My Dearest Miss Fairfax

What Jane Austen's Emma didn't know

By: Jeanette Watts

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

From Jeanette Watts, a new Regency-set historical fiction novel following a lesser-known character from one of history’s favorite female authors.

Miss Jane Fairfax has spent her life—though poor and expecting the eventuality of a governess position—by the side of a colonel’s daughter, living beyond the means she was born into. When she meets the enigmatic and handsome Frank Churchill in Weymouth, she can’t help but fall for him.

Mr. Frank Churchill, the heir to his aunt’s fortune and dependent on her goodwill, knows that he cannot marry without Mrs. Churchill’s permission. Desperate to marry Jane, he proposes not only marriage but a plan to hide their engagement until his aunt approves of the match. The couple travel separately to their same small hometown of Highbury, where Jane’s ridiculous aunt and the notorious Emma Woodhouse threaten the understanding between them, and as the months pass by, Jane worries that they will be secretly engaged forever, with no happy ending in sight.

As their lies and deceits pile up, can their love survive the social pressures that threaten to tear them apart?

©2022 Jeanette Watts (P)2022 Jeanette Watts

Made me want to compare to Emma, chapter by chapter

What stood out to me about this continuation of Emma was that it highlighted Jane Austen's ability to weave stories so credibly. In fact, I was so impressed with how well this was a companion to Emma that I wanted to compare things chapter by chapter. The person who wrote this story really new Emma inside and out and made plausible suppositions as evidenced on the original.

I walked away from this story, thinking that this must have been an academic research paper that had been beautifully wrapped up in a well worded, true to jane austen's style story. It gave me greater appreciation for the original book, made me love Jane Fairfax, and forgive Mr. Churchill. I also really liked that Jane was flawed, irritable, wrong about Knightly based on her point if view. You get to see exactly how accomplished she is, her relationships to the Dixons, and her adoptive family as a whole. It cast the quiet provential life of Highbury in stark contrast to other places at the time.

The performance if the voice actor was flawless.

Excellent historical fiction

My Dearest Miss Fairfax: What Jane Austen’s Emma didn’t know is a great Historical Fiction Audiobook from Award Winning author Jeanette Watts. Just like the title suggests it, this is a story that it is carefully woven with the classic Emma by the renowned Jane Austin.

Jeanette Watts did a fantastic job with recreating those long gone times with this Regency-set historical fiction novel and I think that this story will appeal to both Jane Austen fans and followers, but also to readers and listeners fascinated by this captivating genre.

Set in England in the year 1813, the action follows the complicated lives and love story of Miss Jane Fairfax and Mr. Frank Churchill. Their paths will collide with that of Jane’s aunt and the notorious Emma Woodhouse, as she threatens the understanding between them to wait for the opportune moment to make their relationship public. Romance, lies, intrigue, the social pressures of the era and deceit make for great and thrilling listen.

Speaking of listening, the audiobook version of My Dearest Miss Fairfax: What Jane Austen’s Emma didn’t know is expertly and beautifully narrated by talented Native UK English voiceover artist and narrator Stevie Zimmerman. Drawing from her experience of narrating over 100 audiobooks in multiple genres, Stevie delivers an entertaining and immersive performance.

So, if you love Jane Austen-inspired novels or are a fan of Regency-set historical fiction, I think that you should consider picking up My Dearest Miss Fairfax: What Jane Austen’s Emma didn’t know by Jeanette Watts. The writing is great, the story is interesting, the characters are well developed and the atmosphere is immersive.

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