Customer Reviews

Jane Fairfax

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a fan of Jane Austen's Emma, and really enjoyed Hollywood's rendition of the novel, and came away from both sharing a bit of Emma's resentment towards Jane Fairfax. So it is quite an accomplishment to write a novel that so quickly and deftly turned my sympathies and interests towards a previously unliked character.

Aiken's Jane Fairfax fleshes out the childhood histories of both leading ladies (Emma and Jane), and fills in the back story of their relationship and temperaments.

It is fascinating to read the story that takes place prior to the time period where 'Emma' is focused, but even more interesting to read the shifted perspective once the two storylines sync up.

Finally, the book is so well-written, so closely adhering to Jane Austen's own style, that you can convince yourself you are reading a long lost manuscript from Austen herself. And as the tale unfolds, and Jane's perspective reveals more of Emma's character than we even knew before, Austen's 'Emma' becomes an even better realized, more ironic, and wryer look at social folly.

I definitely recommend this novel to any Austen fan, particularly those familiar with 'Emma.'

Emma is one of my favorite books, so I was naturally drawn to this re-interpretation of the story told through the eyes of Jane Fairfax, about whom we learn very little in the original. On the other hand, I was somewhat wary given how much I love Emma and Austen in general and was afraid that I would find it lacking in both style and substance. In the end, I was terribly impressed by Aiken's work and enjoyed this version tremendously.

Joan Aiken explores the events in Jane Fairfax's life that take place outside of Highbury and the sphere of Emma. What we once saw only through Emma and the others thus takes on a completely different dimension, particularly the circumstances that appear such a surprise in Austen's novel. The new characters are very well-rounded, realistic and fascinating while the 'old' ones remain very much true to their roles Emma, even down to their language, mannerisms, dress and so forth.

Despite how well-written and fascinating I found the book - and how good the descriptions, characterizations and scenery are - I never felt quite like I was reading Austen. But I was so impressed by how close Aiken did get to the original, and here her extraordinary skill as a writer is obvious, I believe it is more a matter of my degree of familiarity with Emma and with Austen's work in general than any inherent flaw in the book. Although I do believe Jane Fairfax is good enough to stand on its own, I think that in order to enjoy Jane Fairfax fully a reader must be relatively familiar with Emma, for having seen the story before from another perspective is an enormous part of the appeal. I would recommend this book to any fans of Emma or Austen - or really anyone interested in a well-told and excellently written story - with the caveat that the book be appreciated for what it is and not compared to minutely to the original.

If you enjoyed Emma, and wondered at all about
how Jane Fairfax ended up in her situation then
you'll enjoy this book. Aiken gives a clever
story that covers all the reasons that Jane F
and Frank Churchill act the way they do. And it
is written in a true Jane Austen style. I really
enjoyed it.

Joan Aiken is a gifted writer, and she has chosen as her subject a wonderfully interesting incidental character from one of the best-loved novels in literature, Jane Austen's 'Emma'. The characters and plot are flawless; it was very enjoyable to have these beloved characters rounded out and delved into more, and Aiken accomplishes her most difficult task -- making Frank Churchill sympathetic and therefore worthy of Miss Fairfax's regard. I was thrilled by the time I got to part two, which begins and ends on the same timeline as 'Emma' -- for instance, do you remember when Jane accompanies her aunt, Miss Bates, to Hartfield in order to thank Emma and her father for the quarter-section of pork, and they bring the news that Mr. Elton has become engaged to someone in Bath? Well, here you are in the room when Jane and her aunt first get the news as they are leaving for Hartfield -- it is delicious! There are many such overlaps, and all are delightful. There are also lots of commas and semi-colons and other such idiosyncracies found in the works of Austen and her contemporaries, and the style rings true. I would say it comes very close to being an Austen novel, and is one of the best of the Austen homages, but the humor of Austen is not here. Also, the novel is so well-done that I would have enjoyed an account of events after the original timeline. One does want to know that Jane is happy and Frank is true and Emma's friendship continues.... Still, a very satisfying read, and I will definitely read more works by this author.

Like so many others, I have loved all of Jane Austen's novels and was sorry when there were no more to read. So I looked for sequels and was very satisfied by this one about Jane Fairfax by Ms. Aiken. It answered a lot of the questions about Jane that were at the back of my mind and made her more real and sympathetic. I especially enjoyed finding out about how her relationship with Frank Churchill developed before they came to Highbury in the Emma story. The way the author brings Jane and Emma together at the end is satisfying too. Thanks!

Compelling and sympathetic storytelling of Jane Fairfax's life before, during, and after Emma Woodhouse's infamous matchmaking/meddling stage of her life. I liked that Jane was not portrayed--as she was in the recent film version--as a sly vamp, but instead as a young woman all-too-aware of her difficult position in life. Her life away from Highbury was fascinating and very well-told. I also enjoyed the indepth examinations of Emma's character by Jane; it seemed very realistic and only moderately biased. I tired quickly, however, of Jane's constant agonies over Frank Churchill's seemingly fickle side; it seemed rather unlike her character and detracted greatly from her appeal. The last quarter of the book meshed beautifully with Emma's side of the story (as read in "Emma"). The alternate viewpoint to the awful picnic on Box Hill was also a treat. I finished reading this book with pangs of regret; I wish we knew more of the story of the marriage of Jane F! airfax and Frank Churchill! Lovely book.

OK, I'm not done with reading this, and it's good enough for me to continue. Rather, the reading is easy enough. But so far I haven't found that the writing is.

... The ages of the characters are wrong. Mr. Knightley is made out to be too old (he should be 16 years older than Emma), there is a Miss Bickerton who is also too old, Miss Taylor comes to Hartfield at the wrong time (she should arrive when Emma is five), etc., etc.

Moreover, the characters themselves are wrong ... where is the talkiness of Miss Bates? How can Col Campbell be so dreadful to his daughter? How can Jane Fairfax make such bold statements to everyone around her, when later she seems to be so retiring? So as a companion book to Emma, which is what is intended, for me at least it is a failure. And -- at least so far -- I have not found it interesting enough to stay on its own.

I'm giving it two stars, because it is an interesting idea, and because I agree that the story of Jane Fairfax deserves to be told. Simply not like this.

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. with different names) 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.

And don't even get me started on Jane having a crush on Mr Knightley. Ugh!

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!

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.

What a wonderful book. No, it is not in the style of Jane Austen, but if that is not important to you then it is a great book for you to read. It takes you back into the beginning when Emma and Jane were little playmates. If you read Emma and wondered what her childhood was like, then you will love this book. You can discover the real reason why Emma dislikes Jane.

What is so terrific about this book is that you fall in love with Jane, she really is the second heroine of the novel. It is wonderful to be inside her head and find out why she had a secret engagement with Frank Churchill. She is such a sweet and endearing heroine, and in addition she is strong, intelligent, and loving. You will grow to like her and grow to dislike Emma. Which makes you wonder, isn't that the way it is supposed to be? Jane Austen's own words were that she created a character that no one but herself will like. Furthermore, it follows Jane's life you learn what happened in Weymouth, and who the Dixon's are. You go on an emotional journey with her. Her struggle with being poor and her love for her aunts.

If you root for the under dog then this is the book for you. Or if you loved the movie Emma, you love this too, you will wish that they will make it into a movie someday.