The Watsons and Emma Watson: Jane Austen's Unfinished Novel Completed by Joan Aiken

Joan Aiken · Jane Austen

Mar 2008 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

Jane Austen wrote the untitled fragment that was later called The Watsons in 1803-5, and it was published posthumously in 1871. Joan Aiken, well known for her Jane Austen sequels and children's books, finishes the fragment, introducing a new hero and seamlessly continuing where Jane Austen left off to a satisfying ending for all Austen fans.

Emma Watson returns home after 14 years spent with a beloved aunt, whose re-marriage has caused a significant change in Emma's circumstances. Used to a life of ease, warmth and intelligence, Emma is thrust back into a home where, with one exception, her sisters are petty and jealous, if not vulgar, her father is ill and weak, and her brothers are not men of fine minds. This is a poignant exploration of a young lady's endurance in the face of reduced circumstances, and in true Jane Austen fashion, there is an admirable hero to make all right in the end.

Ratings and reviews

Decent parts, but not her best. Very rushed ending, light in details. It was refreshing to read another Austin work, however.

About the author

The late Joan Aiken was a prolific author of children’s books, mysteries, and Jane Austen sequels. She is the author of Lady Catherine’s Necklace, which follows Anne de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Fairfax, a sequel to Emma

Jane Austen, the modest daughter of an English clergyman, is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest writers in the English language. She wrote six novels, which have endured for over 200 years, have been adapted for film numerous times, and have inspired a large number of popular and bestselling sequels, retellings, continuations and mash-ups.