It’s time to go back in the past!

Synopsis

The final instalment of the Highbury trilogy, Dear Jane recounts events hinted at but never actually described in Jane Austen’s Emma; the formative childhood years of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, their meeting in Weymouth and the agony of their secret engagement.
Orphaned Jane seems likely to be brought up in parochial Highbury until adoption by her papa’s old friend Colonel Campbell opens to her all the excitement and opportunities of London. Frank Weston is also transplanted from Highbury, adopted as heir to the wealthy Churchills and taken to their drear and inhospitable Yorkshire estate. Readers of Emma will be familiar with the conclusion of Jane and Frank’s story, but Dear Jane pulls back the veil which Jane Austen drew over its remainder.

My review

I think you can find everywhere in the world people who just adore the British Classics. How many women have not swooned over Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff, Mr. Rochester etc.

Sometimes I think to myself it’s a pity that in current literature such characters are missing. Of course there are a lot of fictional perfect men in current literature, but will they last over the centuries?

So given the opportunity to read about a story taking place at the same time as one of those classics, ‘Emma’, with the same characters, peeked my interest.

The author reassures us from the beginning, even if there are the same characters, she did not change the whole plot, she just shows us the other point of view.

And she managed this perfectly.

I think it’s rather difficult to stand up to the original. But this book managed it easily. At least, so does it look like. I am sure there were several struggles as there is always the fear to dissappoint people when you are working with character that were not created completely by yourself.

But Allie Cresswell managed to stay in the same atmosphere that Jane Austen created, but adding her own in it. This could have been easily been written in the same era, as the difference in style was minor.

The ‘original’ story focused on Emma, but it was really nice and enjoyable to read the full story of Jane. Learning what life brought her and how she faced the struggles but also the happy times.

So this was a book that kind of making me feel home, submerging myself in that typical atmosphere, but also refreshing, as I got to know new people, and the old ones on a better level.

So well done!