 
|
|
Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Jane Austen's Emma has been a favorite novel for Austenites since 1816. In the mid-1990s it became a favorite movie for millions of new admirers.
A key reason for Emma's success is that the story has two heroines-Emma Woodhouse and Jane Fairfax. In Austen's novel, Jane's backgound is left obscure, and the turmoil underlying her current reduced circumstances in mysterious.
At last we learn her whole story in Joan Aiken's superb retelling of Emma-this time from Jane Fairfax's point of view. When Jane Fairfax was published in hardcover, Aiken's wit, style, and skill prompted Booklist to say, "Brilliant...extraordinarily will done and highly recommended."
This worthy companion to the great original is for the first time now available in paperback.
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| Stupid |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
 |
|
I have read some attempts at Jane Austen sequels and spin offs and - of course - none could come anywhere near the original novels, but Aiken's story is among the worst: almost as stupid as Emma Tennant's soap-opera style things and that's certainly saying something.
Whilst "Emma" is a beautifully written, cleverly-plotted, complex story with flesh and blood people, Aiken's stuff is stuffed with paper-thin characters. Most of them are copied directly from one JA novel or another (you can recognize Robert Ferrears, Lucy Steele, Mrs Ferrars or Lady Catherine etc.) but without any success at breathing life into them.
Emma is shown at her worst, Frank Churchill is without any charm and so on... Jane herself - though the whole thing is shown from her point of view - is "dull like ditchwater", Aiken can't make us care about her at all. In Emma - though she was a more marginal character - JA's compassion and wit made a perfect characterization for her. You could understand and sympathize with her much more though given less information than here.
Alas - this "more information" is what totally destroys the book, for the background that is given as Jane's story is so downright stupid and incredible, so totally out of character with her that I threw up my hands in desperation several times. What was Aiken about with serving us just the storyline that in "Emma" proved to be nothing else but Emma's foolish fancy at the end without any ground!! And now we get it back: Jane is actually in love with Mr Dixon, who returns her feelings but marries Miss Campbell for her money -OH MY!!- and she only accepts Frank Churchill's offer of marriage because she is desperate! Well, if this isn't stupid ... Every reader who read Emma with just a little attention is aware of the fact that Jane Farifax is so upright and honest that nothing but the deepest love would have induced her to accept such an offer - here she does not seem to care about him at all...
If you feel like you have to read this book then try to borrow it from your local library, but don't waste money on it, it's not worth it!
|
| A Satisfying Read |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
Probably one of the best Jane Austen sequels I've read and just re-read. I keep very few books, but this is one of five. Despite a few problems, the interior monologue rings true to the original tale.
If anything JANE FAIRFAX is more entertaining than the original EMMA--Ms. Austen forgive me--but perhaps only because one can enjoy the comparisons between the stories.
Are you new to Jane Austen sequels? Then this is a good place to start as are all of Aiken's novels. If P&P is your all-time favorite, then I also recommend The Bar Sinister (which now goes by another name in second printing). But I recommend restraint in buying the sequel of Bar Sinister, as it pretty much stinks.
|
| Excellent close reading of Emma |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
 |
|
Joan Aiken's Jane Fairfax was a real suprise to me since I never really enjoyed Jane Austen characters with other writers. The fact that the book involves a relative existence in time with Emma which is one of Austen's most detailed books is hard enough but the author seems to capture several nuances of the experience of a relatively minor character. The author's close reading of Emma allows readers to enjoy Emma more after reading this novel. She posits that Emma's jealousy of Jane began when they were children and Emma's mother encouraged Jane's musical talent. This is very perceptive and interesting hypothesis and an excellent example of Aiken's subtle and sensitive observation.
|
| Jane Fairfax was never so interesting! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
I have read Jane Austen's Emma many times since I was a child. I always wondered about Jane Fairfax, a character I always despised. Until now.
From the first paragraph of "Jane Fairfax", I was enthralled. It is written like an Austen, and the heroine, Jane, becomes interesting. It is explained that she and Emma's lives are explicable entwined; Jane wears all of Emma's hand me down clothing, and the whole town knows it.
I have read tons of Austen sequels, and this novel is much more a retelling of Emma, rather than a sequel. This was well writen, and one of the better Austen immitations.
|
| The Secret Keepers |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
|
|
As a fan of Jane Austen, I am often curious about authors who use her characters as spin-offs for their writings. "Jane Fairfax", by Joan Aiken, is a commendable look into the life of the little-known character from Jane Austen's "Emma". Austen devotes little time to Jane Fairfax, the young woman destined to be a governess who forms a secret engagement to Frank Churchill; but Joan Aiken takes readers into the background of this fictional character, from youth to marriage, with generally pleasant but uneven storytelling.
In "Jane Fairfax" we are introduced to a young Jane of about six years old. Destined to befriend the rich Emma Woodhouse, Jane dreams of a close relationship, but these are dashed by Emma's snobbish and superior attitude. Jane is taken to live with the Campbells, friends of her deceased father, and is brought up as their second daughter, enjoying a sisterly relationship with Rachel Campbell. It is through the Campbells that she first encounters Frank Churchill and agrees to a secret engagement before she makes her return to Highbury; this proves difficult for Jane who is now unaccustomed to the ways of Highbury, how every word and action are watched and nothing remains secret for long.
Joan Aiken doesn't quite deliver on the premise of "Jane Fairfax". While she does an admirable job of fleshing out Jane's early life and her inner thoughts, the pace is uneven. Lengthy amounts of narrative are devoted to frivilous stories while her attachment with Frank and the denouement of the book happen at a lightning speed. She spends a good section of the book on Jane's childhood, but quickly passes over five years in two paragraphs. There even seemed to be a four page spell when Mr. Knightley was narrating the story rather than Jane. I enjoyed the book since I love the characters Jane Austen created in "Emma", but by no means should this be considered the definitive look into the life of Jane Fairfax.
|
|
