Book Review: "Jane Fairfax" by Joan Aiken

Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma

I've never been one to read fan fiction because I've always equated it with science fiction (Star Trek, BSG, etc.) or Harry Potter. Then I realized I've read a slew of fan fiction based on Jane Austen in the last few years, although I've never really thought about it like that. The books have ranged from good (Bridget Jones's Diary) to not so good (Mr. Darcy's Daughters -- like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth would ever allow those things to go on under their roof!). I thought that Joan Aiken's Jane Fairfax was better than most.

The story centers around (shocker) Jane Fairfax, from Austen's Emma. We learn a lot about her childhood and more about Emma as a young girl (who you really want to slap). We meet the cast of characters, most of whom are just mentioned in passing in Austen's work. As Jane grows up, she moves back to Highbury and interacts with the main story of Emma. It's been years and years since I've read Emma, but as far as I remember, Jane Fairfax is mostly true to the story. From what I recall, I wish more of the Jane's original dialogue was in this book, though -- I felt that the connection between the two stories could have been a little stronger.

Aiken's writing is solid and although it's not Jane Austen, one can suspend that knowledge and get lost in the story. My biggest beef is that the story floats along until the last twenty pages when Aiken must have said, "Oh crap. I really should wrap this up since my deadline is in half an hour." It speeds up and an enormous amount of storyline is crammed into those final pages. Still, the story is Austen, and it ends happily.

My Rating: 7 out of 10 for being light and airy -- a good read for the summer.