Anna Weston – Heroine? I’m Not Sure…
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
It was with no small amount anticipation and curiosity that I picked up this rare sequel to Jane Austen’s Emma. I believe I first discovered Anna Weston at the sequels review page on the Republic of Pemberley, I must’ve read some favorable reviews to put it on my wish-list, but since that page is no longer posted I cannot be sure.
As we might assume from the title, this tale has more to do with the minor characters from Emma, and more specifically the Weston family and their daughter, Anna Weston. The book blurb (which I did post below since it is not posted on amazon or goodreads) informs that this book is indeed a sequel that features Anna Weston and takes place twenty years after the close of Emma.
The story begins with some surprising news and changes in the neighborhood for the beloved residents of Highbury. The Coles, who are feeling some financial stress, have decided to move to London and reside in their townhouse; and their newly-built estate, Donwell Court, is to be let by some newcomers, a Colonel and Mrs. Walters and their three adult children. In addition, the Eltons experience a change in fortunes and a call for retrenchment has been made much to the disappointment of Mrs. Elton and her daughters. Lastly, Mrs. Knightley happily accepts the request to host Anna Weston for an extended visit while her guardian travels abroad. Anna grew up in Highubry, but has not lived there in the last ten years. With all these new developments and arrivals, the quiet little hamlet of Highbury is bustling with gossip, schemes, and eventfulness!
As an ardent admirer of Emma and a reader who simply adores the fictional village of Highbury, I was so pleased to be taken back to these beloved characters and their charming neighborhood. I was sad to see that some residents such as Mr. Woodhouse, Mrs. Bates, and Mr. and Mrs. Weston have passed on, but was happy to see the Mr. John Knightleys residing at Hartfield and in close proximity with their siblings! I laughed out loud at the fact that both Mrs. Elton and Mrs. Knightley have two daughters of marriageable age, and that these daughters seem to hold each other in the same form of dislike as their mothers do! And unlike other Emma sequels that portray an unhappy and unequal marriage between the Knightleys, I was happy that Ms. Finn’s illustration of their marriage was more congenial and compatible…albeit a little humdrum.
However, while these aspects of the story’s construction made me smile and approve of this sequel, there were several bigger components that unfortunately I wasn’t too fond of. In general, I found many of the author’s new original character’s personalities to be lacking. There was not much definition or delineation of specific traits attributed to these characters. I mostly felt this to be the case with the younger generation, especially the young Miss Knightleys, who were both similarly portrayed as kind-hearted, sensible, and well-mannered. And the same could be said about their suitors minus one. With the character composition and details being thin, it was challenging to feel connection or affinity towards anyone in this story.
The other aspect of the story I wasn’t too happy with was Anna Weston, who seems to have a varied and inconsistent personality. Most of the time she is portrayed as capricious, spiteful, and out-for-her-own-amusement. She is shocking, unapologetic, and unconventional, which puts me in mind of some Georgette Heyer heroines, but since she didn’t have any redeeming or endearing qualities like selflessness, compassion, or genuine affection I couldn’t really warm to her. I also felt perplexed in the author’s choice of title as this story focused as much on the Misses Knightleys and Misses Eltons as it did Anna. Not really sure who to name as heroine… Furthermore Anna often wasn’t in Highbury where predominantly all the action takes place and is left with a somewhat unresolved and ambiguous fate at the end of the novel. Not a satisfying conclusion at all.
I admit I had some high expectations and anticipation for this sequel, but I think even without any build-up this novel would not have had much success with me. While I found parts of the plot and overall style to be well-written, I cannot say the same about the characters. However, perhaps others may not feel the same way I do and may find more enjoyment with this visit to our dear friends in Highbury.
~ Book Blurb ~
Anna Weston is a lively and amusing sequel to Emma by Jane Austen and a delightful story in its own right. As in emma, the action takes place over a period of a year, and is centred in Highbury, some twenty years after the marriage of Emma and Mr Knightley.
Anna Weston, who was born in Highbury, but has not lived there since she was ten years old, descends upon the quiet life of the inhabitants and has a marked effect on all their lives. Beautiful, rich and bored, she is by turns warm and generous, then exacting and capricious, and her quest for amusements has diverting and sometimes devastating results.
The author is a life member of the Jane Austen Society, and an enthusiastic speaker on the life and words of Jane Austen.
I would have been all raptures to read this, too. Definitely not enough Emma sequels, etc. Bummer some of the characters fell flat.
It was a bummer! I agree, Emma sequels are in short supply!
Ditto, Sophia Rose. I know that a few of the former characters would probably have died; however, I did not believe that the Westons were that old (40s – 50s probably). Another one bites the dust.
I agree…that part was a little disappointing and felt a little unnecessary since there were so many other older characters that passed on.
How disappointing for you! I was curious and so went to Amazon, but the entry there was very incomplete: no picture, no description, and not offered on Kindle. I didn’t know Amazon would even post an item with so little information. I know I can’t get a book on there without a picture or description. And it was published in 2000? Kinda odd.
It is strange that a book published not that long ago has such little presence on any of the book sites – amazon, goodreads, B&N. I wish the RoP site still had their review page so I could see what other readers thought of it!
Oh dear, that’s a bit of a let down! Thank you for reading it for us, although it sounds like an unsatisfactory experience. I suppose the search for a good sequel to Emma goes on!
Ceri,
Why do you suppose Emma is so difficult to write from? I have always felt that, just up till the end, she was hard to really like. I think that’s why it took such a tolerant guy as Mr. Knightley to love her deeply. And Churchill isn’t a paragon. But could that be why it’s hard to carry it forward, the difficult characters Austen has given us to work with?
I’ve thought about this before and I wonder whether it’s a combination of factors. Personally, even on the first read I quite liked Emma, probably because I pity her a bit (though she’d consider that very impertinent of me!). She lives in such a confined society, she’s more intelligent than most people around her and has been so terribly spoiled in her upbringing that she was always likely to be a bit of a monster and she could have been a lot worse than she actually was. She means well, and that goes a long way with me. However, I know I’m in a minority, a lot of people find Emma hard to like.
I think one reason there are so few variations is that all the action is centred in one place. It’s so confined geographically as well as socially, there are not many characters to have a variation with. I also wonder if family situations play a part. The Bennet ladies’ financial circumstances were actually quite precarious, whereas Emma was secure. Also, following her marriage we know from the end of ‘Emma’ that her life won’t change a great deal compared to other Austen heroines – she’ll be living in the same house and continuing to tend to her father whereas Elizabeth will become the mistress of a large estate and could be contending with the ton with new grand relatives.
Having said all this, I wonder whether Pride & Prejudice just has a lot of scope – the potential financial volatility, the large cast of characters, the travelling to different places, the dramatic family disaster. It’s all just a bit more glamorous!
Excellent points, Ceri; but still, with a little imagination and effort, you can make up a story around any scene, even Highbury. Certainly P&P has more scope, making it easier, but Austen started from nothing and gave us Emma—somebody could take that foundation and work with it, surely.
I’m glad to have read it, but I do wish it was better. So far I only have two Emma sequels that I enjoy and recommend – The Intrigue at Highbury by Carrie Bebris (which is a cross-over P&P sequel) and Later Days at Highbury by Joan Austen-Leigh (which while good, doesn’t focus on the Knightleys). I would say that both Emma and Mansfield Park sequels that illustrate and focus on the happy marriage and life of the principals are indeed rare! I would love to see more published, especially since Mr. Knightley is such an admirable and likable hero…what do you say Stan? Can you be persuaded to take on Mr. Knightley on?
Ok, having run my mouth about how easily someone could write a story around the Highbury crew, let’s see: Churchill runs into difficulties, maybe even dies. Yep, go with that: he is killed, or commits suicide, over finances. Mrs. Churchill is thrown back on her aunt’s good offices, and Knightley steps in out of noblesse oblige, and because he always thought well of her; Churchill’s troubles involved a shady financial set-up that was still threatening to strip Jane of everything, and Knightley sets off to London to set it right. He finds there a young barrister, second son of a good family, who had the handling of the Churchill affair. It was he who had managed to get the Churchill monies out from under Jane’s control, but he had done so because of bad information. When Knightley sniffs out the flaws in his intelligence, he points them out and the two of them go about recovering the funds, through both legal and more adventurous means. Somewhere along the way, Emma brings Jane to London to see what the boys are up to, and falls into her old ways to get Jane a new beau in the barrister. The boys win, the girls win, everybody wins.
There. 🙂
Well there you go. 🙂 I like the focus on the Knightleys and Churchills! I think I’ve read a sequel (maybe the one by Rachel Billington) that also puts Frank in some financial distress…I guess his cavalier attitude and sense of irresponsibility makes that very easy to conceive!
So….will you write it? 😉 I know you have a good amount of projects keeping you busy, but a girl can dream! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
As you ask it, Meredith, I will keep it on the to-do list. Next up is my modern work, and then Capt. Wentworth, and I plan to look into Lady Andover more, during the first years of Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage. It may take a while, but it’s on the list.
Well, that was interesting – reading the banter between such likable and well-informed friends. I, too, have never had much respect for Emma, as I see her being too lazy to even give a good go at her reading list and meddling in other’s affairs as if she knows what is best for all around her when she misses her own inclinations of the heart. Looking forward to your next book, Stanley. I did read the excerpt on Goodreads.
Meredith, your review makes me think that I am not missing much in not being able to find and buy this book. There are so many good ones waiting to be read on my pile of books that it seems that this one would just take up valuable time. But that is part of why we love to read your reviews. They always steer us in the right direction. Thank you.
It was great to have this interesting discussion break out from my review! 🙂 With so many books out there and so little time to read, I hope my reviews help readers make informed decisions on whether or not they want to read something. Reading time is valuable indeed!