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A review by christianam
The Importance of Being Emma by Juliet Archer
2.0
A few years ago I swore off reading adaptations of Jane Austen, after being burnt a few too many times. If only I had kept my resolution...
This is a modern adaptation of Emma. The author didn't do a bad job of relating the plot points to modern times, but that's about all I can say. This book is a trashy modern romance, with none of the subtlety or humour of the original. And it keeps very little of the characters other than their names. While Emma in the original was thoughtless and occasionally witty at other people's expense, with a short attention span, she was also smart, kind and overall a nice person. This Emma was rude and mean and completely clueless. Although we were told several times about her short attention span, all the evidence proved otherwise (she gained an MBA and was incredibly focused and driven). Mark Knightley was also rude, as well as moody, condescending and continually objectifying Emma. The book was basically Knightley obsessing about how sexy Emma was, with nothing to show that they liked each other as people.
Basically, I nearly gave it up after a few chapters, and stuck with it only to see how the author would translate Emma to modern times. It was not worth it.
This is a modern adaptation of Emma. The author didn't do a bad job of relating the plot points to modern times, but that's about all I can say. This book is a trashy modern romance, with none of the subtlety or humour of the original. And it keeps very little of the characters other than their names. While Emma in the original was thoughtless and occasionally witty at other people's expense, with a short attention span, she was also smart, kind and overall a nice person. This Emma was rude and mean and completely clueless. Although we were told several times about her short attention span, all the evidence proved otherwise (she gained an MBA and was incredibly focused and driven). Mark Knightley was also rude, as well as moody, condescending and continually objectifying Emma. The book was basically Knightley obsessing about how sexy Emma was, with nothing to show that they liked each other as people.
Basically, I nearly gave it up after a few chapters, and stuck with it only to see how the author would translate Emma to modern times. It was not worth it.