The Importance of Being Emma

Darcy & Friends #1

by Juliet Archer

Mark Knightley – handsome, clever, rich – is used to women falling at his feet. Except Emma Woodhouse, who’s like part of the family – and the furniture. When their relationship changes dramatically, is it an ending or a new beginning?

Emma’s grown into a stunningly attractive young woman, full of ideas for modernizing her family business. Then Mark gets involved and the sparks begin to fly. It’s just like the old days, except that now he’s seeing her through entirely new eyes.

While Mark struggles to keep his feelings in check, Emma remains immune to the Knightley charm. She’s never forgotten that embarrassing moment when he discovered her teenage crush on him. He’s still pouring scorn on all her projects, especially her beautifully orchestrated campaign to find Mr. Right for her ditzy PA. And finally, when the mysterious Flynn Churchill – the man of her dreams – turns up, how could she have eyes for anyone else?

With its clueless heroine and entertaining plot, this modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma stays true to the original, while giving fresh insights into the mind of its thoroughly updated and irresistible hero.

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

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2008

About the author

Juliet Archer describes herself as “a 19th-century mind in a 21st-century body – actually, some days it’s the other way round.” The youngest of four girls, she was born and bred in North-East England, where she met her future husband. Unlike Anne Elliot in Persuasion, she resisted well-meant advice and married young, before graduating from the University of Nottingham with a First in French and Russian. Over thirty years later, she is still married, with two teenage children and a teenage cat, and lives in Hertfordshire – “Pride & Prejudice country”. Like many authors she juggles writing with work and other commitments, so has a very supportive and understanding family – or so they keep telling her!

She has been writing romantic fiction since 2005 and joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association in 2007 – she is currently Chair of their London and South-East branch. Her debut novel, The Importance of Being Emma, published in the UK by Choc Lit, is the first in her series “Darcy & Friends” and was shortlisted for the 2009 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance. The second novel in the series is Persuade Me (release date September 2011) and she is currently writing Northanger Nights.

Juliet gives talks all over the UK – and in the US – about why and how she’s updating Jane Austen. One of her sisters is married to an American and lives in Ohio, where her son will also be attending college from Fall 2011.

Reviews

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta tell you that I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen. Are we called Janites or Austenites? That’s as hard to figure as whether we who love Star Trek are called Trekkers or Trekkies. 🤔
Anyway, I can be overly critical of fanfics for Jane Austen’s books. So, when I say I really liked this one, you can trust me. It was well done. It’s Emma set to modern times. The author gave Mr. Knightly a voice which was a great addition. And, they added sex. So...hubba, hubba. 😊
Great characters! Close enough to the original story to bring warm feelings of nostalgia without slapping you in the face with them.

[Cass · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review is based on the ebook sample.

.... Which I abandoned. How often is a book so bad that you can't read a few chapters.

The problem is that I love Emma, and this book is a fan-fiction version of that book (is there a technical term for fan-fiction?). Not only am I a huge Jane Austen fan, I eagerly read lots of fan-fiction too.

Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a good example. To this day I fully believe this is what really happened to Georgianna Darcy. I also adored Mercy's Embrace: So Rough a Course which takes an unloveable character and makes us love her.

What always annoys me is when an author takes such a classic and them strips it back to just the names. This isn't fan-fiction, this is just an author looking for a plot. In this case the plot being a rich young woman and a rich slightly older man are good friends and eventually realise they love each other. That is about the entire extent of any similarities (and some place names).

In this version Emma has an MBA from Harvard. The real Emma would have gone to Harvard. Changed majors five times, finished one or two subjects with high marks, but ultimately not actually finished any degree. The real Emma had every opportunity and loads of aptitude to become very accomplished but never had the discipline to stick with anything long enough.

Mr Knightley likewise took a floozy to a dance... The Mr Knightley I know would more likely have taken Emma. He was great friends with her, enjoyed her company, and never degraded himself. Okay this critique of Mr Knightley is a little harsh, afterall I thought Clueless was one of the best Emma adaptations.

Still I read enough character mutilation to not want to read any further.

[Anji · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EMMA - AUDIO VERSION

This is a modern re-telling of Jane Austen's classic, which sticks pretty closely to the plot of the original for the most part. I have to warn those who don't like such things, that it does contain a certain amount of profanity, references to sex and a couple of sex scenes as well, so this would be a read/listen for mature audiences only.

The story is told from alternating POVs; being that of Emma herself and the modern Mr. Knightley, here called Mark rather than George. The George Knightley in this tale is Mr. Knightley Senior, who's still alive but absent for the most part on a cruise with his second wife. It was interesting seeing the story from Mark's side as well as Emma's.

The story is set in the world of the food/catering business. Emma is the newly appointed Marketing Director of Hartfield Foods and Mark is temporary CEO of Donwell Organics is his father's absence. Mark has spent the past eight years working for his family firm in India. He hasn't seen Emma grow up from the teenager (nicknamed 'Mouse') who had a crush on him, into the beautiful young woman she is now. He also has a girlfriend back in India, one of the few departures from canon.

All of the usual characters are present. Harriet Smith is a ditzy, chavish PA who's replaced Kate, now Mrs Weston. Mr Woodhouse is the same hypochondriac we all know and Miss Bates is also very true to canon, working for Hartfield Foods past retirement, I think, due to financial reasons. Philip Elton is Hartfield's Finance Director and we meet a truly awful modern Augusta Hawkins (known as 'Gusty'). Robert Martin runs a local haulage company. Jane Fairfax turns up on a work placement in Emma's marketing department and Frank Churchill, renamed Flynn, is an Australian celebrity chef who's very full of himself. Emma's sister is still married to Mark's brother, as in canon.

One thing I think that the audio version gains over the printed version is that two narrators were used. Melody Grove voices Emma's sections and Jonathan Keeble does Mark's. I really liked both their voices and would definitely listen to more audiobooks narrated by either or both.

I find it hard to see why some people have given this book such poor reviews and low ratings. I thought it was a pretty good attempt at bringing this story into the modern world, including all the baggage that goes with melding the original storyline with 21st century morals and expectations.

[Ahnya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern day adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. In this adaptation Highbury, and Donwell are food corporations. Emma is recently back from Harvard where she got her MBA, and is trying to revamp Highbury Foods, and market it to the modern era. Mark Knightley is in town from India, and taking care of the business while his father,and stepmother are traveling. Flynn Churchill is a TV chef in Austrailia, and trying to get a show going on the BBC. The story is centered around Highbury Foods, the business meetings, and company parties.

I had a hard time reconciling the character of Emma with having an MBA, and running a successful business. Even in this book's portrayal she was fickle, and had a hard time sticking to things. The business parts of the story were boring, and too much in the forefront. I also thought a business setting was an ill fit for the story of Emma. The situations the characters were put in, and how they behaved in modern day was interesting. Even though the characters were modernized, I thought they were still true to the originals. Overall a decent read, just boring in some parts.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chissà perché, ogni volta che mi trovo davanti a un retelling di Emma di Jane Austen in chiave moderna comincio a leggere arricciando il naso. Forse perché trovo difficile rivedere il villaggio di tre o quattro famiglie nell'Inghilterra (o in un qualsiasi altro posto) dei giorni nostri; o forse perché il titolo e l'immagine di copertina mi avevano fatto pensare a un retelling più datato - che so, magari di solo un secolo o poco più fa - e che la storia fosse correlata in qualche modo a Oscar Wilde e a The Importance of Being Earnest (ma forse è a me che i legami sono sfuggiti).
Comunque qui il villaggio di tre o quattro famiglie è costituito da due grosse aziende alimentari vicine, la Highbury Foods e la Donwell Organics, che sono legate, oltre per la vicinanza e la stima reciproca, dal matrimonio tra John Knightley della Donwell Organics e Isabella-Izzy Woodhouse della Highbury Foods.
I Knightley hanno ancora il padre, George, che è sposato con una donna piuttosto capricciosa, Saffron, che l'ha portato in crociera per diversi mesi. Per questo motivo, Mark (che sarebbe il vero George Knightley di Emma) torna in Surrey dall'India (dove dirige le importazioni per la Donwell Organics) per dirigere l'azienda di famiglia (John è a capo del settoe finanziario)... e subito rimane folgorato dalla ex-ragazzina-quasi-sorellina che si era lasciato dietro, Emma Woodhouse, che nel frattempo si è trasformata in uno schianto. Anche se George, in realtà, ha già una fidanzata che convive con lui in India e che è rimasta lì: Tamara.
Frank Churchill è uno chef famoso in Australia per alcuni programmi TV incentrati sulla cucina, che non torna a trovare il padre neanche in occasione del suo matrimonio con Kate Weston, l'assistente personale di Henry ed Emma Dashwood nella Highbury Foods. Harriet diventerà quindi la nuova assistente personale interinale di Emma e la sua nuova migliore amica, che lei cercherà di educare, visto il forte accento, il modo di parlare non propriamente forbito e le frequentazioni di pub che lei considera dei "bassifondi".
Per il resto, dopo la mia iniziale perplessità, ho trovato molto azzeccate le soluzioni per modernizzare il romanzo di Jane Austen, a volte deviando un po' il percorso (molto bella e molto evocativa della trasposizione di P&P 2005 con Keira Knightley e Matthew MacFadyen la scena del chiarimento finale If I loved you less... sotto la pioggia torrenziale. Ma, del resto, Keira potrebbe essere una loro discendente, ci avete pensato? 🤭), ma sempre rispettando le intenzioni di zia Jane.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

After eight years away from Highbury, Mark Knightley, a very handsome and rich man, returns to help his father’s business out. In addition to this, he gets an extremely challenging task: becoming the mentor of Emma Woodhouse, the new Marketing Director of Highbury Foods, a girl who had a huge crush on him and now is a really bewitching woman. Mark soon realizes he has to fight against his growing feelings for Emma because she is like his little sister, plus she is attracted by a mysterious man, Flynn Churcill.

In this modern adaptation of “Emma” by Jane Austen, Juliet Archer creates a very intriguing and fascinating world. Emma Woodhouse is very similar to the original character. She is stubborn, maddening and little attentive to other people’s feelings. Mark Knightley, on the other hand, is quite different. He has some traits that belong to the original hero (named George), like his devotion to Emma, the habit of lecturing her and the love for his nephews and nieces (he is very sweet with them!), but he also shows new aspects of himself that surprised me. Like the fact that he is incredibly hot! Readers can see that clearly because Mrs. Archer switches between Emma and Mark as the narrator, so we have a deep look into both of their minds. Besides, thanks to this choice, we soon understand how much Mark is drawn to Emma since their first encounter after eight years apart. I really appreciated that aspect, because we have the possibility to get to know this hero better and I believe he deserved that. Since in this novel he is so loving and passionate I am sure even those who do not already love Mr. Knightley will fall for him.

I liked the accuracy at describing the other characters who are close to the protagonists. Mr. Woodhouse and his daughter Izzy are perfect with their fears and obsessions of all sorts concerning everybody’s health! I enjoyed the portrait of the clumsy Harriet Smith and the chatterbox Miss Bates (they are hilarious!). And I loved how the author perfectly depicted Mr. Elton, he is treacherous and revolting as ever, I daresay more than the original and since I loathe this character I think he is well represented.

Although this is a fun and entertaining reading I recommend to all Jane Austen fans, I must warn you as there are some intimate scenes and the sporadic use of profanity. So if you prefer clean stories, you probably would not like this one. Nevertheless, it is a well written book and it is worth reading.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t prepared for how trashy this was going to be. Although it was fun to see Mr. Knightly’s perspective and some aspects of the 21st century retelling of Emma worked well (and were amusing), I didn’t like how much this author turns the story into an adult romance novel. Jane Austen has such wonderful subtlety and slow built up between characters, and this retelling missed that when it turned into a trashy beach read. Mr. Knightly wasn’t nearly as attractive when he was objectifying Emma in every scene. And Emma came across way too clueless and ditzy, far more than she appears in the original. This made her her far less endearing. For instance, it’s obvious in this retelling that Mr. Elton is into Emma and not Harriet, but she is so clueless about it that she looks like an idiot. This is the first in a series, and I was really looking forward to the adaptation of Persuasion, which is next. But if it’s going to be like this one, I don’t think that I’ll be reading it.

[Gigi Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of all the Jane Austen's books "Emma" is my favorite. Therefore, when I noticed this 'modern day' version about "Emma" I thought I would enjoy it. It had it's fun moments, and it followed Ms. Austen's book "Emma" to a certain degree. But in my opinion it was way to modern for me. It turned into a trashy "Emma" which completely ruined the story for me. I have never read anything by this author before, and won't be reading anything by her again.

I would never recommend this book to anyone else. I am awarding it 2**, because I didn't like the book.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Completly ruined the original story by trying to make it relate to today. There was nothing that I could relate to in this book and about half way through I was no longer into the characters because they were way to trashy. Don't waist your time.

[Anna]

The Importance of Being Emma is the first book in Juliet Archer’s Darcy & Friends series and a modern re-telling of Jane Austen’s Emma. Archer’s Emma Woodhouse is the 23-year-old, new marketing director at her father’s company, Highbury Foods. Her biggest concern is tapping into new markets and bringing the company into the 21st century — until her old friend Mark (George in Austen’s novel) Knightley returns after eight years running Donwell Organics’ regional operation in India, and her father hires him to mentor Emma for six months. When Mark went to Mumbai, Emma (or Mouse, as he called her) was just an awkward teenager with a hopeless crush on him. Now he can’t help but notice the woman Emma has become, and it’s not long before his attraction to her has him distracted and reconsidering his relationship with Tamara, his girlfriend of five years.

The novel follows Emma as she transforms her flighty PA, Harriet Smith, into the model for a revamped product line, tries to set Harriet up with Highbury Foods’ finance director, Philip Elton (who we all know has his sights set on Emma), wishes Jane Fairfax (a.k.a. Saint Jane of Highbury) hadn’t been hired to work with her in marketing, and avoids Mark and his mentoring meetings whenever possible. As Mark’s feelings for Emma begin to deepen, the mysterious and elusive Flynn (Frank in the original) Churchill, celebrity chef, finally arrives in Highbury to visit his father, the husband of Emma’s close friend. Emma has long believed she and Flynn are destined to be together, and it pains Mark to see the two of them as thick as thieves. A hazy encounter at the company Christmas party drives Emma and Mark even further apart, and as Mark heads back to India, Emma must face the consequences of her misguided schemes and utter blindness.

The Importance of Being Emma is a refreshing take on one of my all-time favorite novels. Archer sticks close to the original when it comes to the basics of the plot and the characters’ personalities, but her characters felt so new that I often forgot that I already knew how it would all play out. The story is told in the first person from both Emma and Mark’s points of view, creating a conversational tone and making for a quick read. Getting into Emma’s head makes her a more likeable character because it’s clear that she means well, and getting into Mark’s head sheds some light on the internal turmoil Austen’s Mr. Knightley must have felt about his feelings for Emma and how she changes under Frank Churchill’s influence. However, not letting readers see into Mr. Knightley’s mind and heart added a layer of tension and anxiety toward the end of the original novel that isn’t present here. Yet Archer makes up for it with plenty of humor — from Gusty Hawkins, the obnoxious financial consultant, to the “Highbury Humper” (you just have to read the book to find out what that’s all about!).

Archer shrinks the age difference between Emma and Mark by about four years (they are 23 and 35 here, versus 21 and 37 in the original), but it doesn’t change things much. Archer’s Mr. Knightley still tells Emma like it is, and Emma still doesn’t listen. He still sees himself as a wise counselor, and Emma still insists she is old enough not to need his advice and censure. Archer does a great job modernizing the story, underscoring the timelessness of Austen’s plots and characters. Readers will be happy to know that the books in the Darcy & Friends series are standalone novels, connected only by a foreword written by Will Darcy that introduces the story, explains his connections to the characters, and alludes to what will come later when his story is told. In fact, I read the second book first (Persuade Me, a modern re-telling of Persuasion) and enjoyed it as much as this one.

The Importance of Being Emma is a sexy and funny update of a beloved classic. Archer’s Emma is a ambitious woman with career goals and a stubborn case of self-importance, and her Mr. Knightley adds a layer of sexiness and charm to Austen’s perfect gentleman. Highly recommended for both fans of Austen-inspired fiction and romantic comedies.

Review posted on Diary of an Eccentric

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Importance of Being Emma is a modern, sexually charged, corporate view of the story of Emma originally written by Jane Austen. If one wishes to read a modern day comic romance without identifying it as being a variation of a Jane Austen novel, this is a fun story with a good bit of sexy romance. However, comparing it to Austen's Emma, this modernization did not improve on the original, offer the same kinds of insights as the original, nor present the characters in the same favorable light as the original.

Emma Woodhouse is a 23 year-old highly educated English woman who is now joining her father's business as its Marketing Director. She brings her MBA from Harvard with her as she seeks to bring Highbury Foods into the 21st Century. Her confidence and pig-headed stubbornness lead her to believe she has all she needs to take on this daunting task. Her father, on the other hand, believes Emma needs some help, as she will eventually take over all of the business from him. He seeks out an old family friend to mentor Emma.

In steps Mark Knightley. The Knightley and Woodhouse families have been neighbors and friends for decades. Emma's sister Izzy married John Knightley when Emma was a teenager, uniting the two families. Mark has always seen himself like an elder brother to Emma, who is about 12 years his junior. However, Mark has been in India working for his father's business concerns there, and has not seen Emma in many, many years. After seeing the gorgeous woman Emma has become, Mark is happy to take on the job of mentoring the young corporate go-getter.

As in the original, Emma sees herself as a successful matchmaker. Her father's personal assistant Kate has recently married, and Emma congratulates herself on being a major factor in getting Tom and Kate together. Emma is anxious to keep her skills honed and seeks to match up Harriet, the temp hired in Kate's place. Much of the story is based on Emma's attempts, as well as the other romances swirling around Emma and Harriet's lives. Let's just say, Emma is not quite as talented at this matchmaking role as she believes she is. She also is just a bit blind to the possibilities for her own romantic life.

I couldn't immediately put my finger on why this version of Emma did not fully satisfy me, but I think I may have finally come to the conclusion that the characters are just not the same kind of good people we found in Austen's version. For example, in the original, Mr. Knightley is a kind mentor to Emma whom she respects and admires. In this version, he has his head in his pants and provides advice to Emma in a very harsh and condescending manner. On several occasions he lets his mouth run off and actually says some fairly mean things to Emma. Emma is just harsh all the way around - it is rare in this version for her to say something nice to anyone, particularly Mark. Jane Fairfax is unattractive and boring and Flynn Churchill does not inadvertently hurt people as in the original. Instead, he kind of ignores the fact what he is doing or saying could be hurtful, and takes no responsibility for it.

The characters are not totally repellent - they are entertaining and funny. But, there is a harshness to the characters that does seem to detract from the romance. I didn't see what everyone saw in each other. However, the sex appeared to be good!

All in all, it was a cute story, but not a great compliment to the original. It just could have used a tiny bit more kindness.

[Rose A · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't actually work out if I enjoyed this or not... I'm a sucker for modern Emma fanfiction (which is what this is) and I found elements of the premise interesting. I quite liked the updating of Emma and Harriet and Jane but I had serious problems with "Mark" Knightley. (First, why the name change? Isn't George a suitably modern name? Bizarre.) The Mr. Knightley in the novel would never have behaved as callously as this Mark Knightley did and his relationship with a 2D cardboard cut-out "bitch girlfriend" who is actually described as looking like Morticia was both unnecessary and poorly executed. I don't object to there being sex in a modern version if it fits the setting but in this case there were times when it really didn't and one of the occasions had issues of consent which turned me off a lot, although admittedly that was (semi) dealt with in the text.

This is Emma lite. It's not badly written and there are engaging elements in the female characters and modernisation of the plot - enough to keep me reading and curious as to what the author would do. But if you are going to take on a modern adaptation of Jane Austen, I think you have to do a bit better than this to be honest.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, modern twist of the Austen classic.

Archer's take on the original characters:

•Emma - still a menacing matchmaker; still oblivious to reality in the midst of her scheming; obsesses over shagging Mark

•Mark Knightley - uses flawed logic to try to win Emma's affections; acts like a fool in love with the best of intentions

•Harriet - huge trainwreck; has zero redeeming qualities

•Flynn Churchill - still hiding a secret relationship; as a reality TV star he mustn't let people know that he is dating someone

•Jane Fairfax - still disturbingly quiet; full of secrets

•Mr. Woodhouse - still a hypochondriac; uses herbal remedies that seem hazardous to one's health

•Batty a.k.a. Mary Bates - this jabberjaw has full-time employment at a legitimate place of business, very scary

•Mr. & Mrs. Weston - less endearing; less important in this version

•Phillip Elton & Gusty - still an inappropriate couple and a blight on polite society

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Knightley, after working in Mumbai, India for eight years, returns to Highbury to discover that his sister-in-law, Emma Woodhouse, has grown up. While he was gone, the awkward teenager who had a crush on him matured into an intelligent, confident, and gorgeous twenty-three old preparing to make her debut as the new Marketing Director of Highbury Foods, a small mail-order food distributing company. Mark is assigned the position of being Emma's mentor (a very fitting role for him, isn't it?) by Mr. Woodhouse, Managing Director of Highbury Foods. Now Mark faces not only the difficult challenge of mentoring the obstinate and willful Emma, but of masking his growing feelings for her and keeping his unbrotherly thoughts at bay.


To read more follow this link:
http://janeaustenreviews.blogspot.com...

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emma is just as annoying in this adaptation as she is in J.A.'s version and her complete lack of awareness about her own feelings and the feelings of others was (as always) irritating. The unbelievable amount of misunderstandings between Emma and Mr. Knightley was tedious, but what completely ruined the book for me was all of the swearing and sex. When I start a Jane Austen inspired novel I don't expect to be assaulted with the F word on multiple occasions. Yuck.

[Fluffychick · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it's a modern re-write of Austen, it does what it says on the tin! It's obviously predictable - we all know the story, but pleasant enough. Knightley is fairly weak in parts and Emma comes across as less likeable than in the original but it's a quick easy romantic read - not mind improving or thought provoking.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Against my will.... ....this book actually managed to sucker me in, and that is one of the highest compliments I can pay to a book. I think the essence of many of the the characters was caught and the way the author rejigged the masterpiece that is Emma to the modern day was clever.

[Preethi Venugopala · Rating 5 out of 5]

#AudioBook
Narrators: Melody Grove
Jonathan Keeble

Completely amazing. This is a modern day retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. Emma is my least favourite among Jane Austen's novels. But this version was amusing.
Especially as there was Mark Knightley's voice as well. Story is told via the POV of both the characters.
Endearing and fun.

[Katie]

Mostly, just didn't like the writing. Also, it was weirdly on the nose about some things and then way different in regard to others. I didn't like that.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. That's a couple hours I can never get back. Must go cleanse my brain with the original Emma.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, fun read. Knowing the plot didn't detract from the enjoyment and in fact I enjoyed relating this modern version to the original Emma. A real bargain at 99p from the Kindle store.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. But I kept picturing the characters from "Clueless" instead of the characters from the actual "Emma." What does that say about me??

[Abigail Bullard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rather than being a fun, modern day twist on a great classic, I found this book to be a shallow and trashy. I abandoned it a few pages in.

[Craftyhj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best modern adaptation

Mr Knightley is, for me, the very best of Austen's leading men. In this book he is diminished to a deeply obnoxious pompous git with no redeeming features whatsoever. His behaviour to a woman 12 years this junior is toxic; and don't even get me started in the Elton character.... he definitely would not keep his job, and that might well be the least of his worries.

I thought the Harriet and the Emma characters were not bad, a fair interpretation of a modern version of the originals. The re was something a bit fluid about the age of Jane Fairfax, as a student she would be severe years younger than this Emma.

I love modern variations of Austen books but this one falls short for me - 2.5*

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was very good.

[Angela Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Importance Of Being Emma

I love Jane Austen and I've read many Pride and Prejudice variations (and enjoyed them all). So when I saw this was a modern working of Emma I had to read it. This book is very well written and sticks true to the original premise. Unfortunately it made me remember that Emma is actually my least favourite JA heroine ever, and the characterization in this story was SO annoying I just wanted to slap her. Sorry about that.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting modern telling. I enjoyed the writing style and the perspective shift between Emma and Mark. I️ did not enjoy the bedroom scenes or the multiple uses of the f-bomb.

[Anghi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good - don't listen to the haters

[Samantha Tymchuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed like a good Jane Austen inspired rewrite, but I forgot how much I dislike the source material, so it tainted my reading.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh if only these two would communicate!

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easily the WORST book I've read thus far. unreadable and had I not been stuck with no other entertainment, I'd have burned it