FOLLOWING Joanna Trollope's re-writing of Pride And Prejudice, and Val McDermid's gothic Northanger Abbey, McCall Smith joins the ranks of contributors to The Austen Project with this sparkling retelling of Emma - "a young woman who thinks she knows everything".
We meet Emma as a precocious child living in an 11-bed house in Norfolk with her elder sister and bereaved father. After being appointed a governess, and learning to quote Latin, Emma is slightly reminiscent of Bertie from McCall Smith's Scotland Street series - and is all the more endearing for it.
On Emma's return home from Bath University where she studied interior design, we get to the real meat of the story: her meddling in other people's business. It's wonderfully updated, complete with gastropubs and Mini Coopers, gap years and reality TV shows. And most importantly, it's fun - a tongue-in-cheek, clever re-telling, at once familiar and fresh.
9/10
Review by Emma Herdman
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here