Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma [Paperback]

Joan Aiken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1997

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Once again Aiken ( Mansfield Revisited ) playfully recreates the fictional world of Jane Austen by appropriating her characters: Jane Fairfax is the friend and rival of the heroine of Emma . Here, headstrong, self-important Emma Woodhouse is pushed from center stage as the limelight falls on the childhood and maturation of her foil. Orphaned Jane is brought up by her shabby-genteel aunt and grandmother in Highbury, near the Woodhouse family estate. Jane joins Emma in her music lessons, where Jane's talent and diligence invite a jealousy in Emma, which is partly overcome after the death of her mother leaves a disconsolate Emma receptive to too-good-to-be-true Jane's sympathy. Then an old family friend whisks Jane off to London in order to educate her alongside his daughters, so that she might eventually support herself as a governess. A grown-up Jane returns to Highbury secretly engaged to Frank Churchill, whose aunt refuses to die and leave him the money and freedom to marry as he chooses. While Aiken lacks Austen's incomparable style and wit, her light, diverting novel captures the flavor, if not the substance, of Austen's milieu.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

AAs she did in Mansfield Revisited ( LJ 3/1/85) , Aiken again draws on Jane Austen. Jane Fairfax is Aiken's brilliant parallel novel to Emma. It re-creates the cozy, busy world of Highbury as seen through the eyes of Emma's only rival. Jane, the talented niece of the garrulous Miss Bates, causes a stir in the village upon her return from the more sophisticated worlds of London and Weymouth. Though lacking some of the bite and brilliant irony of Austen's most critically acclaimed novel, this is ex traordinarily well done and highly recommended for all Austen and Regency fans.
- Cynthia Johnson Whealler , Cary Memorial Lib . , Lexington, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031215707X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312157074
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joan Aiken (1924-2004) was the daughter of Pulitzer prize winning poet Conrad Aiken and started writing herself from the age of five. During her lifetime she published over one hundred books for children and adults, including the acclaimed Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. In the UK she received an MBE from the Queen for her services to Children's Literature.

This year sees the publication of a brand NEW story collection - The Monkey's Wedding - with previously unpublished material that shows Aiken on top form. This collection of funny, spooky, unexpected but classic Aiken stories has received wonderful reviews and will delight her readers. See below for details.

Her work continues to be adapted for film and television; she is established as a consummate storyteller,and recognized as one of the best loved authors of the twentieth century.

"The Wonderful World of Joan Aiken" is at www.joanaiken.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a feat!, July 28, 2000

By 

TaraJacobs "vintage_girl" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma (Paperback)

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.'

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new view of a familiar story..., January 24, 2002

By 

E. M. Carey "LGW" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma (Paperback)

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.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well done "behind the scenes" story of Jane Fairfax, August 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma (Paperback)

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.