Synopses & Reviews
The official TV tie-in edition to the new four-part BBC1 adaptation of Jane Austen's
Emma.
Emma is wealthy, beautiful, accomplished and a self-proclaimed matchmaker. When Emma meets Harriet Smith, a young girl of unknown parentage, Emma is convinced she can find Harriet a suitable husband. But, in her quest to find Harriet the perfect match, Emma jeopardizes Harriet's happiness and, much to her surprise, her own happiness too.
The much-loved Austen novel has been given a fresh look by award-winning writer Sandy Welch. With well-known actors taking the title roles -- Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller are Emma and Mr Knightley -- this promises to be a very special and enduring adaptation.
Review
"How could these novels ever seem remote . . . the gaiety is unextinguished today, the irony has kept its bite, the reasoning is still sweet, the sparkle undiminished, as comedies they are irresistibly and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be." —Eudora Welty
Review
"[Jane Austen] has a talent for describing the involvements of feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with." —Sir Walter Scott
Review
"It is the cleverest of books. I especially love the dialogue — every speech reveals the characters obsessions and preoccupations, yet it remains perfectly natural . . . absolutely gripping." —Susannah Clarke
Review
"For those of us who suspect all the mysteries of life are contained in the microcosm of the family, that personal relationships prefigure all else, the work of Jane Austen is the Rosetta Stone of literature." —Anna Quindlen
Review
"I'd like to write a play as perfect as Emma." —Simon Gray
Synopsis
Discover the classic story behind the major new film
'Jane Austen's Emma is her masterpiece, mixing the sparkle of her early books with a deep sensibility' Observer
Emma is young, rich and independent. She has decided not to get married and instead spends her time organising her acquaintances' love affairs. Her plans for the matrimonial success of her new friend Harriet, however, lead her into complications that ultimately test her own detachment from the world of romance.
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ANDREW MOTION
Synopsis
Emma is young, rich, and independent. She has decided to never marry and instead spends her time organizing her acquaintances love affairs. Her plans for the matrimonial success of her new friend Harriet, however, lead her into complications that ultimately test her own detachment from the world of romance.
About the Author
JANE AUSTEN was born in 1775, the seventh of eight children. She enjoyed a happy and close-family life in Steventon, where her father was a rector. Her first novel, Sense and Sensibility, was published in 1811, followed by Pride and Prejudice in 1813. Emma was Jane's fourth novel, published in 1815. Jane died at the age of 41 in 1817 having completed six much-loved novels, as well as writing poems, short stories and three unfinished novels. All six published novels have been turned into a number of TV and big screen adaptations, a testament to her enduring popularity nearly 200 years after her death.