Customer Reviews

Emma & Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Emma

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After reading reviews of this book and "Perfect Happiness" earlier edition of "Emma and Knightly" and seeing that many people had criticized this book, I was skeptical to give it try. Since there aren't many good sequels to "Emma" out there, I was willing to try something that was not raved about.

I wasn't disappointed. The story was intriguing, perhaps not the greatest sequel written. But overall, ended up being a bit of a page turner!

We find Emma a year or more into her marriage with Mr. Knightly and she finds out that she has a lot of learning and growing to do. She is put to the test when her quiet little life and the lives of people around her are undone with a few life-chaning events. Emma herself struggles with her new role as "wife" especially since her relationship with Mr. Knightley for so many years has been one of brotherly love. In this continuation of Emma, there are deaths, about three marriages, two new likeable characters, and a developing of the character of Frank Churchill (which in my opinion is very close to the portrayal Jane Austen made of him in Emma). I really enjoyed the character development in this book: I think Jane Austen created some of thhe most unique, realistic, and flawed characters in literature and it is interesting and comforting seeing them develop into the type of people they should be. Just like we should be doing. There are a lot of good lessons for us to learn about communication, jumping to conclusions, grief, finances, trust, and love.

I recommend this book to those who love and long to live in Highbury, those who are not too critical as far as Jane Austen continuations and sequels go, and who like the caharcter of Emma and are curious how she matures and handles being married to Mr. Knightley. I do not recommend this book to those who desire a certain level of writing in Jane Austen continuations and sequels. If you want writing in the style of Jane, in the voice of Jane, and characters that are true to Jane, you might not enjoy this book.

Compared with the other Jane Austen 'continuation' stories I've read, this one is enjoyable, but it wasn't one of my favorites. The author used adjectives to emphasize Emma's flaws instead of letting her actions speak for themselves (i.e., seflish, childish). I felt like the author was doing her best to make Emma unlikable. Most of the book is about trouble between Emma and Knightly, and then a few pages of happy resolution. For that reason, it was a bit of a let down. I just find it hard to believe that Emma and Knightly would have had that hard a time communicating with each other.

When Emma and Knightley marry at the end of Jane Austen's Emma (Penguin Classics), Emma is a very young 21 or 22 years old. While she has been mistress of her father's house for a number of years, she has never had to balance her role as a daughter caring for her (hypochondriac) father with her new role as Mr. Knightley's wife. I for one always wondered how their relationship continued to develop after the close of Austen's novel.

Fortunately for us, Rachel Billington's novel Emma & Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Emma brings the reader into Emma and Knightley's life after their marriage.

As is usual, I am sure, the Knightleys have their little difficulties adjusting to married life. Knightley has agreed to live to live at Hartfield, rather than his home of Donwell Abbey, so that Mr. Woodhouse will not be disturbed too much. Emma is trying to figure out how to relate to Knightley as her husband, rather than the beloved older neighbor. And he is trying, as always, to help Emma continue to grow into a well-rounded, thoughtful lady, and to help her see him as the love of her life, not just a loving familiar face.

Their lives are further complicated by the difficulties of those around them. Mrs. Bates has died, leaving poor Miss Bates alone. Jane Fairfax Churchill dies, leaving a bereaved (and half-mad) Frank Churchill with a newborn. Knightley's brother John has major financial difficulties, which they hide, for a time, from Emma's sister Isabella. And, it seems as if every couple is having children, except the Knightleys.

I confess, while I love Emma (Penguin Classics), it is probably my least favorite of Jane Austen's novels, partly because Emma does not seem to grow as much as a person as the other Austen heroines do. That's why I am delighted that Billington did such an excellent job on Emma & Knightley. Her novel continues Emma's growth as a human being and a woman, rather than a girl, and shows how the Knightleys figure out how to relate to eachother as spouses and settle into their marriage.

Billington also did a good job continuing the secondary characters Austen wrote. The Westons are lovely and, naturally, expanding their family. Miss Bates is her usual chatty self, but ends up providing perfect companionship for Mr. Woodhouse. Frank Churchill is a selfish cad and causes Emma difficulties. Billington also introduces new characters, including Mrs. Philomena Tidmarsh, who challenges some of Emma's ideas.

I was also happy with the fact that Billington did not try to change the characters or make them behave in ways inconsistent with their Austen-written characters. The plot was well-developed and satisfying.

Emma & Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Emma is a delightful continuation of a beloved book. I recommend it for any Austen fan and anyone interested in following the development of Emma and Knightley's marriage.

Emma and Knightley continues the beloved Jane Austen tale in a style more befitting of Thomas Hardy. Emma reverts to a childish state more similar to the beginning of the book Emma than the end of the novel and the plays out very similarly to the original story only darker. I got the feeling that the author really didn't like the character Emma (or Mr. Knightley for that matter) and had an odd fondness for Harriet Smith and Miss Bates. Terrible things happen to the characters - out of character terrible things - and the resolution is basically that oops the two should have talked to each other. I have read a lot of Jane Austen sequels and this ranks among the worst of them.

I checked this book out of my local library, and I'm really glad I didn't pay anything for it. I got through about the first half of the book, and couldn't bring myself to finish it. Emma's character was carefully drawn by Austen. Jane Austen succeeded in the difficult task of making her spoilt and rich young heroine lovable. This version of Emma is just plain spoilt and annoying. The plot was rather far-fetched, the writing was stilted and I felt aimed at a third-grade reading level, and I just found nothing interesting enough to keep going. I returned the book to my local library rather regretfully. I wanted to like the book, and the author did make a good attempt, but I think she just wasn't up to the task. If I were really bored, with absolutely nothing better to do, I might try to get through it again sometime.

To put it plain and simple, this book is written like a mediocre piece of fanfiction. Not bad but the author takes far too much control of the characters and the plot. For example, Emma is turned into a Mrs. Elton of sorts, with Ms. Billington removing her greatest redeeming quality-her selflessness. Instead, she is portrayed as being paranoid, unsure of Mr. Knightley's (or "Knightley" as she refers to him) affection and going to the lengths of bringing Harriet Smith back into the picture. Mr. Knightley, on the other hand, also loses his faith in Emma's love, believing her to still have feeling for the now-widowed Frank Churchill because of some gossip he heard from Robert Martin. All in all, this book is just a revisitation of Jane Austen's "Emma" with the same plot and ending but less likable characters. I would definitely not repurchase but maybe it would be better for someone who has only seen the BBC version or who is looking for a light summer read. Good but not great.

I really wanted to like this book as "Emma" is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels (not as well-loved as "Pride and Prejudice", but that's beside the point). Upon reading the sample, I was thoroughly intrigued with the idea of discovering what Mr. & Mrs. Knightley's ever-after resembled. How was life at Hartfield? How did they adjust to living as husband and wife after viewing each other for so long as friends--and friends with such a disparity in ages? How did the marriages of some of the other characters turn out? Would Augusta Elton develop any taste and lose her sense of vulgar vanity? (After reading this book, I can say with all certainty that she did NOT.)

Within the opening pages, we discover that Jane Fairfax Churchill, after giving birth to a son, met an unfortunate and untimely death. This sets into motion a series of events that completely alters everyone's lives--and the Knightleys' marriage. These events were interesting enough that, despite my utter dislike for the story, I simply *had* to finish reading the book instead of abandoning it as I heartily wished to do.

Perhaps I've seen the Gwynneth Paltrow version of "Emma" too many times to be able to accurately perceive the truth in this from the actual story, but it seemed to me that Emma, by the time she married Mr. Knightley, had undergone a transformation in the way she viewed other people. She seemed less of a snob, less concerned about status and such. This, however, is far from the Emma that Mrs. Billington portrayed. Her Emma was just as haughty and snobbish--and judgmental--as the "real" Emma from the start of Jane Austen's novel. No transformation had been made after even a year of marriage, which I find extremely hard to believe.

I also read with disapproval the portrayal of Emma & Knightley's marriage and their lack of communication. How could two people--as portrayed by Jane Austen--with so much ability to make themselves known and heard by the other suffer through so many months of a sudden lack of communication? There were times I just wanted to smack both of them and shout, "Talk to each other!" While possibly more true to real life (especially during those early years of marriage), it was not the Emma and Knightley I've grown familiar with through the years. And while I appreciated not having to read about it (I heartily disapprove and dislike when authors use descriptive sex scenes---particularly in Austen continuations. I believe she would roll over in her grave at such things), I find it extremely hard to believe that there was no passion in their marriage, as Mrs. Billington would have us believe.

Finally, while Frank Churchill's character is far from reproach in "Emma", I cannot believe he is so bad, so inherently wicked, as Mrs. Billington portrays him in her novel. He has always been selfish, self-centered, and devious. But I just cannot agree that womanizer and debauched cad should also be added to his list of faults.

This book was very well written and would probably be thoroughly enjoyed by someone who has NOT previously read "Emma". The Jane Austen enthusiasts looking for a continuation of a beloved book will want to keep looking.

I hate being critical in general but this book was a 100% let down. The attempted story line was a bore and Emma has magically turned into a wilting flower with no mind of her own and Mr. Knightly treats her like a second class citizen. The author also kills off Jane Fairfax (now Jane Churchill) and turns Frank Churchill into a villian. I applaud the author for attempting to take a different route in this novel but it doesn't seem to be anywhere near where Jane Austen left her readers at the conclusion of the original. My last thought is this, the main point of the title of this new novel is "Perfect Happiness in Highbury", yet Emma and Knightly are only seemingly happy in the last two - three pages. Talk about a misnomer!

Wish I could unread this book but since I can't, I'm going to consign it to a forgettable parallel universe. "Emma" is one of my favorite Austen novels. I enjoyed "Mr. Knightley's Diary" by Amanda Grange because it followed the same timeline and events but from another perspective. As well, it tied up some loose ends in a happy and satisfactory manner.

"Emma and Knightley" by Rachel Billington is a good, well written book. But it invents a sequel that creates sad, difficult problems and has vulgar touches of the melodramatic. The author continues the characters from "Emma" and adds a couple more. There are psychological insights into the characters for those twenty-first century readers who cannot figure things out for themselves. Emma and Knightley grow distant and Emma grows thin from worry. Honestly, who wants to read about this happening after their joyous marriage? I prefer to think of them as happy in Highbury and life going on as pleasantly as before.

This book was very difficult to get into. I typically love anything Jane Austen but this book is just plain terrible. Did the Author even read "Emma". The characters are not what Jane Austen had intended in the original "Emma"
The Author seems to want you to hate Emma. And the book is just full of one tragic event after another. To many smaller plots to follow.