Author: Alice McVeigh
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Warleigh Hall Press
Release Date: 2020
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Emma, a privileged young heiress, decides to mentor Harriet Smith, a pretty boarding-school pupil, and to matchmake her as eligibly as she can… But how is she to guess that Harriet has a secret?
Meanwhile, the brilliant, penniless Jane Fairfax consents to a clandestine engagement with Frank Churchill – though not daring to confess, even to him, that she is being relentlessly pursued by her best friend’s husband.
Harriet sidelines Emma herself in favour of the ingenious Harriet and the fascinating Jane Fairfax. It is Emma – but an Emma with a surprisingly believable twist in its tail.
My Review: Harriet is a major supporting character in Jane Austen’s Emma. In the novel, Emma tries to pair Harriet up with the reverend John Elton. Mrs. McVeigh retells the story of Emma from Harriet’s perspective. Harriet Smith is a boarding school student who meets Emma, a rich heiress. Thus, Harriet allows Emma to matchmake her with a respectable gentleman.
In the original novel, I absolutely adored Harriet! She was a very beautiful person with a kind heart who was badly mistreated by the naive Emma. However, Harriet is very shrewd and cunning. She schemes to get what she wants and is the actual driving force in the novel. Therefore, I found it hard to associate with the original Harriet. I could not enjoy it because she was not the Harriet I came to know and love.
Overall, this novel is about first love, secrets, and ambitions. I did not find any of the characters to be close to Jane Austen except their names. I also didn’t like that half the story focused on Jane Fairfax. I thought her story should have been completely eliminated because it felt unnecessary. I also hated the reveal of Harriet’s father. This is truly what ruined the book for me. I believe even Jane Austen would agree with whom Mrs. McVeigh chose as Harriet’s father. Therefore, Harriet is not a faithful retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma. The only aspect I liked about the book was Mrs. McVeigh’s writing style. It is sad that I did not like this book as much because I enjoyed Mrs. McVeigh’s Susan immensely. This book would be interesting for readers that love to read all things Jane Austen. If you are like me who likes a mostly faithful retelling, I suggest you skip this book and read another Emma retelling instead!
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
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