
Ma presto la sua vita viene sconvolta dalla morte del padre e dal trasferimento delle tre sorelle - Elizabeth, Margaret ed Emma - a Croydon dal fratello Robert e dalla cognata Jane, che è invidiosissima di Emma e la tratta come la sua schiava, facendola diventare la bambinaia non retribuita di sua figlia Janetta.
Qui Emma incontra il medico del paese, Mr. Morgan, una sorta di Henry Crawford di mezza età, che si diverte per vanità a corteggiare e a far innamorare di sé tutte le giovani donne di Croydon, rovinandone la reputazione. La bella Emma cade nelle sue spire non perché si innamori di lui (il suo cuore è rimasto a Winston con Mr. Howard), bensì perché Mr. Morgan si comporta come un autentico stalker, e la povera Emma, sempre l'epitome della gentilezza e della buona educazione, non riesce ad allontanarsi dalle sue indesiderate attenzioni.
Per fortuna, Robert, quando non è impegnato a racimolare ricchi clienti, presta attenzione alla sorella, e, a volte, prende le sue parti più per far dispetto all'insopportabile Jane che per effettiva constatazione delle ragioni di Emma. Comunque, l'importante è che Emma riesca ad averla vinta almeno quando si tratta di proteggere la propria reputazione.
Ma le signore di Croydon, tutte infatuate del dottore, hanno già cominciato a malignare su Emma, che viene salvata prima dall'anziano parroco di Croydon, Mr. Bridge, che la manda a vivere con la sorella nubile, e poi da una visita a Osborne Castle, dove Miss Osborne la invita come sua amica particolare adesso che è diventata Lady Gordon (Sir William Gordon è una delle aggiunte di Catherine Hubback meglio riuscite). Qui Emma ritorna alle sue vecchie conoscenze e ritroverà l'uomo di cui è innamorata, anche se Mr. Howard ritiene di dover rinunciare a lei per cedere il posto a un partito migliore di lui. Il suo allievo, Lord Osborne, infatti, gli ha rivelato di essere innamorato di Emma, ma la sua timidezza e le circostanze avverse lo hanno fatto finora restare sulle sue.
Sicuramente ho trovato che per Catherine Hubback è stato molto difficile gestire tanti personaggi - sia di Jane Austen che suoi - per cui a volte ne manda qualcun in vacanza per un periodo di tempo infinito; inoltre, la sua fantasia nel creare colpi di scena convincenti mi è sembrata molto limitata e forse anche influenzata da letture sensazionalistiche ma piuttosto ingenue.
E se all'inizio ero davvero incantata dalla scrittura che mi sembrava molto vicina a quella della zia (forse perché aveva le fondamenta nella trama della zia), in seguito l'ho trovata ridondante e poco incisiva.
Però ringrazio Catherine Hubback per aver portato a termine I Watson seguendo le autorevoli linee guida di zia Cassandra.
* Chi conosce I Watson sa che il personaggio originale si chiamava Musgrave, segno che la piccola Catherine dovette conoscere la storia oralmente, essendole stata letta o raccontata da zia Cassandra, e non attraverso una lettura diretta. Musgrove, invece, è un cognome che Jane Austen utilizzò in Persuasione.
** Nell'originale di Jane Austen, la cittadina si chiamava Stanton.
*** Anche il nome della bambina è stato cambiato: nell'originale di Jane Austen la piccola - viziatissima - si chiamava Augusta, nome che poi Austen utilizzò per il personaggio di Mrs. Elton, che somigliava moltissimo a quello di Jane Watson, in effetti.
June 19, 2025
Honestly, this completion of The Watsons wasn’t as bad as I feared. I’ve been avoiding this chunkster of a novel (my edition—not the one pictured—is more than 600 unnumbered pages long), but it reads quickly and has some very Austen-sounding dialogue. It has the antiquarian interest of being the first known Austenesque novel (published in 1850) and of being written by Catherine Hubback, a grand-niece (? I think) of Jane Austen, with the plot of the novel adhering closely to family traditions about how Austen herself envisioned the storyline.
It is also pretty one-note, so in the end I was glad to finish (and the ending drags along for quite a while). The author—a grand-niece of Jane Austen, I believe—doesn’t really understand how to develop characters or give them an arc, so mostly they are presented as a small cluster of characteristics, which repeat and repeat in slightly varying situations. Despite sometimes sprightly dialogue, the sensibilities of the novel are all off, as it ping-pongs between heavy-handed sarcasm about social follies and damsel-in-distress melodrama. The gossips and the harm they can do are exaggerated; the ill-tempered characters get way too much page time and their quarrels are dwelt on in excruciating detail; villains are practically twirling their mustaches and would tie the heroine to the railroad tracks if railways had existed in the 1790s, when the story appears to be set.
The author strings out the obstacles to a happy ending in ways both ridiculous and ultimately risible. Hubback has difficulty thinking beyond the most obvious human emotions, so the hero trivializes his character by sulking and being rude to the heroine over and over in fits of jealousy. About 500 pages in we’re suddenly told by an occasionally intrusive narrator that he has no self-confidence, a trait of which he has previously shown no sign (stolen from Mr. Bingley no doubt) and which appears introduced solely to delay the denouement. To level a criticism more prevalent in Jane Austen’s day than the author’s, Catherine Hubback has clearly read too many sentimental novels.
Despite all that, I admired the clever repartee put in the mouths of several characters and was intrigued by the plot ideas that seem to reflect a richer family tradition about Austen’s intended storyline than has come down to us publicly. The section of the book that’s based on Austen’s fragment is a paraphrase of the original with some of the names changed, leading me to wonder whether Mrs. Hubback had access to the manuscript or had merely heard it read aloud a number of times. And the story spends considerable time in locales hinted at but never visited in Austen’s fragment—Mr. Howard’s parsonage, Osborne Castle, and Croydon. Most completers of The Watsons shy away from going there.
I wish the author had been more skilled and subtle, but this novel is full of intriguing hints of how Jane Austen envisioned the story she set aside would have played out.
It is also pretty one-note, so in the end I was glad to finish (and the ending drags along for quite a while). The author—a grand-niece of Jane Austen, I believe—doesn’t really understand how to develop characters or give them an arc, so mostly they are presented as a small cluster of characteristics, which repeat and repeat in slightly varying situations. Despite sometimes sprightly dialogue, the sensibilities of the novel are all off, as it ping-pongs between heavy-handed sarcasm about social follies and damsel-in-distress melodrama. The gossips and the harm they can do are exaggerated; the ill-tempered characters get way too much page time and their quarrels are dwelt on in excruciating detail; villains are practically twirling their mustaches and would tie the heroine to the railroad tracks if railways had existed in the 1790s, when the story appears to be set.
The author strings out the obstacles to a happy ending in ways both ridiculous and ultimately risible. Hubback has difficulty thinking beyond the most obvious human emotions, so the hero trivializes his character by sulking and being rude to the heroine over and over in fits of jealousy. About 500 pages in we’re suddenly told by an occasionally intrusive narrator that he has no self-confidence, a trait of which he has previously shown no sign (stolen from Mr. Bingley no doubt) and which appears introduced solely to delay the denouement. To level a criticism more prevalent in Jane Austen’s day than the author’s, Catherine Hubback has clearly read too many sentimental novels.
Despite all that, I admired the clever repartee put in the mouths of several characters and was intrigued by the plot ideas that seem to reflect a richer family tradition about Austen’s intended storyline than has come down to us publicly. The section of the book that’s based on Austen’s fragment is a paraphrase of the original with some of the names changed, leading me to wonder whether Mrs. Hubback had access to the manuscript or had merely heard it read aloud a number of times. And the story spends considerable time in locales hinted at but never visited in Austen’s fragment—Mr. Howard’s parsonage, Osborne Castle, and Croydon. Most completers of The Watsons shy away from going there.
I wish the author had been more skilled and subtle, but this novel is full of intriguing hints of how Jane Austen envisioned the story she set aside would have played out.
January 18, 2026
We're going to Austinland.
Let's be clear from the very beginning: this is not a parasite on the name of a great aunt. Yes, I've never been Jane Austen - there are vanishingly few geniuses of her level in literature, and there are only a few of them, but Catherine Austen is a Hebb writer with eight novels to her credit, and she quite succeeded in plotting fan fiction at the level of the Sanditon series, which British television continued Jane's other novel, only outlined by her. That didn't stop me from biting all three seasons of this cactus (getting more and more indignant at the showrunners with each new one). By the way, unlike Sanditon, whose creators retained the original name of the base, Hebbeck changed the original Watsons to the one we see now.
The reader's impression of "Little Sister" is the opposite of the series: starting to read, you acutely feel how different this is from Jane Austen, how different Mary's saintly Emma is from her imperfect, but such charming, observant, ironic, often evil-tongued heroines. However, by the end of the first part (there are three in total in the novel, and the third is almost equal in volume to the previous two) It's getting fascinating, and it's not by chance that I mentioned the plot novel - it's closer in event density to the writings of George Sand. And you read it not because you need to learn something, but because you feel sympathy for the heroine and want to know how her future fate will turn out.
It is incorrect to talk about the plot in a pre-review in relation to those who, just like you recently, are waiting for a new encounter with Miss Austen's work, even if diluted in the proportion of 100/1. Moreover, it is not worth it, considering that it is the plot twists and turns that make up the main interest of the book. But it's wrong not to say anything at all, so I'll outline the exposition. Emma Watson, the youngest of the Reverend Widow Watson's six children, who was raised until the age of nineteen in her uncle's wealthy family, returns to her father's home after his death. The gentleman very unwisely disposed of the will, leaving his wife as the sole heiress and without specifying the maintenance or a separate amount for his niece. The widow very soon became a victim of a dowry seeker and drove off to his Irish estate, sending the girl to her father with fifty pounds, which she, moreover, must share with her sisters.
Emma has three sisters, all the eldest: the troublesome Elizabeth, on whom everything here (however rather shakily) rests; the self-confident Penelope, who is extremely independent and progressive, however. she is absent most of the time, visiting some London friends, and it seems that the author has not fully understood what to do with this character imposed by her aunt; silly, vain Margaret, very reminiscent of Lydia from Pride and Prejudice. The eldest of the brothers, the pompous Robert, a lawyer, is married to the quarrelsome Jane and lives in the town next door (he is the half-brother of Eleanor and Marianne from "Feelings and Sensibility", she is an evil vulgar idiot, looks like the vicar's wife from "Emma"). The youngest of the brothers, Sam, who resembles the beloved brother of Fanny Price from Mansfield Park, is studying to become a doctor, and also does not live with his family.
As you can see. in the arrangement of family characters, the niece preferred not to reinvent the wheel, taking advantage of the types that have gained cult status over half a century. Her father has gout, which causes him great suffering, but Emma easily finds a common language with him and finds a friend and mentor in him. In general, the change of fate: from her uncle's rich house, from traveling abroad, theaters, museums, restaurants and those wonderful excesses to which she was accustomed since childhood, to a modest rural parsonage is perceived by her surprisingly calmly. Do you remember how Fanny suffered when her uncle sent her to the squalor of her parents' home in Portsmouth for her obstinacy? That is, here the absence of similar experiences is not an indicator of the girl's stoicism, but rather of the thoughtlessness of her line, excusable for a debut at its beginning. Later, Habbeck will sign up and it will all be more like life.
However, the beginning, in particular the ball scene, is key to the novel, because it is there that the heroine meets those who will later form the main circle of characters and play a role in her fate - this is one continuous Stanislavsky "I don't believe". Appearing at a provincial ball like a Cinderella, an unknown girl immediately charms everyone, from the young nephew of a priest to a young lord and his sister, who so surprisingly happened to be here. Even assuming that Emma's appearance, toilet, and demeanor set her apart from others, it's hard to imagine that a lord and lady would condescend to take an interest in a poor pastor's daughter like that-the class boundaries there were clear and strictly adhered to.
But I got carried away, and I'll end with the fact that, having dispersed the plot with a forced assumption, the writer will continue to adhere to the truth of life. And, having guided the heroine through a million torments, she will conclude (in a whisper) with a happy ending that will please everyone. And no one will leave offended.
Едем в Остинлэнд
Давайте определимся с самого начала: это не паразитирование на имени великой тетки. Да, ни разу не Джейн Остин - гениев ее уровня в литературе исчезающе мало и все они наперечет, но Кэтрин Остин-Хэббек писательница с восемью романами в активе, и ей вполне удался сюжетный фанфик на уровне сериала "Сэндитон", которым британское телевидение продолжило другой роман Джейн, лишь контурно ею намеченный. Что не помешало мне покусать все три сезона этого кактуса (с каждым новым все больше негодуя на шоураннеров). К слову, в отличие от "Сэндитона", чьи создатели сохранили оригинальное название основы, Хэббек поменяла первоначальных "Уотсонов" на то, под которым мы сейчас видим.
Читательское впечатление от "Младшей сестры" противоположно сериалу: начиная читать остро чувствуешь, насколько это не Джейн Остин, как отличается мэрисьюшная святоша Эмма от ее неидеальных, но таких обаятельных, наблюдательных, ироничных, часто злоязыких героинь. Однако уже к концу первой части (всего в романе три и третья почти равна по объему двум предыдущим) это становится увлекательным, я не случайно сказала о сюжетном романе - событийной плотностью он ближе к сочинениям Жорж Санд. И читаешь уже не потому, что надо как-то домучить, а потому, что проникаешься симпатией к героине и хочешь знать, как повернется ее дальнейшая судьба.
Говорить о сюжете в пре-рецензии некорректно по отношению к тем, кто так же, как недавно ты, ждет новой встречи с творчеством мисс Остин, хотя бы и разбавленным в пропорции 100/1. Тем более не стоит, учитывая, что именно фабульные перипетии составляют основной интерес книги. Но неправильно и совсем ничего не сказать, потому намечу экспозицию. Эмма Уотсон, младшая из шести детей преподобного вдового Уотсона, которая воспитывалась до девятнадцати лет в богатой семье дяди, возвращается после его смерти под отчий кров. Джентльмен крайне неразумно распорядился завещанием, оставив единственной наследницей супругу и не оговорив содержания или отдельной суммы для племянницы. Вдова же очень скоро стала жертвой искателя приданного и укатила в его ирландское поместье, отправив девушку к отцу с пятьюдесятью фунтами, которые та, к тому же, должна разделить с сестрами.
Сестер у Эммы трое, все старшие: хлопотливая Элизабет, на которой все здесь (впрочем довольно шатко) держится; самоуверенная Пенелопа, крайне независимых и прогрессивных взглядов, впрочем. она большую часть времени отсутствует, гостя у каких-то лондонских друзей и, кажется, авторка не вполне поняла, что ей делать с этим, навязанным тетей, персонажем; глуповатая тщеславная Маргарет, очень напоминающая Лидию из "Гордости и предубеждения". Старший из братьев, напыщенный Роберт, стряпчий, женат на вздорной Джейн и живет в городке по соседству (он сводный брат Элинор и Марианны из "Чувств и чувствительности", она злобная вульгарная идиотка, похожа на жену викария из "Эммы"). Младший из братьев Сэм, напоминающий любимого брата Фанни Прайс из "Мэнсфилд Парка", учится на врача, и тоже не живет с семьей.
Как видите. в расстановке семейных персонажей племянница предпочла не изобретать велосипеда, воспользовавшись типажами, за полвека обретшими культовый статус. Отец болен подагрой, которая доставляет ему большие мучения, но Эмма легко находит с ним общий язык и обретает в его лице друга и наставника. В целом перемена участи: из богатого дядюшкиного дома, от заграничных путешествий, театров, музеев, ресторанов и тех прекрасных излишеств, к каким приучена была с детства, в скромный сельский пасторский дом воспринимается ею на диво спокойно. Помните, как страдала Фанни, за строптивость отосланная дядей в убожество родительского дома в Портсмут? То есть, здесь отсутствие аналогичных переживаний показатель не стоицизма девушки, а скорее непродуманности ее линии, простительной для дебюта в его начале. Позже Хэббек распишется и все это будет больше похоже на жизнь.
Однако начало, в частности сцена бала, ключевая для романа, потому что именно на нем героиня знакомится с теми, кто в дальнейшем составит основной круг персонажей и сыграет роль в ее судьбе - это одно сплошное станиславское "не верю". Явившись на провинциальный бал этакой Синдереллой, никому не известная девица тотчас очаровывает всех, от юного племянника священника до молодого лорда с сестрой, так удивительно кстати здесь оказавшихся. Даже допуская, что внешность, туалет и манера держаться Эммы выгодно отличает ее от прочих, сложно представить, что лорд и леди снизойдут до вот так, запросто, интереса к бедной пасторской дочери - сословные границы там выстраивались четкие и придерживались их неукоснительно.
Но я увлеклась, закончу на том, что, разогнав сюжет форсированным допущением, дальше писательница будет придерживаться правды жизни. И, проведя героиню через мильон терзаний, завершит (шепотом) хэппи-эндом, который порадует всех. И никто не уйдет обиженный.
Let's be clear from the very beginning: this is not a parasite on the name of a great aunt. Yes, I've never been Jane Austen - there are vanishingly few geniuses of her level in literature, and there are only a few of them, but Catherine Austen is a Hebb writer with eight novels to her credit, and she quite succeeded in plotting fan fiction at the level of the Sanditon series, which British television continued Jane's other novel, only outlined by her. That didn't stop me from biting all three seasons of this cactus (getting more and more indignant at the showrunners with each new one). By the way, unlike Sanditon, whose creators retained the original name of the base, Hebbeck changed the original Watsons to the one we see now.
The reader's impression of "Little Sister" is the opposite of the series: starting to read, you acutely feel how different this is from Jane Austen, how different Mary's saintly Emma is from her imperfect, but such charming, observant, ironic, often evil-tongued heroines. However, by the end of the first part (there are three in total in the novel, and the third is almost equal in volume to the previous two) It's getting fascinating, and it's not by chance that I mentioned the plot novel - it's closer in event density to the writings of George Sand. And you read it not because you need to learn something, but because you feel sympathy for the heroine and want to know how her future fate will turn out.
It is incorrect to talk about the plot in a pre-review in relation to those who, just like you recently, are waiting for a new encounter with Miss Austen's work, even if diluted in the proportion of 100/1. Moreover, it is not worth it, considering that it is the plot twists and turns that make up the main interest of the book. But it's wrong not to say anything at all, so I'll outline the exposition. Emma Watson, the youngest of the Reverend Widow Watson's six children, who was raised until the age of nineteen in her uncle's wealthy family, returns to her father's home after his death. The gentleman very unwisely disposed of the will, leaving his wife as the sole heiress and without specifying the maintenance or a separate amount for his niece. The widow very soon became a victim of a dowry seeker and drove off to his Irish estate, sending the girl to her father with fifty pounds, which she, moreover, must share with her sisters.
Emma has three sisters, all the eldest: the troublesome Elizabeth, on whom everything here (however rather shakily) rests; the self-confident Penelope, who is extremely independent and progressive, however. she is absent most of the time, visiting some London friends, and it seems that the author has not fully understood what to do with this character imposed by her aunt; silly, vain Margaret, very reminiscent of Lydia from Pride and Prejudice. The eldest of the brothers, the pompous Robert, a lawyer, is married to the quarrelsome Jane and lives in the town next door (he is the half-brother of Eleanor and Marianne from "Feelings and Sensibility", she is an evil vulgar idiot, looks like the vicar's wife from "Emma"). The youngest of the brothers, Sam, who resembles the beloved brother of Fanny Price from Mansfield Park, is studying to become a doctor, and also does not live with his family.
As you can see. in the arrangement of family characters, the niece preferred not to reinvent the wheel, taking advantage of the types that have gained cult status over half a century. Her father has gout, which causes him great suffering, but Emma easily finds a common language with him and finds a friend and mentor in him. In general, the change of fate: from her uncle's rich house, from traveling abroad, theaters, museums, restaurants and those wonderful excesses to which she was accustomed since childhood, to a modest rural parsonage is perceived by her surprisingly calmly. Do you remember how Fanny suffered when her uncle sent her to the squalor of her parents' home in Portsmouth for her obstinacy? That is, here the absence of similar experiences is not an indicator of the girl's stoicism, but rather of the thoughtlessness of her line, excusable for a debut at its beginning. Later, Habbeck will sign up and it will all be more like life.
However, the beginning, in particular the ball scene, is key to the novel, because it is there that the heroine meets those who will later form the main circle of characters and play a role in her fate - this is one continuous Stanislavsky "I don't believe". Appearing at a provincial ball like a Cinderella, an unknown girl immediately charms everyone, from the young nephew of a priest to a young lord and his sister, who so surprisingly happened to be here. Even assuming that Emma's appearance, toilet, and demeanor set her apart from others, it's hard to imagine that a lord and lady would condescend to take an interest in a poor pastor's daughter like that-the class boundaries there were clear and strictly adhered to.
But I got carried away, and I'll end with the fact that, having dispersed the plot with a forced assumption, the writer will continue to adhere to the truth of life. And, having guided the heroine through a million torments, she will conclude (in a whisper) with a happy ending that will please everyone. And no one will leave offended.
Едем в Остинлэнд
Давайте определимся с самого начала: это не паразитирование на имени великой тетки. Да, ни разу не Джейн Остин - гениев ее уровня в литературе исчезающе мало и все они наперечет, но Кэтрин Остин-Хэббек писательница с восемью романами в активе, и ей вполне удался сюжетный фанфик на уровне сериала "Сэндитон", которым британское телевидение продолжило другой роман Джейн, лишь контурно ею намеченный. Что не помешало мне покусать все три сезона этого кактуса (с каждым новым все больше негодуя на шоураннеров). К слову, в отличие от "Сэндитона", чьи создатели сохранили оригинальное название основы, Хэббек поменяла первоначальных "Уотсонов" на то, под которым мы сейчас видим.
Читательское впечатление от "Младшей сестры" противоположно сериалу: начиная читать остро чувствуешь, насколько это не Джейн Остин, как отличается мэрисьюшная святоша Эмма от ее неидеальных, но таких обаятельных, наблюдательных, ироничных, часто злоязыких героинь. Однако уже к концу первой части (всего в романе три и третья почти равна по объему двум предыдущим) это становится увлекательным, я не случайно сказала о сюжетном романе - событийной плотностью он ближе к сочинениям Жорж Санд. И читаешь уже не потому, что надо как-то домучить, а потому, что проникаешься симпатией к героине и хочешь знать, как повернется ее дальнейшая судьба.
Говорить о сюжете в пре-рецензии некорректно по отношению к тем, кто так же, как недавно ты, ждет новой встречи с творчеством мисс Остин, хотя бы и разбавленным в пропорции 100/1. Тем более не стоит, учитывая, что именно фабульные перипетии составляют основной интерес книги. Но неправильно и совсем ничего не сказать, потому намечу экспозицию. Эмма Уотсон, младшая из шести детей преподобного вдового Уотсона, которая воспитывалась до девятнадцати лет в богатой семье дяди, возвращается после его смерти под отчий кров. Джентльмен крайне неразумно распорядился завещанием, оставив единственной наследницей супругу и не оговорив содержания или отдельной суммы для племянницы. Вдова же очень скоро стала жертвой искателя приданного и укатила в его ирландское поместье, отправив девушку к отцу с пятьюдесятью фунтами, которые та, к тому же, должна разделить с сестрами.
Сестер у Эммы трое, все старшие: хлопотливая Элизабет, на которой все здесь (впрочем довольно шатко) держится; самоуверенная Пенелопа, крайне независимых и прогрессивных взглядов, впрочем. она большую часть времени отсутствует, гостя у каких-то лондонских друзей и, кажется, авторка не вполне поняла, что ей делать с этим, навязанным тетей, персонажем; глуповатая тщеславная Маргарет, очень напоминающая Лидию из "Гордости и предубеждения". Старший из братьев, напыщенный Роберт, стряпчий, женат на вздорной Джейн и живет в городке по соседству (он сводный брат Элинор и Марианны из "Чувств и чувствительности", она злобная вульгарная идиотка, похожа на жену викария из "Эммы"). Младший из братьев Сэм, напоминающий любимого брата Фанни Прайс из "Мэнсфилд Парка", учится на врача, и тоже не живет с семьей.
Как видите. в расстановке семейных персонажей племянница предпочла не изобретать велосипеда, воспользовавшись типажами, за полвека обретшими культовый статус. Отец болен подагрой, которая доставляет ему большие мучения, но Эмма легко находит с ним общий язык и обретает в его лице друга и наставника. В целом перемена участи: из богатого дядюшкиного дома, от заграничных путешествий, театров, музеев, ресторанов и тех прекрасных излишеств, к каким приучена была с детства, в скромный сельский пасторский дом воспринимается ею на диво спокойно. Помните, как страдала Фанни, за строптивость отосланная дядей в убожество родительского дома в Портсмут? То есть, здесь отсутствие аналогичных переживаний показатель не стоицизма девушки, а скорее непродуманности ее линии, простительной для дебюта в его начале. Позже Хэббек распишется и все это будет больше похоже на жизнь.
Однако начало, в частности сцена бала, ключевая для романа, потому что именно на нем героиня знакомится с теми, кто в дальнейшем составит основной круг персонажей и сыграет роль в ее судьбе - это одно сплошное станиславское "не верю". Явившись на провинциальный бал этакой Синдереллой, никому не известная девица тотчас очаровывает всех, от юного племянника священника до молодого лорда с сестрой, так удивительно кстати здесь оказавшихся. Даже допуская, что внешность, туалет и манера держаться Эммы выгодно отличает ее от прочих, сложно представить, что лорд и леди снизойдут до вот так, запросто, интереса к бедной пасторской дочери - сословные границы там выстраивались четкие и придерживались их неукоснительно.
Но я увлеклась, закончу на том, что, разогнав сюжет форсированным допущением, дальше писательница будет придерживаться правды жизни. И, проведя героиню через мильон терзаний, завершит (шепотом) хэппи-эндом, который порадует всех. И никто не уйдет обиженный.
December 4, 2022
I almost didn't make it through the first six chapters, as I found the main character annoying and grating. However, I liked her more and more throughout the book. This was no Austen, but it was an enjoyable light read. Also, I liked how the author touched on how looks and manners can be deceptive.
I've never read a book with as many mentions of "calumny" before.
I've never read a book with as many mentions of "calumny" before.
February 4, 2020
Almost as good as Jane Austen!
The language is closer to Jane's style than any other author that I have read. The humor is there, the wonderful characterizations, the manners, the culture and the plotline. And it's delectably long!
The language is closer to Jane's style than any other author that I have read. The humor is there, the wonderful characterizations, the manners, the culture and the plotline. And it's delectably long!
April 6, 2020
3.5 Despite some rough edges, and being rather lengthy, an interesting take.
January 5, 2026
Ha sido una lectura interesante, pero demasiado larga para mi gusto. Es, además, demasiado dramático para ser Jane Austen y la protagonista es una Mary Sue de manual que para mí ha acabado siendo algo cargante.
Hay que reconocer que al menos sigue la idea que Austen tanía para el final de la novela, aunque de una manera enrevesada y complicándolo todo más de lo necesario. El final, o más bien el destino de el villano es incluos algo anticlimático y, desde luego, no es algo que esperarías encontrarte en un libro de Austen.
Aun así, debo reconocer que la lectura no se hace pesada, los personajes no son muy carismáticos, pero sí están bien definidos y hay algunos diálogos bastante interesantes.
En resumen, una historia bonita que hay que coger con ganas para llegar hasta el final.
Hay que reconocer que al menos sigue la idea que Austen tanía para el final de la novela, aunque de una manera enrevesada y complicándolo todo más de lo necesario. El final, o más bien el destino de el villano es incluos algo anticlimático y, desde luego, no es algo que esperarías encontrarte en un libro de Austen.
Aun así, debo reconocer que la lectura no se hace pesada, los personajes no son muy carismáticos, pero sí están bien definidos y hay algunos diálogos bastante interesantes.
En resumen, una historia bonita que hay que coger con ganas para llegar hasta el final.
January 25, 2019
I know I've said I won't read anyone's retelling or finishing of Jane Austen stories, but this one was done by one of her nieces, so I thought I'd give it a go. I'm not liking it so far: Emma Watson seems much more priggish and the description of Lord Osborne makes him seem creepy rather than awkward. Also, the liberties taken with Austen's words seem both unnecessary and unwieldy. But I hope that once I get past the part that Austen wrote, I'll be able to better justice to Hubback's take on the story. It has the merit of being written close to Austen's voice, at least.
January 16, 2024
I just could read the first volume of this and I'm done. The characters is too annoying, Emma Watson here doesn't have any personality and it's too prudish to my taste and I can't stand the infinity pages of dialogues that goes nowhere. It's seems like there is no story just boring dialogues and a bunch of male characters interested in Emma for no reason whatsoever. A waste of time.
April 21, 2024
Enjoyable for Jane Austen fans
I was very taken in with this story. Although it was in some more rambunctious than Austen's works, the writing style was very enjoyable. It was interesting to hear conversions other than the heroine.
I was very taken in with this story. Although it was in some more rambunctious than Austen's works, the writing style was very enjoyable. It was interesting to hear conversions other than the heroine.
December 22, 2023
Why try to finish it then change the names?
January 1, 2025
3.5 stars
April 26, 2026
This was okay. Definitely better than Joan Aiken’s version.
September 12, 2020
Why anyone would attempt to complete an unfinished novel by Jane Austen is beyond me. The original text by Austen was promising and would have made a good book had she written it herself. I could see many similarities between the characters/events in this fragment and her later full novels. It can be deduced that these ideas, though abandoned initially, were later refined and honed for use in p&p, Mansfield Park, (and s&s, to some extent?). The completion, so to speak, by Catherine Hubback was lacklustre and made the characters extremely unlikable.
December 11, 2017
Terribly dull
As a Jane Austen can I was excited to read this book which she started but never finished. Her niece finished the work years later. She was not at all the writer Jane Austen was. Some characters were mentioned then disappeared from the story, others should have. It was boring, far to long, confusing and inane. Don't bother!
As a Jane Austen can I was excited to read this book which she started but never finished. Her niece finished the work years later. She was not at all the writer Jane Austen was. Some characters were mentioned then disappeared from the story, others should have. It was boring, far to long, confusing and inane. Don't bother!
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