Emma: A Modern Retelling

Alexander McCall Smith

Apr 2015 · Sold by Anchor

About this ebook

The best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series deftly escorts Jane Austen’s beloved, meddlesome heroine into the twenty-first century in this delightfully inventive retelling.

"[McCall Smith] takes Jane’s characters and invites them warmly into our world.” —The Washington Post

The summer after university, Emma Woodhouse returns home to live with her widowed father and launch her interior design business. Apart from cultivating grand career plans and managing her father’s hypochondria, Emma busies herself with the two things she does best: matchmaking and offering advice on everything from texting etiquette to first date destinations.

Happily, this summer presents abundant opportunities for both, as old and new friends are drawn into the sphere of Emma’s counsel: George Knightley, her principled brother-in-law; Frank Churchill, the attractive stepson of her former governess; Harriet Smith, a naïve but enchanting young teacher’s assistant at the local language school; and the perfect (and perfectly vexing) Jane Fairfax. Carriages have been replaced by Mini Coopers and cups of tea by cappuccinos, but Alexander McCall Smith’s sparkling satire and cozy sensibility are the perfect match for Jane Austen’s beloved tale.

Ratings and reviews

Since Jane Austen is my ALL-time favorite author, of course I had to read this updated version of her classic novel, EMMA. And I must say the beginning was quite promising. Author Alexander McCall Smith (most famous for his VERY enjoyable #1 Ladies Detective series) captures some of the feel of Austen's wit and humor. Unfortunately, the longer I kept reading, the less that sustained the rest of the book. What Smith WASN'T able to capture was Austen's subtlety and the delicate way she interwove the lives of people in Highbury. Most of the same characters are here: Harriet Smith, George Knightly, his brother who is married to Emma's sister, Mr. Woodhouse, Frank Churchill, Jane Fairfax, Mr. Elton, Robert Martin, the two Bates women, and, of course, the Westons. And the plot follows closely along with the original plot. But the characters seem much less integrated. The book felt more episodic -- dealing with one storyline at a time and then moving on to the next. What was also difficult, for me, is having to reckon with an Emma who calls her father "Pops", drives a mini Cooper, and wants to be an interior designer. Or a Frank Churchill who hints to Emma that he might be gay, to explain why his flirting with her should be considered harmless. Or Vicar Elton with a DUI. I'm afraid, taken as a whole, the book just doesn't work all that well. And even as an Austen-die-hard fan, it wasn't that enjoyable to read.

Loved the writing, it was a fresh and interesting retelling of the classic.

A tale of personal growth

About the author

ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, the 44 Scotland Street series, and the Corduroy Mansions series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served with many national and international organizations concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland.