Customer Reviews

The Watsons

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just when you thought there were no more Jane Austin works to read, this splendid book appeared, dog-eared in a used paperback (!) format. Well worth the search. A fourth sister is reunited with her three impoverished sisters, all in need of husbands - each sister is distinctly drawn, as, to a slightly lesser degree, are their swains. If you can forgive the presumption of Mr. Coates, you will welcome his ready wit and eye for detail. There is as always, a sister who is correct and sensible and striving to be well-behaved, but it is the encounters of the badly-behaved sisters which are truly enjoyable. Better than the (also good) completion of Sanditon, by "another lady."

The edition of Jane Austen's "The Watsons" that was published with a foreward by Kate Atkinson is merely a published copy of Jane's original fragment!! It is NOT a completion, like the one John Coates wrote! Unfortunately, the "paperback" link on his page redirects you here. Please take note of this before you buy it, and decide for yourself if you want to purchase only half of the story (also, it's a fragment that's available in the public domain for free).

Being a Jane Austen fan, I was very excited by the prospect of a new book. Talking about disappointment. First I was disappointed that Amazon would offer this to me at the price I paid since it's thinner than a steno pad. Secondly I felt like I was left hanging. There is nothing worse than to get caught up in a story and have it end with nothing resolved. If you must read this, don't buy it, until you read it. That way if you do decide to buy, you'll know what you're getting. I gave it 2 stars because it is Jane Austen.

As an Austen fan, I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Watsons'. I must confess that I am completely biased here since I've always liked Austen's work. The novel, or novelette, was never finished, but there is a short explanation of what was going to happen later on had Austen lived to complete it. Apparently, she talked about the plot and how she intended to finish the book with her nieces and family. It has been so long since I picked up a classic to read and I have really missed that era - the language, the countryside, the balls, the people. This book has definitely rekindled my passion for classics and I am certainly going to include more of them in my diet. I recommend this book to all austen loving creatures out there

This is yet another attempt to complete Jane Austen's fragment, "The Watsons", written about 5 chapters in 1804 and then abandoned. The story is about a young girl, Emma Watsons, who returns to her impoverished family after years of living with a wealthy uncle and aunt. Her uncle dies, her aunt remarries, and she finds herself in the unhappy situation of being a burden on her ill father, 3 sisters and 2 brothers. However, she immediately attracts the attention of some eligible suitors, Lord Osborne and his tutor, Mr. Howard.

The prose of this story is quite good, and Williams uses Austen's outline for the plot to complete the story. Williams also stays true to Austen's characterization, or what hint we have of them, and does not alter anyone significantly. I was also pleased to find that Emma and Mr. Howard's relationship is nicely enough developed.

My problem with this story is that it's MUCH too short. This seems also to be the case with the very old, early 20th century completions of this fragment. The Austen portion consists about 1/2 of the entire book, so events flow too quickly. It's like Williams could not bother to develop small events that would have been interesting in themselves, and thus characterization and relationships between the minor characters are left sketchy and unsatisfying.

If you're eying this book, it's cheap enough at the moment and worth purchasing. But I found John Coate's 1958 completion, although it took a few liberties, GREATLY superior. On the other hand it's better than Joan Aiken's completion.

I give this book three and a half stars.

This fragment of a novel takes a slice of Emma Watson's life and details the events that take place in a rather short time, giving us a very full picture of characters lives, personalities and flaws. Emma Watson, having been brought up by her aunt and uncle, is prompted to return home after the passing of the latter-left with no reaon to remain since her aunt decidedly chooses to restart her life with a new man. Being away from her father (who is now ill) and siblings for well over ten years, not only does Emma hardly know any of them, she must also learn how to figure them all out. This also means she must rely on the opinions shared with her by others - where rivalry is at the core of it all.

Upon her arrival, her eldest sister, Elizabeth brings her to the wealthy Edwards' ball where she is to meet other influential people such as the Osborne's and a certain Tom Musgrave, who has apparently captured the heart of one of her sisters; Penelope. Emma, however, has already a biased opinion of Tom based on Elizabeth's portrayal of him. We quickly understand that a lot of this bad mouthing is the result of Elizabeth's prior interest in Tom- to then become outshone and defeated by Penelope...

We also meet her brother, Robert, and his very manipulative wife, Jane- who doesn't seem to like any of her sister-in-laws at all. Margaret (another of Emma's sisters) who spent some time with them both, is especially a target for Jane. As for Robert- he is definitely not happy that Emma is back home, penniless from having been totally neglected in her late uncle's will. He also blames the aunt for her flimsiness in darting off with a new man. Amidst all this, Emma feels like a lost soul- completely different from her siblings. Having experienced nothing but love and kindness from her aunt and uncle, all of this jealousy and opposition amongst her siblings is perplexing to her as well as quite stressful.

The story does not come to any particular conclusion- although, at the end there is a snippet from the Second Edition of the Memoir that talks about the intended story and how it would have continued and ended. Reading the Watsons was almost like watching a sneak peak from a soap- where you can pop in at any time and immediately understand the plot and what is going on. I truly enjoyed the break, entertainment and a brief look at another of Jane Austen's delectable works...

Hungry for a quick Austen book?- The Watsons, I'd say, is the best snack-read ever!

Jane Austen just can't disappoint. What a treat to come across this little treasure. I loved it.