Mr. Knightley’s Diary has been on my “to read” list for quite awhile so I was very happy to finally read it as the fourth item for my Everything Austen Challenge.Mr. Knightley’s Diary is a retelling of the story of Emma from Mr. Knightley’s point of view. The timeline was roughly the same as of Emma, from Mr. Weston and Miss Taylor’s wedding to the wedding of Mr. Knightley and Emma. As I have recently written a summary of Emma on this blog, I only have one addition. I love how Mr. Knightley agrees to live with his father-in-law in order to marry Emma. If that is not a sacrifice, I don't know what is! There are not too many of us in this day and age that would agree to live with your ailing in-laws in order to marry your spouse.
What did I like about this book? My favorite part was reading about Mr. Knightley’s denial of his love for Emma. I especially liked how he kept telling his friend how he was looking for a spouse, but no woman could measure up to Emma . . . yet he still didn’t see it as love for Emma at first. It was pretty funny. I also liked the added subplot (SPOILER ALERT) of the romance between Miss Bates and Mr. Longridge. It was a very nice addition to the story. (SPOILER END) It was also great that the story was extended to include a brief description of Emma’s wedding.
The only negatives I had were that the word “saucy” was used way too much. It was funny at first that Mr. Knightley was always talking about Emma’s “saucy” looks, but after awhile it got old. It also would have been nice to extend the story more to include more information before and after the events of Emma. I really like how Captain Wentworth’s Diary did this.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, especially for the fans of Emma. I will continue on my all things Emma trek by re-watching Emma (1996) hopefully this weekend. I will also continue on my Amanda Grange kick by reading Edmund Bertram’s Diary sometime in the next month!
I'm listening to "Emma" even as I read this and think I'm going to have to get out and get this to complement the original.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I've never read Emma...and thus it will be a while before I get to this book. But Captain Wentworth's Diary sounds great. Thanks for reviewing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your "saucy" review, Laura. LOL! : )
ReplyDeleteYou are doing great in the Everything Austen Challenge--I need to "unplug" myself and read more!
Hilarious Suko!
ReplyDeleteCaptain Wentworth's Diary is excellent, I highly recommend it. I love Persuasion and Captain Wentworth. Mr. Knightley's Diary is not as good as Captain Wentworth's, but it was still entertaining.
Great review -- I'm so glad you're reading these too! I enjoyed this book, and I agree with you that the additions Grange made, about Mr. Knightley seeking a wife and not realizing he is in love with Emma and the subplot about Miss Bates, were great touches. And Captain Wentworth's is my favorite of these books so far! I love the way she goes all the way back to their first meeting and shows us parts of the story that Austen only alluded to.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading Colonel Brandon's Diary next. I absolutely love his character and can't wait to hear his story told. I'm not as excited about Edmund Bertram -- I never liked him much -- but I'll read it anyway.
Saucy! :) I have this one in my TBR stack and am looking forward to reading it for the Everything Austen challenge. I read my first book by Grange recently -- Mr. Darcy, Vampyre -- and enjoyed it. Looking forward to taking another look at Knightley, one of my favorite JA characters! :) Your review whet my appetite!
ReplyDeleteI am jealous - I can't wait to read Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. I'm also looking forward to reading Colonel Brandon's Diary. I have that on my to read pile as well the Everything Austen Challenge!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Emma is the only Austen novel I haven't read. I'm "saving" it ;-)
ReplyDeleteI want to read all of the diaries! They sound so fun!
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this!!
ReplyDeleteI just read this one, too. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Mr. Darcy's Diary.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to watch, Emma, too.