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A review by estherfilbrun
Emmeline by Sarah Holman
5.0
I was somewhat skeptical of how good this book would be. It’s based on a well-renowned classic, after all, and everyone knows that abridgments or any other similar tinkering with the original goodie normally doesn’t turn out that well. This book, however, was very impressive and very enjoyable! I loved the story, the characters, and the setting.
Emmeline, the heroine, is sure she’s found the perfect girl for the local banker’s son Jack. When her good friend Fredrick cautions her about how her plan might not be very wise, she brushes him off and proceeds. But when her hopes are met with failure, will she learn her lesson? Can she learn to trust the good instincts of her friend, or will she cause trouble for other people too?
Plot wise, this story was very well done. There were a few things that may not have been necessary to the overall plot, but it ended up tying together well. There's a good amount of natural humor at times, along with some very good thoughts to ponder as well. And overall, I felt like most of the characters were fairly well developed and believable.
I got extremely annoyed at Emmeline sometimes—to the point where I was almost verbally shouting at her while I read. I definitely wanted to give her a good shaking! But overall, I loved the story and my only regret is that it wasn’t any longer. In all, even though I as yet have not read the original story (Emma by Jane Austen), I feel the author did it justice and delivered on the promise of making an interesting retelling.
Emmeline, the heroine, is sure she’s found the perfect girl for the local banker’s son Jack. When her good friend Fredrick cautions her about how her plan might not be very wise, she brushes him off and proceeds. But when her hopes are met with failure, will she learn her lesson? Can she learn to trust the good instincts of her friend, or will she cause trouble for other people too?
Plot wise, this story was very well done. There were a few things that may not have been necessary to the overall plot, but it ended up tying together well. There's a good amount of natural humor at times, along with some very good thoughts to ponder as well. And overall, I felt like most of the characters were fairly well developed and believable.
I got extremely annoyed at Emmeline sometimes—to the point where I was almost verbally shouting at her while I read. I definitely wanted to give her a good shaking! But overall, I loved the story and my only regret is that it wasn’t any longer. In all, even though I as yet have not read the original story (Emma by Jane Austen), I feel the author did it justice and delivered on the promise of making an interesting retelling.