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Lädt ... The Importance of Being Emma (2008. Auflage)von Juliet Archer
Werk-InformationenThe Importance of Being Emma von Juliet Archer
Emma sequels (6) Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. This modern retelling of Emma is actually pretty faithful and the author is ingenious about translating situations. But I liked modern Emma and Knightly less and really my enjoyment of Ms.Austin's charters in the original is what I love most about the story. ( ) Two factors made me think twice before buying this book: one, I am a reluctant reader of 'chick lit', and two, Emma is my favourite Jane Austen novel, and I am very protective of the eponymous heroine. Luckily, the second opposition overruled the first, in that I can rarely resist reading continuations and sequels, and I finally gave in and downloaded Juliet Archer's update of Austen's classic. My fears have now been laid to rest - The Importance of Being Emma is a light, funny and romantic story, which succeeds on its own merits, but is also filled with clever injokes for fans of Austen's original. Some of the 'modern' changes are inventive - Emma's painting of Harriet becomes an advertising campaign, and everyone gathers for a meal at the Box Hill Restaurant - and some are rather contrived, including the dialogue (dumbing down Austen is an insult), but the transition from Regency to Chick Lit generally works well. Emma Woodhouse is the marketing director of her father's company, Highbury Foods. A big fish in a small pond, she is confident in her abilities and sure of her future, until her brother-in-law Mark Knightley returns from working in India to take charge of his father's business, Donwell Organics. (The one 'modern' detail I strenuously object to is changing Mr Knightley's name from George to the very plebian Mark. If not influenced by Helen Fielding, who renamed Darcy with the same dull title in Bridget Jones' Diary, then I can only imagine that Miss Archer must be a fan of the 1996 Emma adaptation with Mark Strong.) Knightley - sorry, I can't bring myself to call him Mark - instantly makes Emma feel like a twelve year old with a crush again, and then her father insists that his prodigal son-in-law mentors Emma, which is labouring the point slightly. To make matters worse, Henry's secretary, Mary 'Batty' Bates, manages to wangle her niece 'Saint Jane' Fairfax into the office on placement, after Jane is forced to leave her former position in Weymouth. Confused about her feelings for Knightley and jealous of Jane, Emma's only consolation is the arrival in Highbury of 'Flynn' Churchill (another chick lit name change) from New Zealand. I don't really have to summarise any further, because Juliet Archer sticks respectfully close to the original story. The main changes are in character, behaviour, and language. Emma is seemingly more independent than Austen's heroine, with a MBA from Harvard at the precociously youthful age of 23, and yet somehow very insecure. The real Emma Woodhouse believed in herself to a fault, yet 21st century Emma hides behind her physical and professional talents. 'Mark' Knightley is perhaps the only improvement on the original, but only in that Juliet Archer lets him speak for himself, so the reader witnesses the inner thoughts and feelings beneath his handsome, smart and charming exterior. His love for Emma is deep, tender and awkward, which is just what Austen hints at with Mr Knightley. The tension between Emma and Knightley is also amplified for the modern generation - instead of friendship blossoming into romance and a marriage proposal, we get sexual chemistry leading inevitably to ever increasing physical contact and then the morning after the night before. Knightley has a girlfriend, Emma is not a virgin, and the resolution required is not a declaration of love, but simply direct communication between two dithering fools who need their heads knocking together. The other characters suffer similar disappointments - Harriet Smith (who gets to keep her old-fashioned name) is an Essex girl obviously suited to blokey haulage contractor Rob Martin, but the rather unromantic proposal she receives is only a dirty weekend in Amsterdam, and there is no real reason why Flynn and Jane cannot be together. The social values of Jane Austen's time do not always make sense when transplanted into the liberated and direct interactions of today's culture, so that Juliet Archer's mirroring of the original text occasionally seems forced, like reading a parody. What does work is the humour and romance of Jane Austen's novel, brought up to date - or very nearly so, bar the jokes about IKEA - by venturing beyond the bedroom door. Emma Woodhouse and Mr Knightley never even kiss in the original version - or not so the nineteenth century reader would be offended by their intimacy, anyway - but Juliet Archer's Emma and Knightley are passionately, sensually and unashamedly demonstrative. The climax, pardon the pun, is actually rather sordid, but then there are heart-stopping passages like this: 'So I slipped off my shoes. Lay on top of his duvet. Rested my cheek on his pillow. Breathed in his essence. Part Armani, something I could buy anywhere. And part Mark. Unique. Unattainable.' Swoon. Despite the odd culture clash between Austen's time and now - and the fact that Mr Knightley is now called Mark, which is supposed to be an improvement - Juliet Archer's novel is one of the best 'Austenuations' I have read so far. Original, entertaining, and packed full of cleverly disguised nods to the original novel, The Importance of Being Emma will please Austen fans and literary chicks alike. Zeige 3 von 3
It is fitting that a company called Choc Lit produced this fluffy confection of a book, a modern-set retelling of Emma, as it is as sweet and light as a piece of nougat that melts quickly on the tongue. Emma Woodhouse is 23, with a freshly minted Harvard MBA to go with her bachelor’s from the London School of Economics. She’s no dummy, but unfortunately all her business knowledge is strictly academic, and she needs hands-on experience as she takes over marketing for the family gourmet food business—and her brother-in-law Mark Knightley, an executive with his own family’s organic food business, is just the person to mentor her. However, Mark’s growing attraction for Emma and her self-satisfied mistakes complicate their business dealings. Gehört zur ReiheDarcy & Friends (1)
Mark Knightley is used to women falling at his feet, all except Emma Woodhouse- she's like part of the family. But Emma's grown into an attractive young woman, full of ideas for modernising her family business, and when Mark gets involved the sparks begin to fly. Although he's seeing her through totally new eyes, Emma remains immune to his charm. She only has eyes for the mysterious Flynn Churchill... Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-BewertungDurchschnitt:
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