Emma: A Modern Retelling Hardcover – April 7, 2015

This may be inspired by Jane Austen's Emma, but it seems to me that Smith doesn't like her a bit. The woman he writes isn't one I'd want to spend time with. She's slightly redeemed at the end but she's done so many cruel things that it's really too late. I didn't want to finish it, but I always finish what I'm reading even if, as in this case, it's punishing. This isn't like reading Smith's other books, at least it wasn't for me. I'm glad it's over and I can go on to something else.

Just hated this. I'm a Victorian lit professor and love Abigail Reynolds' pride and prejudice variations. This modern retellinv of Emma was totally absent of Mr. Knightly and Emma was unbearable. No charm at all.

I am a huge fan of this author, especially his number one ladies Detective agency series. The writing in this modern retelling was beautifully crafted, but the character development was not complete in my opinion. The ending wrapped up rather quick and I just didn’t feel the chemistry between Emma and her ultimate love

It is universally acknowledged to be an endeavor fraught with peril to re-tell a famous author's successful classic novel. Nonetheless, Alexander McCall Smith has essayed to re-tell in modern terms Jane Austen's Emma. he succeed...for the most part. McCall Smith varies little from the structure of the original, though he does tinker with a few elements and compresses the action in the heart of the book. He with his usual endearing and funny flair in updating this story of an erstwhile aristocratic matchmaker. He takes satiric (albeit gentle) aim at many aspects of modern society: language, manners, phobias, national traits, etc. From time to time he almost lapses into farce but manages to recover. I found myself laughing--often--at the antics of the characters, and appreciating how he chooses to parallel Austen's society with today's thinking. Nevertheless, this book also left me with a bit of sadness: compared to Austen's time and novel, today's people seem impoverished and narcissistic. McCall Smith's Emma is unfettered by her earlier counterpart's social strictures, attention to manners and class, sex roles, propriety, and developed conscience. Thus she sometimes comes across as a vain, self-centered, and ill-mannered snob. In some ways not completely different from Austen's creation, but lacking in decorum, class, and vocabulary. While this is an entertaining book and McCall Smith, who like Austen is concerned with how we treat one another, does an admirable job, this "Modern Retelling" shines like the moon to Austen's sun.

So, I began reading Emma in the original by Austen with a book club, and I was having a hard time getting into it. The characters aren't particularly likeable and although I like Austen, it was dragging along. Then a friend happened upon this retelling and mentioned it. Well, I really enjoy AMS's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels and I've dipped into his other novels, so I thought I'd try this out. Wow, what a disappointment. I finished Austen's Emma up a few weeks later, but it took me over 6 months to summon the enthusiasm to finish this.AMS's version of Austen's irritating characters are even more irritating than the original, and worse, they don't seem to flesh out or grow as the novel goes along. Smith's little goofy bits that normally crack me up just fall flat. His changes are jarring to anyone who's read the original, which may be my biggest problem here. BHe's a fun novelist, but I hated this adaption.

This book is the latest installment of The Austen Project, which "pairs six bestselling contemporary authors with Jane Austen’s six complete works: Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. Taking these well-loved stories as their base, each author will write their own unique take on Jane Austen’s novels" (Google "Austen Project" to check out the website for more details.)I find McCall Smith's style very enjoyable, and it comes through splendidly here in his modern retelling of Emma. I've read almost all of his other books - No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Scotland Street, Professor Dr. von Igelfeld books - and this one was like putting on a comfortable old pair of boots. If you've read McCall Smith's Scotland Street or Isabel Dalhousie books, the content of Emma is quite similar - It's easy to get drawn into the stories of everyday people and their everyday problems. If you're not familiar with his work and are just enjoying the different retellings of classic Austen works, then I think you're in for a pleasant surprise in discovering the work of Alexander McCall Smith!

This is the first book I've read by this author; the Jane Austen theme notwithstanding, the book is good enough to interest me in reading more of Mr. McCall Smith's other books. This modern retelling of "Emma" is well-written, very funny, and overall enjoyable; the only down part is coming to the end of the story. I marked several passages as particularly fine. I especially liked the development of many of the characters in addition to Emma, like Mr. Woodhouse, Miss Taylor, George Knightley, Isabella, Frank Churchill, Miss Bates, and Harriet. McCall Smith's Emma seems more pointed and colder than the original, but no less capable or confident in her own intelligence and meddling for the good of others. I have to admit that I did enjoy it when Mr. Woodhouse told Emma off at one point. I marked "No sexual content," since intimacy was basically hinted at, or thought about/remembered by some of the characters as one might expect, but there wasn't anything I would consider explicit. In all, a great read!

I totally enjoyed this book as I have many others by this author. Emma is Emma and the other characters follow their earlier personalities in the the 21st century. You won't be disappointed. ..

Lots of fun here for anyone who's read Austen's Emma. McCall Smith gets the social mores right and translates the story into a contemporary setting with humour and ease. His picture of Emma as the interior designer who, back living at home with Daddy, isn't quite ready to give up her social life for her career. Far more interesting is a spot of matchmaking and playing Lady Bountiful to her governess and to her unfortunate friend who teaches at a kind of pop-up language school.As usual, McCall Smith reveals his wry and humorous observation of class classics and behaviour, while bringing Jane's characters back to life in the twenty-first century. Great holiday or fireside reading.

Chosen as part of a book group read to go alongside the original version. Very lightweight and having set up good characterizations along the way, which were amusing and pertinent to the characters depicted, McCall Smith then seemed to get bored with the whole topic of Emma and her matchmaking and the ending was rushed and disappointing. There was none of the build up or irony or wittiness that Jane Austen's denoument held and consequently it was all rather flat.His books on the lady detectives of Africa are a lot better!

Emma is by far my favourite Austen character. She makes mistakes but her heart is in the right place, and She learns from her mistakes. Mccall Smith takes our characters to modern day Norfolk:presumably because modern day Austen country is loser to terminal 5 than it is to the countryside.I do think it works. I especially like Emma's dad who has a slightly enhanced role.I can thoroughly recommend this to all Austen fans.

Such a brilliant updated version of Emma. It flowed well and unlike the other updates Austen novels there was only the odd clunky feel when the old setting had to be modernised. The characters were all well drawn and subtly changed from the original, the only one that didn't work was the updated wife of the vicar.

Not sure what I expected when I started reading this. Very cleverly written, you will love it as much as I did. No spoilers.