Book Review: Emma of 83rd Street
A swoon-worthy update to Jane Austen's classic novel
If I loved Emma of 83rd Street less, I might be able to talk about it more. Jane Austen's classic has been updated for a modern audience without losing any of the charms of the original. This retelling by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding is full of plenty of swoon-worthy moments, playful banter, and enough easter eggs to fill Mrs. Elton’s strawberry basket. Fans of Jane Austen and Clueless will love this book, but it’s also a fun slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance with a little spice for anyone not familiar with Austen (and a great jumping-in point for new Austen fans.)
Emma Woodhouse is a privileged grad student, who has plenty of free time to play matchmaker to her new friend Nadine. The only person willing to hold Emma accountable is her best friend and neighbor George Knightley. With a cast of quirky characters drawn from the classic novel, you will feel at home in this tightly-knit community on the Upper East Side. [Insert Carrie Bradshaw voice]: “It was like New York was a character in the novel.”
You’ll want to grab your chunkiest When Harry Met Sally knit sweater and wander the Met all day after reading it.
There’s so much to love about this book. One of the best additions are several chapters from Knightley’s perspective, which amp up the tension and longing. And holy-Pride-and-Prejudice-hand-flex is there longing.
The chemistry between Emma and Knightley is palpable. While we all know that these two characters are destined for each other, the fun is watching them fumble their way to happily ever after. Even knowing the original as well as I do, I found myself turning pages faster than Mr. Woodhouse throws out a piece of cake.
The biggest update for the 21st century is the agency given to the women. Emma is a hard character to nail down. It’s easy to make her so unlikeable that the reader won’t stick with her through her redemption, but Bellezza and Harding make it look easy. They walk the line between making her privileged and sympathetic. This version of Emma is intelligent, hard-working, and ambitious. She’s undoubtedly spoiled but strives to earn her own way forward. And this time around it’s not only Knightley handing out the set downs.
Nadine has much more determination and capability than Harriet Smith as she navigates life in a new city as a single woman. She’s by far my favorite take on the Harriet character in any retelling. However, I felt that there was room to dig a little deeper into the class differences between Emma and Nadine. Overall, I loved the dynamic between them. Their friendship felt so real that I immediately called my best friend to gush about the book. Speaking of agency, there’s a particularly satisfying update to the Mr. Elton carriage scene.
This is easily one of my favorite Austen retellings. I found this book to be charming and funny with lots of heartfelt moments. Nothing sums up my reaction to this book better than what I texted my group chat at 2 am, “This book is great! Knightley is hot! You should read it!” Hopefully, this will not be the last time Bellezza and Harding introduce us to Austen’s characters.
Spoiler alert: there is gruel!
Emma of 83rd Street is available for preorder now. Pub date: May 23, 2023.
CW: discussion of the death of a parent, brief attempted sexual assault in chapter 9, open door scenes in chapters 31 and 35
Thank you to Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding, and Gallery Books for the ARC. This review is provided independently and freely.
Sold! I will be grabbing a giant sweater, going to the mall (the B&N, with coffee of course) and diving into this book lol :) :)