Best for those who can't get through Austen without falling asleep...
343306
I've read this book and listened to the audio version and highly recommend both.  Seth Grahame-Smith fulfills his promise to make "Pride and Prejudice" into something you would actually want to read.  Through the addition of the Unmentionables (aka Zombies, Satan's Army or the Unfortunates) the story and characters become interesting.  Eliza's obsessed with vengeance and honor, Lady Catherine uses her private guard of Ninjas to make her feelings known and Mr. Collins believes that prayer alone will destroy the zombie threat.
814627
While the Jane Austen/vampire mix may not be new to the marketplace, "Bespelling Jane Austen" is a sometimes interesting, if not always entertaining, read.

Four romance/paranormal writers each choose an Austen novel and from that spin a tale.  And while each reader will have individual favorites, surely one's familiarity with Austen and personal favorites among her works will affect enjoyment.

Two stood out for me:  Janet Mullany's "Little to Hex Her" and Susan Krinard's "Blood and Prejudice."  Collen Gleason's "Northanger Castle" was less interesting but will surely appeal to those who enjoy her paranormal series. The Mary Balogh  offering I found bland and unimaginative.  She was a good sport to give this a try, but it's not her forte.

Mullany's story is by far the best of the lot.  Relocated to contemporary Washington, D.C., witchy Emma runs a paranormal dating agency assisted by her smelly and clueless werewolf friend Harriet.  (Oh that Austen could have met Mullany's characters - surely she would have loved them as much as this reader.)  Emma's apartment building is owned by George-I-Hate-My-First-Name Knightley.  George, who's sexy in his handyman tool belt and tight jeans, is much more fun that Austen's staid Mr. K.  The plot doesn't need repetition; it's Mullany's witty take on the Austen plot and characters that makes this a charmer.  After all, who can resist Missy Bates?  Or Frank Churchill as a vampire lawyer?

The bottom line:  Averages out Four Stars.  Buy it and read the Mullany.  This is an author to watch.
1022345
A modern retelling of Jane Austen's classic about a young woman whose arrogant interference in her friends' romantic relationships nearly ruins her own.

This is the third entry in the Austen Project, where each of Jane Austen's classics is tackled by a modern author. So far the results have been mixed. Joanna Trollope's SENSE & SENSIBILITY was a disaster in my opinion. On the other hand, Val McDermid did an amazing job with NORTHANGER ABBEY. I like her retelling better than the original. With EMMA, Alexander McCall Smith falls somewhere in between. There's nothing here to send an Austen fanatic into hysterics, but it doesn't quite shine as brightly as it could, either.

EMMA--A MODERN RETELLING is a witty book full of gorgeous writing and fascinating characters. Austen's plot is basically a story of a young woman's emotional and moral maturity wrapped in the gloss of comedy. Smith gets this. His version is funny and offers Emma a clear path of growth as she learns the difference between charity and kindness, sympathy and condescension. Smith also successfully translates the social/economic world of the original into the 21st century. This was probably the biggest failing of Trollope's SENSE & SENSIBILITY.

The problem I have with this book is that it starts too early and by doing so throws itself entirely off balance. The first 58 pages have little to do with Emma at all. We barely see her until her college days (around page 70). Instead, we get a detailed history of the relationship between Mr. Woodhouse and Miss Taylor. On the one hand, Emma's father is one of best parts of the book. I love how Smith makes him an integral part of the overall plot. But Miss Taylor dominates the first several chapters then pretty much vanishes until the end. Smith repeats this strange authorial decision with John Knightly, brother to the novel's (kind of) hero. We get this long, detailed courtship of how John and Isabella meet, marry, and breed then they're largely absent forever after.

These early missteps lead to larger difficulties. We meet Emma herself so late, we don't have much time to bond with her. This makes her pushy and high-handed behavior seem due to nastiness rather than to a failure of understanding. Further, her growth arc is rushed, the lessons and the epiphanies they lead to are too close together and too close to the end. Sure, along the way we're treated to some wonderful additional characters with fun histories, but that's all beside the point. This is Emma's story. Her journey is the one that counts most.

A secondary problem caused by the extended initial back story is that it leaves no room for the the serious discussions of morality, of what is right and what is wrong, of what it means to care for others as much as or more than the self, that McCall gives us toward the end. These longish sections of exposition would be a challenge to a plot's forward momentum under the best of circumstances. In this case, they stop the plot dead just at the time when it should be, if not speeding, at least trotting briskly toward its resolution.

Despite these issues, EMMA--A MODERN RETELLING is entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed it enough to add it to my "keeper shelf" of books I plan to reread. I just wish it gave us more EMMA.
353193
I'm sure there will be a collective gasp across the internet when I say this, but I had never read Jane Austen before.  I'm not sure why, I just never had until I was given the opportunity to review this Insight Edition published by Bethany House.  I have to admit that I am not going to be a Jane Austen fan.  I struggled with Sense and Sensibility.  I actually felt like Tom Hanks in `You've Got Mail'.  It just was not my cup of tea, which is strange because I love books that take place in Regency England and I love Jane Austen themed books.

But, I'm not really reviewing Jane Austen here.  I'm reviewing the Insight Edition.  This annotated edition is filled with trivia, themes of faith, and other nuggets meant to enhance the reader's experience.  I have to say that I like this concept with classic literature.  I enjoyed taking a break from the story and reading the side notes.  The notes are written clearly on the pages, but they do not get in the way of the story.

One devoted Austen fan told me that reading a book like this is like watching a movie with the commentary on.  That can be a good thing or a bad thing.  Sometimes a reader just wants the story and nothing else.  Other readers, who may have read Sense and Sensibility several times, may appreciate having that little extra.  If that is the case, I highly recommend the Insight Edition of Sense and Sensibility for those who want to add to their Jane Austen experience.
755723
While it is true that I haven't read every classic piece of literature, I thought I had my Jane Austen covered with reading "Pride and Prejudice."  After  all, that is the Austen book that seems to get the most press.  I challenged myself to read " Sense and Sensibility" when I noticed my local small town bookstore was having a discussion group about Austen and " S & S."  Unfortunately, it took me longer to read the book than I had anticipated. It was time for the discussion and I was only halfway finished.  I considered going ahead and attending the discussion, but I knew no one would bother to conceal the ending for little ol' me just because I hadn't finished it yet.  And I suppose I would look a little silly covering my ears each time I thought someone would mention a part I hadn't read. So, to make a short story even longer, I decided not to attend.  However, I feel this is a great testament to the book itself.  When it was time for the discussion, it became less important to discuss the book and its author and share time with my fellow literary nerds than it was to enjoy the story for myself.  As I read, I kept wondering why
P & P seems to get all the attention, when S & S is just as charming.  Give Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" a try,  and be sure you let it stand its own two feet.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Side Note:  I gave the book only four stars because I felt like one character was swept under the rug at the end.  I had read this far, one more short chapter to tie up those strings would have helped tie up some strings about a major character.

Side note
3856574
My favorite was the Oscar Wilde correspondence. The Jane Austen was a little surreal.
1549575
I LOVE THIS BOOK! Anything with Jane Austen I just get sucked into the book and have trouble stopping to do anything else. Thank you to whoever made this digital!
4763597
Jane Austen is certainly one of the classics.  However, as a modern reader I found the syntax very convoluted and it was not an easy read.  I will not be in a hurry to read another of her books.
2785710
Okay, I wrote a review on this novel about 4 days ago, and I don't think it's going to show up on here, so I'll give it another try.
  I can't help but love Jane Austen.  She is my guilty pleasure read, like a Jackie Collins of the early 19th century because her novels are just drenched in drama and scandal.  They are not really a thinking man's novel, just fun stories to read.  I also enjoy the romance aspects of her novels because they are classy, not like the trash smut you read in today's modern "romance" stories.  I feel almost uncomfortable and embarrassed when I read a modern romance story.  Well anyhow, when it comes to drama and scandal, Sense and Sensibility does not disappoint.  When you commit to the story, it really takes you in.  I really enjoyed the protagonist, Elinor, but I was unhappy with Austen's Marianne character.  It seems as if Austen could truly identify with Elinor because she did a great job developing her character as level-headed, proud, and classy.  Perhaps she took a little Elinor from herself?  Now, in the beginning of the novel you get drawn in by Marianne.  She commands a good third of the book with her story and her character starts off well developed.  You get a true feeling for her impetuousness.  She is emotional, passionate, wears her heart on her sleeve.  The novel is so interesting until the end.  The end completely disappoints.  Now I don't know if Austen became uninspired at the end of the novel or just didn't know how to end it better, but it falls completely flat.  Like I mentioned before, you get interested in this Marianne character and you know how she is, but then at the end she decides one day to become like Elinor?!  Just like that?!  An impetuous person like Marianne would not and could not do a 180 with their mannerisms.  Then, Austen does no justice to Marianne by having her marry at the end of the novel.  It is just so dubious it doesn't make sense.  Austen also wraps up all the scandal and drama in almost 3 pages.  How convenient!  That was just bogus to me.  But the rest of the story is so good I would still recommend this, especially to Austen fans.  If I were to make a recommendation to a new Austen reader, I would recommend Pride and Prejudice over Sense and Sensibility.  It is more concise and it is a shorter novel.
4695523
My mom got this book from the library not long after we saw the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow. She found out in the movie credits that it was based on a book (we caught the movie on TV by chance) and found out it was by Jane Austen. Since her favorite book is Pride and Prejudice (which she had tried to get me to read for years without success) she read the book, as I did soon after. It's funny that even though Emma is one of Austen's longer books, it took only one movie to render it perfectly, whereas the much shorter Pride and Prejudice needed seven videos altogether!

However, this is a review about the book, not the movie. Ahem. The book was great, and like all Austen's books never loses your interest. It is a bit drawn out and your mind may wander a bit during the course of the story, but it was a great story. Emma, the character Austen said no one would like, is much more likeable to me than the pathetic sop that is Fanny of Mansfield Park. She is much different than all other Austen characters; she is rich and has a thirty thousand pound dowry (at least I think so, I forget exactly; I read the book a while ago) which is a lot compared to the other penniless heroines who have at the most a thousand pounds. She is twenty-one, handsome, and though her snobbery is a turn off at the start of the book, you can't help but fall for her charms. She is, as the reviews say, irresistible. And Mr. Knightly is just like most other Austen heroes; a real dreamy guy -sigh- I'm so jealous of these girls. He's not romantic though, and unlike other books, the romance is a minimum, with barely an, "I love you" in sight.

The situations are original and entertaining, and the mismatches of Emma the would-be matchmaker (with no sight in mind of marriage for herself) are very amusing. I would recommend this book to any Austen fan, but for beginners I would recommend Pride and Prejudice or Northanger Abbey, as they are shorter and much lighter, funnier stories. Emma is a bit more quaint. My only complaint is the speeches of that girl who talks too much, what's-her-name; she talks for pages on end, interrupts herself and is in general much more boring than amusing. Highly recommended, buy it now!!!
1708841
Not my favorite Jane Austen adaptation. I can't really pinpoint why, but I never reach for this one when I am in a Jane Austen mood. If I do, I have to make myself watch it. I LOVE Frances O'Connor, though.
1541424
It took me a long time to get through this book, but not because it wasn't a great read. My mom-of-three focus is lacking and of course the language makes it easy for a mind to wander. Nevertheless, this is Austen and I plowed through. You should too. This is my first time reading Emma. I'm not sure how I avoided it but I'm sorry I put it off for so long.
4946421
What Jane Austen fan wouldn't love a chance to live in the 19c?  Hah!  Turns out to have its major drawbacks:  Item #1 no running water; Item #2 no electricity or electronics, and so forth.  And then the guy she likes is not the one she is scripted for (did I mention that this is some kind of weird TV reality show?).  It's all downhill for awhile, and the ending? - well, I think you should read the book to find out.
4052382
I won't bother to tell you that the text is wonderful, and Jane Austen a keen observer of human nature. You know that. I will say that the annotations in this edition are very helpful for those of us that don't know the differences between a chaise, a phaeton, and a barrouche, that didn't know that morning lasted until dinner, that tea was had between dinner and supper, or that quadrille was a card game, not a dance.

Yes, they are a bit repetitious. I don't see a justification for this, since no one is going to miss the first instance by dipping into the text randomly. And they do contain too many hints about what is about to happen. These notes could just as easily have been placed just after the scene as before it, and still be illuminating to the reader.
4497441
Here's the good news: If you are having trouble sleeping, read five pages of this book each night and you will fall into a deep slumber.

Here's the bad news: It takes forever to read the book. When you get to the end you will be rested, but bored out of your mind.

I suspect there is more Baxter and less Pratchett in this collaboration. First book was interesting. This book was the literary equivalent of John Travolta's Battlefield Earth.

The Guardian said Pratchett and Baxter were "SF giants" and "a marriage made in fan heaven." I'm filing for divorce.
1360177
Pretty decent; I'm not a huge fan of Mansfield Park or of audiobooks (brb rereading Emma) but this was well produced enough for me to leave it on in the background all evening. Bought a copy for my mum for mother's day; I'll see what she thinks as Mansfield Park is her favourite Austen :)
1023487
Austen at not her best. Fanny is too submissive and self-effacing to be truly relatable. Everyone else is basically a jerk for various reasons. It's a love story with no hero and no heroine, a morality tale where everyone is the offender.