What a fun, enjoyable read with plenty of humour! Certainly, a modern witty take on Jane Austen’s much loved Emma but set in New York City. Here lots can happen and finding oneself in such a varied culture can prove to be quite an exciting adventure. Although Belezza and Harding’s novel is a fine story in its own right, it admirably follows the same plot as Austen’s. Plus, many of the characters are spot on, particularly Emma, who is presented as a spoiled, controlling yet smart and good hearted person, the apple of her father’s eye and close friend and eventual love interest of Mr Knightley. So yes, the family and friends that orbit the life of Emma are excellent equals to Ms Austen’s cast.
In Emma of 83rd Street, Emma’s poor attempts at being a matchmaker are evident. Even her misjudgement of character, sometimes gets her into strife. This leaves her dithering over all kinds of scenarios or possibilities of what might happen. While she is playing out all these attempts at matchmaking and failing miserably, she finds herself the focus of certain men’s affections, and is surprised by the attention she is given over her friend, Nadine, who is gorgeous and for whom she is constantly trying to find a boyfriend. Mr Woodhouse never says anything bad about his daughter while all this is going on. If he did, who knows the effect it would have as maintaining his approval means much to her.
The Sunday night tradition of dinner with close friends and family offers many great scenes in the novel (as does her night raids and peering into the back yard of Mr Knightley). The shared meal times pose a great opportunity for comments to be raised and plans to be made. Emma’s constant involvement in the life of others, is often chided by Mr Knightley. He constantly reminds her of her imperfections and this frustrates her endlessly. This and her own denial (and his) of any romantic connection between them creates hot banter at dinners, parties and everywhere in between.
And speaking of parties, we get to see a few eventful ones. Emma is excellent at planning them. But as the story progresses and she is more aware of her own flaws, the parties, including her birthday ones, become less important. For at these social gatherings, her loneliness gets exposed along with other truths. Including one where she finds herself in a romantic situation that catches her off guard. And then there is another incident—the horrid experience in the cab. Which I thought she handled marvellously, proving she is no weakling.
In the beginning, Emma wants to be in charge of everyone’s lives. (Later she learns that she cannot always control the narrative.) But is this what is happening with her friend, Nadine? Emily takes her in and literally does a proper makeover giving her a new hair colour, hairdo, job, wardrobe and new set of friends. Mr Knightley initially sees this as just another project of manipulation but then later questions his judgement. Is there a possibility Emma really is sincere about helping her friend?
I loved the art focus, art galleries (a place that both Emma and Knightley love to go) and the paintings. Emma is a graduate student of art history and wants to work in that field. Maybe she has a knack for it or because it reminds her of her late mother who shared the same interest. The loss of her mother at such a young age certainly would have affected her. But how she remembers her mother’s placement of art pieces is truly heart-warming. And I loved how it inspired her. Emma’s moments in this setting are my favourite and it is here where her desire for independence shines through. She wants to be seen for who she is, not just her father’s daughter. Yes, signs of maturity for sure. And when she is offered an interview for an art position, she wants to obtain the job on her own merits: without her father’s influence. This self-growth causes her to make a choice causing one door to close while opening another. I found myself cheering to see her achieve the recognition she desires and deserves. I also loved the reference to Gustac Klimt’s painting Mada Primavesi. How Knightly compares the girl in the scene to Emma and how later she understands why. One undercurrent theme in this novel is that we should never shy away but celebrate who we are. To be confident and bold is something beautiful.
It was a fresh move by the authors to present the novel from Emma’s and Knightley’s point of view. This offers more insight into the tug of war on emotions of these two. Their thoughts are visible to us—especially during their close encounters which are heated ones. Eventually that emotion moves from anger to passion and they see what everyone else realises about them. An imperfect couple that belongs together. I was reminded of the line by the screen writer of Emma the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow when she says, ‘Perhaps it is our imperfections that make us perfect for one another.’ This is a theme that runs through this novel, especially when Knightley’s comments that he realises everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and that in fact it makes things better if it isn’t. This also carries over in the assessment of art in the novel. The artwork is not perfect either. But the flaws don’t take away from the art’s value. It makes it more authentic, more human. And no human is perfect. “The mistakes and idiosyncrasies are what make them unique. It's what makes them worth something." Great wisdom! Happiness should not be measured by perfection for it is the very deficiencies we have that truly make life wonderful! It certainly keeps things interesting, creative and changing. And change is part of progress.
It is a novel that many will like—especially those who appreciate the inspiration behind it. I really enjoyed it. It offers a lot of food for thought, plenty of entertainment and a chance to see how Jane Austen's Emma might act and respond in the modern day world. A strong 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for my review copy.
