audio fiction (9.5+ hours)

this starts off like a modern Emma set in Delhi (the narrator's reading of Ania's lines bring to mind Cher in "Clueless"), but expands to include a lot of other various characters, not all of them likeable, with intersecting plotlines. Obviously if you are looking to revisit Emma, you probably just want to re-read Emma, because this will be a totally different experience.
My spotty audio attention span made it hard for me to keep track of all the characters, but I enjoyed the storytelling overall and the barbed jabs at the ridiculously wealthy. ( )

I’ve been on a roll for almost the past year, trying to read as many modern Jane Austen retellings as I can. So when I found that there was a new version of Emma set in Delhi, I just had to get my hands on it.

Emma is one of those books that’s not easy to like, especially because of our titular character. The retellings which stay close to the original tend to have similar concerns, so I really wanted to see how the author would manage to make me like the story here. I think the author’s decision to set it among the uber rich elite class of Delhi was perfect for this story. The pretentiousness of this group of people really comes through and one can’t help but wonder how far away they are from the country’s reality. The book really feels like a satire and I could enjoy it because of that. The first half of the book does a neat job of establishing the characters, giving us a look into their backgrounds and motivations and the general culture among this crowd. However, it’s the second half where it really faltered for me. We follow many characters and I thought it’ll be fun to see where they all end up, but it felt like the story meandered a lot and we never got any proper resolution to most of the characters’ arcs. The ending felt very abrupt and open ended and I’m not really a fan of those. Another problem I had was that some of the English vocabulary used was completely unfamiliar (with some French words also thrown in the mix) and I found it all a bit tough to follow - it’s totally a me problem and others would probably enjoy it too.

This book has a huge ensemble cast but I didn’t end up connecting to anyone. No one here is written to be likeable, so that’s not the issue - it’s just that I felt a huge divide between them and myself, so I couldn’t find myself invested in any of their issues. I’m not even a fan of Emma from the original but she manages to redeem herself a bit towards the end, however I didn’t feel the same about Ania. She is a snob and a creature of privilege, always sure that she is doing the right thing and feels herself to be superior to other mere mortals. But I did sympathize with her when some unfortunate incidents happened, but we never see her actually contemplate or learn anything from them so it didn’t make any difference. Even towards the end, I don’t think that she realized any of her faults - just that things didn’t go her way. So, I was pretty disappointed with this missing character development. And that’s the case with most of them in the book. Things just happen to the characters in their life and they move on to something else, but we never really see anyone reflect or try to change or even empathize with others.

In the end, I thought this was mostly a faithful retelling of Emma (atleast all the characters of Emma’s family and Harriet). It has a well written satirical tone which made the book interesting to read, and I also absolutely adored the narrator Deepti Gupta whose voices for each character was unique and beautiful. But the lack of character development and unresolved arcs left me feeling dissatisfied. If you like desi Jane Austen retellings or previously have enjoyed reading The Windfall by Diksha Basu, you probably will enjoy reading this one too. I also recommend the audiobook because of the wonderful narrator. ( )

General info

A story about the lives of rich people in India. It is said to be a rerepresentation of Jane Austen's Emma. I have not yet finished Emma so I cannot confirm a hundread proecent. The story of Ania who tries to fiddle in the lovelives of everybody else and forgets her own. A story of love, despair and how money does not always make life easier or happier. You could almost say money does the opposite.

Things I liked

I enjoyed that throughout the whole story, there is Ania, who playes a part in all the other characters' lives. And I liked that I got to follow the lives of so many interesting people. I also feel that it really portrays lives of reach people in a realistic way. There is events that could happen in reality and there are problems that people could actually face. I also think, and this may make me a horrible person, that it is very refreshing that not all the characters live happily ever after.

Things I did not like so much

To me, the story was interesting but it was still a bit boring. I also sometimes had a hard time following the plot. For me, although the book gets more interesting toward the end, the ending on its own is just plain weird and very sudden. There are things to be said in my opinion and not all characters get their ending. They simply just exists.

Conclusion

All in all, it is a book that left me feeling conflicted. I both like it and dislike it if that is even possible. I guess I will have to finish Emma now to see if they really are similar. I would say you have to read the book to really know if it's worth reading.

* ARC received through the publisher via First to Read Scheme
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Uncorrected proof received from Goodreads giveaway

This one didn't click for me and I'm not sure if it's the book or my lack of familiarity with dehli society.

The shape of Austen's Emma was barely there - a few characters mapped to their inspiration and a few events - but I couldn't see the humor and satire I recognize in Austen. ( )