BelEdit Book Reviews
Miss Woodhouse and Miss Fairfax is an all-round delight. I loved the book, loved the cover, loved the writing, loved the story.
As one of the millions of Jane Austen fans, with a weak spot for Regency romances, I was curious to see where this sapphic Austen fan-fiction would take us. It was a lot of fun!
To start with, I was intrigued by the cover… And I appreciated that the author satisfied my curiosity by providing the source. It shows a detail from an etching, circa 1820, called “Lady Strachan and Lady Warwick making love in a park while their husbands look on in disapproval”. A pretty cover and so entirely appropriate for this book.
Now I say I’m a fan, but I haven’t actually read Austen for years, nay decades, so it was hard to remember much about Emma Woodhouse and the other characters in the story. It doesn’t matter. The story is enjoyable for its own sake.
The publisher’s blurb calls it a ‘sapphic retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma’. That’s a bit of a stretch. Rather it’s Austen fan fiction, taking the characters and situations and turning them into a very different story, about Emma’s relationship with Jane Fairfax.
Apart from that quibble, there’s not much to say. Miss Woodhouse and Miss Fairfax fulfils every bit of its promise. Expect to get pulled into a Jane Austen world, written in something really not far off her unique writing style that’s frankly a joy to read, peppered with her characteristic acerbic humour. It’s a compelling story and an exciting (and yes, quite steamy, albeit demure!) will-they-won’t-they romance.
Perfect.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy Jane Austen fan fiction. Or indeed for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Regency period drama and/or lesbian romance,
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book. And they are written by me, not AI.
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