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Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma [Paperback]

Joan Aiken (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: Mar 15 1997
Jane Austen's Emma has been a favorite novel for Austenites since 1816. In the mid-1990s it became a favorite movie for millions of new admirers.

A key reason for Emma's success is that the story has two heroines-Emma Woodhouse and Jane Fairfax. In Austen's novel, Jane's backgound is left obscure, and the turmoil underlying her current reduced circumstances in mysterious.

At last we learn her whole story in Joan Aiken's superb retelling of Emma-this time from Jane Fairfax's point of view. When Jane Fairfax was published in hardcover, Aiken's wit, style, and skill prompted Booklist to say, "Brilliant...extraordinarily will done and highly recommended."

This worthy companion to the great original is for the first time now available in paperback.

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Once again Aiken ( Mansfield Revisited ) playfully recreates the fictional world of Jane Austen by appropriating her characters: Jane Fairfax is the friend and rival of the heroine of Emma . Here, headstrong, self-important Emma Woodhouse is pushed from center stage as the limelight falls on the childhood and maturation of her foil. Orphaned Jane is brought up by her shabby-genteel aunt and grandmother in Highbury, near the Woodhouse family estate. Jane joins Emma in her music lessons, where Jane's talent and diligence invite a jealousy in Emma, which is partly overcome after the death of her mother leaves a disconsolate Emma receptive to too-good-to-be-true Jane's sympathy. Then an old family friend whisks Jane off to London in order to educate her alongside his daughters, so that she might eventually support herself as a governess. A grown-up Jane returns to Highbury secretly engaged to Frank Churchill, whose aunt refuses to die and leave him the money and freedom to marry as he chooses. While Aiken lacks Austen's incomparable style and wit, her light, diverting novel captures the flavor, if not the substance, of Austen's milieu.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

AAs she did in Mansfield Revisited ( LJ 3/1/85) , Aiken again draws on Jane Austen. Jane Fairfax is Aiken's brilliant parallel novel to Emma. It re-creates the cozy, busy world of Highbury as seen through the eyes of Emma's only rival. Jane, the talented niece of the garrulous Miss Bates, causes a stir in the village upon her return from the more sophisticated worlds of London and Weymouth. Though lacking some of the bite and brilliant irony of Austen's most critically acclaimed novel, this is ex traordinarily well done and highly recommended for all Austen and Regency fans.
- Cynthia Johnson Whealler , Cary Memorial Lib . , Lexington, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
The marriage of Miss Jane Bates to Lieutenant Fairfax was accompanied by the usual good omens: church bells rang, the sun shone, and many handkerchiefs were waved. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars So far it seems dreadful Sep 15 2002
By Victoria A. Grossack
Format:Paperback
OK, I'm not done with reading this, and it's good enough for me to continue. Rather, the reading is easy enough. But so far I haven't found that the writing is.

... The ages of the characters are wrong. Mr. Knightley is made out to be too old (he should be 16 years older than Emma), there is a Miss Bickerton who is also too old, Miss Taylor comes to Hartfield at the wrong time (she should arrive when Emma is five), etc., etc.

Moreover, the characters themselves are wrong ... where is the talkiness of Miss Bates? How can Col Campbell be so dreadful to his daughter? How can Jane Fairfax make such bold statements to everyone around her, when later she seems to be so retiring? So as a companion book to Emma, which is what is intended, for me at least it is a failure. And -- at least so far -- I have not found it interesting enough to stay on its own.

I'm giving it two stars, because it is an interesting idea, and because I agree that the story of Jane Fairfax deserves to be told. Simply not like this.

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5.0 out of 5 stars plausible and enjoyable pov-variant on the classic 'Emma' April 28 2002
By audrey
Format:Paperback
Joan Aiken is a gifted writer, and she has chosen as her subject a wonderfully interesting incidental character from one of the best-loved novels in literature, Jane Austen's 'Emma'. The characters and plot are flawless; it was very enjoyable to have these beloved characters rounded out and delved into more, and Aiken accomplishes her most difficult task -- making Frank Churchill sympathetic and therefore worthy of Miss Fairfax's regard. I was thrilled by the time I got to part two, which begins and ends on the same timeline as 'Emma' -- for instance, do you remember when Jane accompanies her aunt, Miss Bates, to Hartfield in order to thank Emma and her father for the quarter-section of pork, and they bring the news that Mr. Elton has become engaged to someone in Bath? Well, here you are in the room when Jane and her aunt first get the news as they are leaving for Hartfield -- it is delicious! There are many such overlaps, and all are delightful. There are also lots of commas and semi-colons and other such idiosyncracies found in the works of Austen and her contemporaries, and the style rings true. I would say it comes very close to being an Austen novel, and is one of the best of the Austen homages, but the humor of Austen is not here. Also, the novel is so well-done that I would have enjoyed an account of events after the original timeline. One does want to know that Jane is happy and Frank is true and Emma's friendship continues.... Still, a very satisfying read, and I will definitely read more works by this author.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Austen spin-off July 18 2004
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is one of the better Aiken-Austen novels. Jane Fairfax is very good on its own, but really fascinating when viewed as another side of Emma's story. In EMMA, Jane seems like such a mysterious and threatening person; it's cool to see her fully developed. Aiken gets Emma's character just right; the reader can see how Jane might not be so charmed by Emma, who is of course a beloved protagonist in her own story. It's cleverly done, and well-reconciled at the end.
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Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
This book gives a different point of view on Jane Fairfax and her secret engagement to Frank Churchill. Read more
Published on May 10 2010 by Lorraine Charron
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Austen spin-off
This is one of the better Aiken-Austen novels. Jane Fairfax is very good on its own, but really fascinating when viewed as another side of Emma's story. Read more
Published on July 18 2004 by Fiona MacNicol
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, Joan Aiken
A lovely, plausible extension of Jane Austen's vision. It not only gives access to Jane Fairfax's motives and feelings, but dares to speculate on the forces which shaped Emma's... Read more
Published on Mar 14 2002 by Kirsten Berkemer
4.0 out of 5 stars A new view of a familiar story...
Emma is one of my favorite books, so I was naturally drawn to this re-interpretation of the story told through the eyes of Jane Fairfax, about whom we learn very little in the... Read more
Published on Jan 24 2002 by E. M. Carey
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent re-telling of an excellent story
Unlike so many re-writings or continuations of Jane Austen's too, too excellent stories, Joan Aiken's Jane Fairfax tells the story well. Read more
Published on Nov 6 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars A fairly good take on Emma, from another's eyes
This book is one of the few books that I have read through from start to finish in one sitting, which might say something either about my Austen obsession, or my reading habits (I... Read more
Published on Nov 6 2001 by bookjunkiereviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Austen lovers won't be disappointed...
I read all the Jane Austen pre-quels, sequels, updates, etc. because I want to linger a little longer in the whole Austen world. Read more
Published on July 23 2001 by "whatever646"
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Jane Austen, but very good anyway.
I really enjoyed this book on its own merits. Joan Aiken does a fairly good job of capturing Austen's writing style, although she doesn't mimic it perfectly. Read more
Published on May 29 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging
This novel by Aiken, as well as being a new perspective on Jane Austen's "Emma", stands out as a well written, complex and interesting novel in its own right. Read more
Published on Feb 6 2001 by emily-bronte
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining if Not Perfect
I really enjoyed Aiken's courtship plot; she faithfully keeps to the conventions of the genre within which Austen worked. Read more
Published on Jan 14 2001 by J. Garlen
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