Emma : A Modern Retelling

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Stock information

General Fields

  • : 25.00 NZD
  • : 9780007553884
  • : HarperCollins Publishers
  • : The Borough Press
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  • : 0.328
  • : April 2015
  • : 197mm X 130mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : 24.99
  • : June 2015
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • :
  • : Alexander McCall Smith
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  • : Paperback
  • : 615
  • :
  • : English
  • : 823/.914
  • :
  • :
  • : 368
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Barcode 9780007553884
9780007553884

Description

The best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series deftly escorts Jane Austen's beloved, meddlesome heroine into the twenty-first century in this delightfully inventive retelling. The summer after university, Emma Woodhouse returns home to the village of Highbury to prepare for the launch of her interior design business. As she cultivates grand plans for the future, she re-enters the household of her hypochondriac father, who has been living alone on a steady diet of vegetables and vitamin supplements. Soon Emma befriends Harriet Smith, the na ve but charming young teacher's assistant at an English-language school run by the hippie-ish Mrs. Goddard. Harriet is Emma's inspiration to do the two things she does best: offer guidance to those less wise in the ways of the world and put her matchmaking skills to good use. Happily, this summer presents abundant opportunities for her to do just that, as many friends, both old and new, are drawn into the sphere of Emma's occasionally injudicious counsel: Frank Churchill, the attractive stepson of Emma's former governess; George Knightley, Emma's brother-in-law and dear friend; the charming yet self-important Philip Elton; and, of course, the perfect (and perfectly vexing) Jane Fairfax. Alexander McCall Smith's gentle satire and cozy, old-fashioned sensibility prove to be the perfect match for Jane Austen's wit and characters. Though carriages have been replaced by Mini Coopers and cups of tea with cappuccinos, Emma's story is wonderfully timeless. From the Hardcover edition.

Reviews

Praise for Emma: 'Entertaining ... McCall Smith brings such intelligence and wit' The Daily Mail 'Funny, heartfelt and very readable' Good Housekeeping 'Funny and clever' Fabulous Magazine 'Delightful' Closer Praise for Alexander McCall Smith: 'Witty, elegant, gentle, compassionate' Guardian 'The kind of simplicity one finds in the best children's stories and a fluency which reflects his practice of writing 4,000 words a day in a stint of four hours... A talent for traditional story telling' Guardian

Author description

Like Mr Woodhouse, Alexander McCall Smith is the father of two daughters. Unlike Mr Woodhouse, he achieved global recognition in 1999 for his award-winning series The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and he now devotes his time to the writing of fiction, including the 44 Scotland Street and the Isabel Dalhousie series. He is the author of over eighty books on a wide array of subjects, and his work has been translated into forty-six languages. Before becoming a full-time writer he was for many years Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh University and served on national and international bioethics bodies. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife Elizabeth, a doctor.