Emma

A Modern Retelling

De: Alexander McCall Smith

Narrado por: Susan Lyons

An unstoppable combination: Alexander McCall Smith and Jane Austen, as Sandy modernizes the story of Emma Woodhouse.

Emma Woodhouse's widowed father is an anxious man, obsessed with nutrition and the latest vitamins. He lives the life of a country gentleman in contemporary England, protectively raising his young daughters, Isabella and Emma. While Isabella grows into a young woman, marries a society photographer for Vogue at the age of 19, and gets down to the business of reproducing herself, Emma pursues a degree in interior design at university in Bath and then returns to set up shop in her home village.

With her educated eye for the coordination of pattern and color, Emma thinks she can now judge what person would best be paired with another and sets about matchmaking her young friend, Harriet, with various possible suitors. Little does she know she is not the only person encouraging romantic pairings in the village.

©2014 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2015 Recorded Books

wonderful redux

very satisfying from beginning to end. Now I must reread the original Jane Austen! looking forward.

An amusing rewrite of a loved classic

This is an amusing rewrite that matches the theme of the original novel but lacks the subtlety. For me, it really conveyed Emma's uncomprehending elitism that gets hidden behind our romanticized version of Austen's world.

For those criticizing the romance, I would recommend rereading the original. The interactions between Emma and Knightley were just as few as before. If you mean W and G, then I concur. It was unexpected.
Some of the lgbt things felt a little pointless; it would have been nice to have an actual gay or bi character, instead of people just pretending. Emma certainly seemed to have some leanings towards being bi or ace (asexual biromantic?) but it wasn't explored at all.

Overall, I would recommend it to those looking for a cute tale with a moral that Austen probably would have agreed with.

Not one of the author's best

What did you like best about Emma? What did you like least?

Not as well written as the author's other books I have read. Not much character depth and Emily became tiresome.

similar but not the same

This would be a good stand alone story ; but It's not as funny as the original. some of the shocking reactions were taken out of this version.

Wasn't the Same without The Period Costumes

I think that Alexander McCall Smith did a great job of retelling this story, but I realized that part of what I loved about the book was the period setting. He was able to change the situations into comparable ones in the modern century, but it just wasn't as impactful. It was an amusing listen, but for me, it just didn't bring the enjoyment I had hoped for.

Alexander McCall Smith had done it one again!

What did you love best about Emma?

The depth of her character

What other book might you compare Emma to and why?

McCall Smith's other series, which takes place in Edinborough

Have you listened to any of Susan Lyons’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't believe so.....but she does an outstanding job on this book.

Who was the most memorable character of Emma and why?

Emma of course!

Any additional comments?

McCall Smith has a talent for writing a book that can immediately capture your full attention. I have read all of his series and enjoyed them immensely. This was a different turn for him, and he did an excellent job.

Emma's Errors

I love Alexander McCall Smith's books, This particular book was not my favorite. A story about a selfish, (possibly narcissistic), young lady was a bit of a letdown after the deliciously quirky 44 Scotland Street tales. Even still, it was an easy & enjoyable listen.

Victorian Bustles in Land Rovers. Yikes!

I found it very hard to imagine this as a modern book. The haughty, stilted dialogue and narration sounded horribly old-fashioned, as did the story. Not recommended. Also, may I never listen to this narrator again with her snobby tone and "r"s added to the end of words (for starters), whereas words ending in "r" she pronounces as "ah." Yes, that's a good "idear" to do that. Ugh! Like nails on a blackboard!

Emma didn’t need this

I love Alexander McCall Smith’s books, and I love Jane Austen. Frankly, Jane deserved better. This retelling seemed heavy-handed and clunky compared to the gentle satire of the original.

Elegant Fan Fiction

Appreciated the liberties taken (and not taken) by the author. Still felt poised and classy, but refreshed