11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Diary Worth Reading!, November 2, 2007
This review is from: Mr. Knightley's Diary (Paperback)
Although I had heard of some of Amanda Grange's previous books, such as Mr. Darcy's Diary, I had never read them. Recently, I got the chance to read a copy of Grange's
Mr. Knightley's Diary and found that it is a fantastic take on Jane Austen's Emma.
I haven't read Emma in probably a couple of years, so it was refreshing to read the story through Mr. Knightley's eyes. He's a very interesting character and I don't know him as well as Mr. Darcy.
Grange takes the reader into Knightley's (should I be so bold as to address him as such? Emma might not like it.) world and enables us to go with him when he is absent from Highbury. Readers of Emma will remember that Knightley misses Miss Taylor and Mr. Weston's wedding because he is in London. In Mr. Knightley's Diary, the reader is with him! We get to find out what he is doing when he is not with Emma. Haven't you always been curious?
The diary spans just over a year and recounts any number of events found in the original novel in a slightly different, more masculine way. Knightley is constantly worrying about Emma's behavior, hoping she will be more mature and leave off matchmaking, and trying to decide if, and who, he should marry. Just as Emma tries to pair Harriet with various gentlemen, Knightley meets several women (including Jane Fairfax) and tries to see if he feels any sparks with them. Of course, as we all know, in the end only Emma will do.
Our favorite (and not-so-favorite) secondary characters still play largely in this novel, though through Knightley's eyes. Mr. Woodhouse is still the same old valetudinarian that we all love (and wish would stop saying that cake is bad for one's health!). Mr. Elton and his wife, as always, quite irritating, though Knightley is polite. He finds Frank Churchill to be somewhat suspect, rather than the charming gentleman the ladies believe him to be. We also see more of Knightley's brother John and his wife, Emma's sister. I was quite glad to read more about them, as they are not a huge part of Emma.
I highly recommend
Mr. Knightley's Diary to all Jane Austen fans. It was a very enjoyable take on a beloved book.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A trifle tedious., October 25, 2007
This review is from: Mr. Knightley's Diary (Paperback)
Mr. Knightley's Diary was just a little slow and tedious for me. I don't think this can all be put at the feet of Amanda Grange except in her choice of subjects. Anyone who has ever read EMMA by Jane Austen knows that Knightley is not as often at the forefront of that novel as some other Austen lead male characters. This caused Ms Grange to use her imagination to a much greater extent in giving us Mr. Knightley's thoughts and even some of his words.
It became rather boring reading about him dining in someone else's home practically every night. This was the major way Ms Grange conveyed the action for this book and is, indeed, how it happened in EMMA. The saving grace for EMMA was that we saw many, many more character interactions for that main character and since she was the lead in the book, we got much more actual conversation. I wish I had counted how many times Knightley was portrayed as walking to Hartfield. Surely it must have numbered close to a hundred because the book covered a full year in the lives of these characters.
Also, Mr. Woodhouse and his continual grousing just plain got on my nerves. I don't remember having that reaction to him in EMMA so I'm not quite sure why he irritated me so sorely in this book, but he did.
Somehow this book did not portray any passion and not very much feeling for me. If I had never read EMMA, this book would not tempt me to pick it up. I read Mr. Darcy's Diary by this author and rated it 4 solid, lovely stars. This one is O.K., but the stars are mostly given out of appreciation for previous books written by this author. I just don't think she had enough material to work with. Mr. Knightley is certainly no Darcy or Wentworth!
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quick, easy read but not as good as Mr Darcy's or Captain Wentworth's Diary, October 8, 2007
This review is from: Mr. Knightley's Diary (Paperback)
I pre-ordered this and have been so looking forward to reading the POV of Mr. Knightley, unfortunately he wasn't as captivating as the hero's in Mr. Darcy's Diary or even Captain Wentworth's. He didn't have much of a sense of humor either. I didn't feel much angst or sympathy for him because his love for Emma didn't become apparent even to himself until more than 2/3 way through. I felt Mr. Knightley was a more complicated character than what was conveyed here in this Diary. Nonetheless, it is interesting and for those that want a quick reminder of Emma or just have to have all the latest Jane Austenesque novel, this book is worth the purchase and certainly will compliment any collection. It's certainly not my favorite of Grange's diary novels but I liked it/not loved it.
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