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Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation (Warleigh Hall Press Jane Austen Series) Kindle Edition
Harriet - runner-up in General Fiction for Foreword Indies' "Book of the Year" 2002 - is an intriguing and original take on Jane Austen's immortal Emma - told from the viewpoints of a rather more alert Harriet Smith and of the mysterious and lovely Jane Fairfax.
"In short, I believed that there was a vacancy – not for another governess, but for someone youthful and doe-eyed, submissive and easily led, to give the young mistress of Hartfield an object as well as to restore her previous freedom of movement. And though supremely unqualified for the post – in that I was not in fact doe-eyed, submissive or easily led – I had faith in my powers, that I could appear so." (from McVeigh's Harriet)
*Finalist for Chanticleer's Chatelaine Award
*Gold medal in Historical Fiction Company's Book Awards
*Starred Editor's Pick - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
*One of the top 100 books of 2022, Shelf Unbound magazine
Emma, a privileged young heiress, decides to mentor Harriet Smith, a pretty boarding-school pupil, and to matchmake her as eligibly as she can… But how is she to guess that Harriet has a secret?
Meanwhile, the brilliant, penniless Jane Fairfax consents to a clandestine engagement with Frank Churchill – though not daring to confess, even to him, that she is being relentlessly pursued by her best friend’s husband.
Harriet sidelines Emma herself in favour of the ingenious Harriet and the fascinating Jane Fairfax. It is Emma – but an Emma with a surprisingly believable twist in its tail.
“McVeigh draws inspiration from her love of Jane Fairfax, and she certainly paints a fuller, more complete picture that gives welcome complexity to the musically talented and fragile young woman with an uncertain future. Harriet, though, is the character who shines brightest in this reimagining . In Austen's original, Harriet is willing to do anything to please Emma, but here she is a character of great depth, hiding facets of her personality and skills, often catching what those around her miss, and ultimately facing a compelling romantic decision. McVeigh again is on point with both the writing style, language, and consistency in Austen's characters, making this a treat for anyone who loves the originals.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Novelist and ghostwriter McVeigh offers an outstanding addition to the canon of Jane Austen-inspired fiction with this utterly charming period novel, a prequel to Austen’s sharp-elbowed Lady Susan… Susan is a mischievous and clever heroine in the tradition of Austen’s pluckiest characters, and McVeigh populates her story with a cast of first-rate supporting characters, especially Susan’s cousin Alicia, who in the end provides the biggest surprise of the tale.”
Booklife Prize review
Jane Fairfax faces a precarious situation involving her closest friend, Caroline, and her new husband, Mr. Dixon. An escape comes when she meets Frank Churchill and the two fall for each other…In tone and language McVeigh successfully recreates Jane Austen's world. Readers will find Harriet an enjoyable, intelligent, reimagining of a well-loved story.”
Blueink Review
“A dynamic take on a revered classic. This is still Austen’s Emma—but the story that unfolds through the recollections of these two ‘side’ characters feels remarkably fresh… Readers will rarely find the words ‘page-turner’ and 'Jane Austen' in the same sentence, but McVeigh’s impeccably written Harriet certainly fits the bill.”
IndieReader (editorial review)
“Harriet Smith boldly catapults herself into the delicate world of high society in yet another masterfully penned homage by Alice McVeigh. McVeigh skilfully captures the essence of Austen's world, but adds fresh dimensions.”
SPR (editorial review)
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 3, 2022
- File size4337 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Harriet Smith boldly catapults herself into the delicate world of high society in yet another masterfully penned homage by Alice McVeigh. Swirling rumors, sardonic asides and complex romantic geometry make for a saucy read, but there are also profound commentaries on gender roles, friendship and heartbreak laced within the prose... McVeigh delivers a remarkably engaging tale of love, loss, and learning from one's mistakes, skilfully capturing the essence of Austen's world, but adding fresh dimensions." (Self-Publishing Review featured editorial review)
"Harriet reimagines Jane Austen's Emma through the eyes of two characters, Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax. McVeigh brings new depth to the original, while in tone and language she successfully recreates this familiar part of Jane Austen's world. It is a pleasure to revisit this familiar story though a different lens... an enjoyable and intelligent reimagining." (BlueInk Reviews editorial review)
"A highly engrossing novel that captures the spirit of Austen and celebrates all the best qualities of her work from new and innovative angles... The characters are vibrant and full of life - McVeigh hits the mark spot-on." (Readers Favorite editorial review by Pikasho Deka)
"Alice McVeigh captures the spirit of Austen and celebrates all the best qualities of her work from new and innovative angles. One feature that I especially enjoyed was her sense of period, which adds details to the imagination and brings history to life, perhaps even more so than Austen, since she's writing with readers of our own time period in mind. This enables McVeigh to use a guiding hand to add clarity to the complications of the original, whilst also creating surprises that fit perfectly but are wholly unexpected. If you think you know Emma, think again, and enjoy Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation." (Readers Favorite editorial review by K.C. Finn)
"In this clever retelling of Jane Austen's beloved Emma, Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax take center-stage. Austen hints at their backstories in the original novel but Alice McVeigh brings them to life, developing their personalities and adding new dimensions. Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation is well-written and feels true to Austen's style... This book is a must-read." (Readers Favorites editorial review by Heather Stockard)
"Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax share the chapters in this meticulous adaptation of Austen's Emma, but it is Harriet who surprises, chiefly because she has been raised from minor to major importance, equal to heroines Jane and Emma. No longer merely a pet project of Emma's, Harriet's tale—along with her deepest thoughts, and dreams, perceptions and misperceptions—makes for an extraordinarily good time. Be assured that matchmaking and marriage endure in this Austenesque canvas, yet the vibrant twists and pivots of Harriet will still hold you entranced." (James Conroyd Martin, author of Fortune's Child, Too Soon the Night and The Poland Trilogy)
From the Author
Not a joke: there are Austen fans I know who practically lisped through Pride and Prejudice when aged about six, and were closing in on Tolstoy by the time they were ten. These annoying geniuses had already learned to appreciate Persuasion before they shot off to Harvard, generally to major in neuroscience.
Instead, Jane Austen sneaked up on me.
I loved Pride and Prejudice as a teen - Emma, too - but was left unconvinced by Mansfield Park at university. I didn't even attempt to read the rest of her books until I'd left college for good.
Having said that, I had trouble reading anything at university, as I was spending eight hours a day practising for my cello performance degree. Mostly - have to admit - I skimmed novels I already knew, while playing scales from memory. (D major, three octaves up and down, arpeggio - up, down - after which I'd whisked over another page of Gone with the Wind and attack D minor..."And then Scarlett said, 'Why, Rhett!")
And yes - since you asked - I am very easily bored.
After I'd finished my bachelor's degree in cello performance - could have aced one in Gone with the Wind - I was accepted on a prestigious Master's course in Boston. This, however, was Not To Be. Why? - because brainbox here forgot to accept the offer in time, didn't she? And because the cello professor couldn't persuade the administration into squeezing me onto the course.
Faced with a wasted year, I rashly wrote to Jacqueline du Pré, in London, and - to my amazement - was accepted as one of her private cello pupils.
I was ecstatic. London... and Du Pré! I had hero-worshipped du Pré from the first time I'd heard her play cello: that golden hair, that golden sound, that gilded panache! I flew out of Dulles airport with my cello buckled in by my side (had to pay for a child's fare but hey - don't get me started). I landed at Heathrow, already walking on air.
London in the 80s was magic - a buzzy, happening, jazzy, enthralling place.
I fell in love with crazy rapidity, not only with my English fiancé - yes, we are still married - but also with London and scones and Sunday tea and wandering around stately homes, imagining that they were Pemberley or Donwell Abbey etc.
I was engaged within six months and married within fifteen, but it was when we moved to Kent, with its irresistible combination of Elgar and Britishness, that I truly felt the irresistible pull of Jane Austen. (Of course I did. By then, I was a goner. I was living in Austenland. Anne Boleyn's childhood castle was just down the road.)
I rediscovered Eliza Bennet - and beat myself up for my youthful snap judgements on Fanny Price. I learned to adore Anne Elliott, and felt passionately for the intense Marianne Dashwood, and the elusive but musically sensational Jane Fairfax. I found that I could not even detest Lady Susan, as Jane Austen practically commands us to, because it seemed to me that nothing emerging from that wickedly gifted pen could be only a single colour but had to have hidden depths, instead. I pretty much memorized all the novels, begged my in-laws for life membership to the UK Austen society for my 24th birthday, and fell out quite seriously with at least one friend, who claimed to find Austen "stiff". Stiff? Stiff?? ($%^&&*%"!!!)
I won't test your patience with my orchestral career, or my exceedingly good luck in being picked up by one of the UK's top literary agents, as well as, after two novels, the exceedingly bad luck of being dumped by my big-five publisher. I will only mention that, while having lunch - yes, London agents really did take fledgling novelists for rather amazing lunches - I dared to mention that I rather fancied writing a prequel to Jane Austen's Lady Susan.
My agent shuddered from her perfectly coiffed hair to her high heels. Words such as "demeaning" and "derivative" got tossed about. The young me - easily intimidated - hastily changed the subject.
But still, the idea refused to leave me. And, after our only child had buzzed off to university, and long after my starry agent had dumped me... Reader, I wrote it.
The response was gratifying. Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel won awards, sold well, and got raves. Not only that, but I loved writing it. And rashly vowed that it wouldn't be the last. Already hoving into view, over the horizon: Harriet.
One of the characters people love to laugh at in Jane Austen's masterful Emma, Harriet seems eager but clueless, innocent and ignorant, a little breathy - to be brutal, a bit of a dippy blonde. In terms of the plot, she is at least as woefully deluded as misled by Emma.
I've loved Austen's Emma so deeply and so long that I can't even remember the first time I thought, But what if Harriet was just pretending? After all, Emma was famously easy to deceive. She deceived herself at least as much as she did Harriet!
So: What if young Harriet, gifted with an introduction at Hartfield, had been intuitive enough to recognise this - and clever enough to pretend to be foolish, in order to flatter Emma? Two hundred years ago, when women's fates could rest around their ring fingers, this kind of manipulative behaviour was probably not uncommon. And Emma Woodhouse of Hartfield certainly possessed sufficient influence to raise Harriet in society, and to improve her chances of making a fine match.
This might have been Harriet's only chance, but my second heroine here had other options. In common with millions of readers, I adore Jane Fairfax. Who could fail to be moved by her situation, beauty, courage and character - not to mention her musicality? As a professional cellist myself, Jane Fairfax's musicality has always spoken to me. But I needed a strong foil for the irresistible Miss Fairfax, which was where my sharpened Harriet came in - and 'my' deepened version of the immortal Knightley too...
But that's all I'm going to give away about it.
So, thanks for reading a little about me, and a little about Harriet.
If you buy it, I really hope you like it.
A.M.
From the Back Cover
Emma, a privileged young heiress, decides to mentor Harriet Smith, a pretty boarding-school pupil, and to matchmake her as eligibly as she can... But how is she to guess that Harriet has a secret?
Meanwhile, the brilliant, penniless Jane Fairfax consents to a clandestine engagement with Frank Churchill - though not daring to confess, even to him, that she is being relentlessly pursued by her best friend's husband.
Harriet sidelines Emma herself in favour of the ingenious Harriet and the fascinating Jane Fairfax. It is Emma - but an Emma with a surprisingly believable twist in its tail.
"A dynamic take on a revered classic. This is still Austen's Emma—but the story that unfolds through the recollections of these two 'side' characters feels remarkably fresh... With or without an understanding of Emma, Harriet contains a fully formed narrative that should satisfy even the choosiest Austen fans... Readers will rarely find the words 'page-turner' and 'Jane Austen' in the same sentence, but McVeigh's impeccably written Harriet certainly fits the bill." (IndieReader editorial review)
"A highly engrossing novel that captures the spirit of Austen and celebrates all the best qualities of her work from new and innovative angles... The characters are vibrant and full of life - McVeigh hits the mark spot-on." (Readers Favorite editorial review)
"An enchanting recreation of Austen's world" (author James Conroyd Martin)
About the Author
Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation is the second standalone novel in the Warleigh Hall Press Jane Austen Series.
The first (McVeigh's Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel) was a quarterfinalist in Publishers Weekly's prestigious BookLife Prize (2021). It also won First Place in the PenCraft Book Awards, an indieBRAG medallion, and the Gold Medal (historical) in the Global Book Awards. Shelf Unbound magazine chose Susan as one of its 100 'Notable Indies' published in 2021.
Alice is currently completing the third novel in the series, a Pride and Prejudice variation centred on Darcy.
Product details
- ASIN : B09R4XMRX6
- Publisher : Warleigh Hall Press (February 3, 2022)
- Publication date : February 3, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 4337 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 320 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #453,250 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #756 in Adaptations & Pastiche Fiction
- #2,245 in Historical British & Irish Literature
- #2,379 in Women's Literary Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Alice McVeigh has been published by Orion/Hachette in contemporary fiction, by UK's Unbound in speculative fiction (writing as Spaulding Taylor) and by Warleigh Hall Press in historical fiction. Her books have been in the last seven for the UK Selfies Book Award (2024), been a runner-up for Foreword Indies' "Book of the Year" and joint runner-up in Writers Digest International Book Awards. Three of her novels have been Publishers Weekly's starred "Editors Picks" - one was a BookLife quarterfinalist. McVeigh's multi-award-winning Austenesque series won First Place for Book Series (historical) in Chanticleer's International Book Awards 2023.
A long-term Londoner, McVeigh was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Thailand, Singapore, and Myanmar, where her father was a US diplomat. After spending her teenage years in McLean, Virginia, and achieving a degree with distinction in cello performance at the internationally renowned Jacobs School of Music, she came to London to study cello with William Pleeth. McVeigh spent over fifteen years performing worldwide with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique.
She was first published in the late1990s, when her two contemporary novels (WHILE THE MUSIC LASTS and GHOST MUSIC) were published by Orion Publishing to excellent reviews, including: “The orchestra becomes a universe in microcosm; all human life is here . . . McVeigh succeeds in harmonising a supremely comic tone with much darker notes”(The Sunday Times). And: “McVeigh is a professional cellist and is thus able to describe with wry authority the extraordinary life of a London orchestra. This is a very enjoyable novel, and not quite as light as it pretends to be” (The Sunday Telegraph). Inspired by her life as a touring cello professional, both novels have been recently released in completely new editions on Smashwords.
Alice has long been married to Simon McVeigh, Professor Emeritus at the University of London; their daughter Rachel has a Presidential Scholarship at Harvard in Chinese Lit. (Ph.D). When not playing cello or writing, Alice is generally smiting tennis balls at the Bromley Tennis Centre. (Often far too hard. As Rachel observed when aged four, “My mum hits the ball farther than anybody!”)
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers enjoyed this book and found it delightful to read. They described the tone as entertaining and fun. The story was interesting and well-crafted, with a wonderful plot twist at the end. Readers enjoyed the character development and how it blended characters from Mansfield Park and Emma. The writing style was praised as well-written, believable, and expertly crafted.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoyed the book. They found it delightful and charming to read. It was described as a great companion to Jane Austen's novels. The writing was described as masterful and well-done. Readers were eager for the next book and considered it one of the most successful they had read.
"...The format of switching between Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax was delightful...." Read more
"...But for now, it's pleasant reading anyway, if you can accept that you will have to switch back and forth frequently between the two." Read more
"...Both were woven in detail and done very well, and I enjoyed reading this mostly because there was little enough of Emma herself to make her an..." Read more
"I truly enjoyed this book. I love the new version of Harriet. Mr. Knightley‘s secret was quite a surprise but was very intriguing!" Read more
Customers enjoy the book's tone. They find it entertaining, charming, and delightful to read. The story is similar to the original Emma, with a wonderful plot twist at the end.
"...I loved the scenes with Jane and Frank, and I enjoyed the development of their characters, but the unjust over-simplification of so many other..." Read more
"This was a VERY entertaining Austen variation...." Read more
"...Very much in the tone of the original Emma. There’s a wonderful plot twist at the end...." Read more
"...It was fun to see quite a different Harriet and to see the other characters and events from other points of view...." Read more
Customers enjoyed the story's fresh perspective and simple plot twists that left the original story untouched. They found the premise unique and interesting, offering a creative behind-the-scenes look at a well-known classic. Overall, readers found the book an enjoyable escape to a simpler time.
"...The twists are very simple and leave the story mostly untouched -- only the viewpoint and the viewpoint character's internal thoughts change with..." Read more
"...Very much in the tone of the original Emma. There’s a wonderful plot twist at the end...." Read more
"This was so much fun! I loved this book...A story so wonderfully told. Light and funny and so believable... I bought it all from the initial pages...." Read more
"The premise of this book is unique and most interesting!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the character development. They appreciate the way the author blends characters from Mansfield Park and Emma, adding new layers to side characters. Readers enjoy the interesting variation of Jane Austen's characters and the speculation about their interior voices.
"...I loved the scenes with Jane and Frank, and I enjoyed the development of their characters, but the unjust over-simplification of so many other..." Read more
"An interesting variation of the Jane Austen characters. If you read it while in school read this version again in your leisure." Read more
"...NOT an Austen scholar, but I felt there were very Austen-esque observations on the major characters, Highbury society, and all the interactions." Read more
"...I enjoyed the way she blended characters from Mansfield Park with those from Emma...." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing style. They find the language enjoyable and believable. The book has minimal proofreading typographical errors, but is expertly crafted and weaved in detail.
"...There are a minimal number of proofreading typographical errors, mostly who/whom and shall/will, which made for a smooth read...." Read more
"...That said, this book pulled me immediately in with its lovely prose—so few writers today have a grasp of true Austenesque language but this one does—..." Read more
"...Light and funny and so believable... I bought it all from the initial pages. Recommended." Read more
"...Both were woven in detail and done very well, and I enjoyed reading this mostly because there was little enough of Emma herself to make her an..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2022This is the first book I've read by this author and I just loved it! The format of switching between Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax was delightful. Having the 'Cast of Characters' list at the beginning was a godsend for me, since I have limited memory retention. I read the book in multiple sittings due to time constraints, and having this list to refer to, for the new characters, when I came back to the story was invaluable! I opened the book on my laptop, copied and pasted the list into a document and printed it. I wish all authors would do this.
There are a minimal number of proofreading typographical errors, mostly who/whom and shall/will, which made for a smooth read.
I see there is one book prior to this, Susan, that I shall purchase and bring to the top of my TBR list. Truly enjoyable!
- Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2022On the whole, this is one of the better among the many Austen variations out there -- or perhaps I should say two of the better Austen variations. Because the book shifts back and forth between the perspectives (and the stories) of Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax.
The reading of neither is improved by this. Just as you're getting settled into one story, you're jerked out of it and sent off to read the other, sometimes for as much as a dozen chapters, before being readmitted to the one you'd originally begun. In addition, there doesn't seem to be any reason to connect the two. The heroines are very different people; the tales almost completely separate, with nothing from one to influence or alter the other except what comes from Jane Austen's original Emma.
As far as I can tell, the only reason why the author combined the two books was that she wanted to write the Harriet novel but couldn't resist Jane Fairfax, Austen's most melodramatic heroine. And I'm glad she wrote the Fairfax story, because although it doesn't have a twist to distinguish it from the original story as it was told in Emma, it's still always a lot of fun to read from Jane's perspective, and this interpretation of her was done rather well.
I just wish she'd made a separate book out of Jane's story, and confined this one to Harriet's, because the twists in *that* book are interesting enough not to make me want to leave them alone for the myriad interruptions of Jane's. If I could have read these in succession rather than at the same time, I would have been delighted by the Harriet story and well enough pleased by the Jane story, but together they are both somewhat weakened.
The style is not Austenesque and doesn't try to be, but I didn't see any of the glaring modernisms that show up in too many of the badly written Austen variations out there. ("Okay" is the one I hate most -- in the mouth of a Regency heroine!! Thankfully, there's none of that here.)
The twists are very simple and leave the story mostly untouched -- only the viewpoint and the viewpoint character's internal thoughts change with them, for the most part. After the number of Austen variations I've seen in which the twists that alter the story from the original are so extreme as to leave virtually nothing of the original story to work with (for example, Elizabeth Bennet goes to London to run a bookstore, or somebody gets knocked on the head and developed amnesia) it was frankly a delight to see an idea so straightforward that I'm surprised nobody came up with it before: what if Harriet Smith wasn't the blithe little brainless beauty she's portrayed as in Emma? What if she was simply smart enough to keep her intelligence under wraps, knowing that Emma would not like to be upstaged?
What, in short, if she were manipulating Emma deliberately from square one?
This could have led to a really unlikeable character, but it mostly didn't... because we are inclined to agree with her view of Emma herself, and therefore why that sort of flattery was necessary, and because Harriet improves gradually over the course of the book. Her relationships with Robert Martin, and with Mr. Knightley, likewise develop slowly and naturally, and reach the eventual change in her feelings without seeming too forced.
I liked the name-dropping from Mansfield Park -- including the Rushworths and Crawfords as minor characters (primarily in the Jane story) was fun.
In general, while I had very minor criticisms of the story which I'll leave out because they'd require spoiler warnings to explain, my only really significant objection was the combining of these two stories into one. Why on earth didn't the author write these two books individually? There's nothing that says you can't write two different Emma variants in one lifetime?
I hope she'll consider publishing them separately someday, as individual novels. But for now, it's pleasant reading anyway, if you can accept that you will have to switch back and forth frequently between the two.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2023Ok, I’m a Jane Austen purist, so you must take that into account. That said, this book pulled me immediately in with its lovely prose—so few writers today have a grasp of true Austenesque language but this one does—and then proceeded to disappoint me with its clumsy characterization. I loved the scenes with Jane and Frank, and I enjoyed the development of their characters, but the unjust over-simplification of so many other characters just ruined it for me. Emma was stripped of all her inherent goodness and made to be entirely haughty and selfish, Mr. Woodhouse was reduced to a mere caricature of dullness and hypochondria, and Mr. Knightly, painted quite as kindly and manly as in the book, was subsequently made to be pathetic—how could such a good man stoop to marry such a proud and vain girl, no matter how “paternal” his feelings? I really did try to suspend my deep love for the original Emma and be open to possibilities but the re-imagined Harriet in this story was quite as horrid as the author made out Emma to be; she was toadying, disingenuous, and grasping, and I found her despicable. I honestly only finished the book because I enjoyed the language, and held out hope for the same lovely redemption as in the original story—but though it was attempted, it unfortunately fell quite flat.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024An interesting variation of the Jane Austen characters. If you read it while in school read this version again in your leisure.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022This was a VERY entertaining Austen variation. I don't know yet how I feel about the plot twist near the end, but I enjoyed the ride, and I laughed out loud several times. Central premise: What if Miss Harriet Smith was not as simple-minded and compliant as she seemed, but had an agenda of her own? The narrative switches between Harriet's POV and that of Jane Fairfax, touching on all the major "Emma" plot points. I am NOT an Austen scholar, but I felt there were very Austen-esque observations on the major characters, Highbury society, and all the interactions.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023An extension/retelling of “Emma” from the viewpoints of Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax. Very much in the tone of the original Emma. There’s a wonderful plot twist at the end.
I enjoyed the way she blended characters from Mansfield Park with those from Emma.
She extended some of Dear Jane’s speeches, and put into words some scenes which are summarized in the canon. I couldn’t have known which parts weren’t original if I didn’t know the novels so well. So, yes, she *definitely* has attained the Austenite style.
Minor complaint – sometimes I forgot which character was narrating a chapter. If the table of contents had read, “Chapter 1 – Jane; Chapter 2, - Jane; Chapter 3 – Harriet” etc. it would have been easier to follow.
Top reviews from other countries
- S E CogswellReviewed in Canada on September 22, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful retelling of Emma
This is a delightful and well written rewrite of Austen's Emma. I loved the perspectives of Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax. She also weaves in some other familiar characters.
- SeekerReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!
I am not a huge Austen fan - I had to read her works too young (and at a time when I was very keen on science fiction, fantasy, James Bond, and adventures by Brian Callison, Alistair Maclean et al - girlie stuff like Austen was not my cup of tea at all!) But eventually I did get around to reading them (for my own pleasure as opposed to at a schoolteacher's whip for exams), and recently I fancied re-reading 'Emma' so bought a copy. As I was finishing it (and enjoying it at long last) I discovered this Variation, so I bought it to read immediately afterwards. And, oh, it was fun! To me, it added a huge amount to the story and was very much in the Jane Austen 'voice'.
Some people have grumbled about the 'twists' but I thought they were not unreasonable, and added to the story. Harriet had always vaguely annoyed me by being so unutterably dim, wet, and easy to manipulate, but to turn it around and suggest that actually she was quite bright enough to try and bring some control to her life really enlarged the whole story. Even Emma stopped being such an annoying character and grew a few extra layers. And I never really thought about Jane Fairfax at all - in this she gets a real voice. And all this done without making them 'modern' women with contemporary attitudes (a horrible failing of many newly written stories set in historical periods).
It might not suit everyone; but I do think if you are a trifle lukewarm about Austen but nevertheless enjoy her stories you will like this. If it helps at all for my perspective, I am an enormous Georgette Heyer fan (as well as still being keen on sci-fi although perhaps not so much James Bond...)
- Dr DragonladyReviewed in Australia on August 11, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars A tour de force
A masterly variation of Emma, McVeigh doesn’t miss a beat. Offering us two POV, we read the
Principals of the original through the eyes of Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax. McVeigh has included two plot twist zingers in addition to her clever, subtle portrait of Harriet. Beautifully written and edited, this novel is of a generous length.
- HannahReviewed in Australia on February 28, 2022
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written & refreshing character perspective!
If your looking for a cosy, well written Austen fiction and allow minor artistic license - than ‘Harriet’ is for you! (Do not read low star reviews with MASSIVE SPOILERS! Despicable bookish behaviour!)
Written from the two viewpoints of Harriet and Jane Fairfax, the author brings a fresh twist to the original Emma narrative. Harriet is NOT the silly character we all thought, but intelligent, good natured and a social climber. Determined to foster a friendship with Emma Woodhouse to further her position in life. She encourages Emma matchmaking schemes, but begins to observe interesting quirks about other people’s behaviour. Very observant is our Miss Smith. Who’d have thought?!
Jane Fairfax, was given a good background to her struggles, the “Dixon situation “ and the Weymouth incident. I liked to see Jane’s internal dialogue, and as the reader you really get caught up in her total powerlessness. Well done indeed. Still.... Frank Churchill isn’t off the hook in my eyes. Impudent puppy!
There’s a disappointing lack of Emma variations in the Austenverse, and Alice McVeigh doesn’t disappoint! It’s on sale at the moment on Kindle, so get yourself a copy. I’m ordering a hard copy to sit next to the authors other novel ‘Susan’.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on July 14, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Austen's 'Emma' from a different POV.
I loved this story. Being a big Jane Austen fan, I am always intrigued by stories about the minor characters, in this case, Harriet Smith and Jane Fairfax. Both women are presented in a different light but fit very well in JA's vision.