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.


From Library Journal
Those who remember reading Jane Austen's Emma (Audio Reviews, LJ 2/15/97) will enjoy this superbly crafted novel, read winningly by Marlene Sidaway, that tells about the "other heroine" in Austen's novel, the mysterious and enigmatic Jane Fairfax. This delightfully refreshing work recounts the circumstances shaping Jane's personality. Aiken manages to assume the language of Austen's time, with wit, subtle humor, and wise insights drawn from the most ordinary affairs of daily life. Those insights especially concern relations between the social classes and the sexes. Sidaway narration hits just the right tone. One need not have read Emma to enjoy this audiobook. It is a fine work likely to please the more serious listener, especially those who love Austen. This won't have a place in the strictly "popular, mass market" audiobook collection, but if you have a more comprehensive collection, this gem is recommended.?Nancy Paul, Brandon P.L., WICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"Others may try, but nobody comes close to Aiken in writing sequels to Jane Austen." --Publishers Weekly



Review
"Others may try, but nobody comes close to Aiken in writing sequels to Jane Austen." --Publishers Weekly



Review
"Others may try, but nobody comes close to Aiken in writing sequels to Jane Austen." --Publishers Weekly



Book Description
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.



About the Author
Joan Aiken, the daughter of Conrad Aiken, is an award-winning author. She divides her time between London and New York.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

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

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly