ARC Review: "The Watsons: Emma" by Kaila E. Haines ★★★★★

ARC Review: The Watsons: Emma by Kaila E. Haines

Haines has remarkably and beautifully completed Jane Austen’s unfinished book “The Watsons”. It felt like Austen wrote this herself! A must-read!

Emma had no illusions. Love was not an ideal that most men aspired to, and although a young, rather foolish Duke of one and twenty might think nothing of the consequences of liking a young woman with neither means nor dowry, a mature man of Mr. Howard’s stature and education would never allow his heart to govern his actions, nor his choice of a wife. But still she dreamt.

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
In the Regency era, after the death of her uncle and her aunt’s remarriage to a Captain, 19-year-old Emma Watson is sent back to her ill widowed father and 5 siblings: Robert, Samuel, Penelope, Elizabeth and Margaret. She has not seen them for years, having been raised by her aunt and uncle due to her father’s loss of money in a failed investment scheme. He cannot provide for them, so one of the sisters must marry well.

Emma attends a ball at Dorking and meets the highly esteemed Osborne family: consisting of Dowager Lady Osborne, awkward yet handsome 21-year-old Lord Reginald Osborne around her age, and Lady Caroline Osborne. With them are Lord Osborne’s tutor and clergyman 30-something Mr. Henry Howards, his widowed sister and mother of 4 Mrs. Lucille Blake accompanied by her 10-year-old son Charles. There is also one Tom Musgrove, a libertine who has trifled with the hearts of all Emma’s sisters. Lord Osborne is captivated by Emma.

Shortly after, Emma’s father passes away, leaving the family destitute. Emma receives a request from Lucille to come and stay with her and her brother Henry at the parsonage on the Osborne estate as her companion so she has somewhere to stay. She gladly accepts, knowing her other option is to stay with her self-centred eldest brother Robert.

Mr. Henry Howard has been twice unlucky in love. He fears he may have it happen thrice the more he spends time with her. Unfortunately, he is fully aware of his student Lord Osborne’s feelings for Emma; Emma is aware of the crafty Lady Caroline Osborne’s feelings for Mr. Howard. Henry is bound to chivalry that the Lord should have his chance first. With the threat of a marriage proposal, Emma must decide whether she is to go against societal expectations or give in. What is the scheming Tom Musgrove up to with Emma’s sister Margaret?

OVERALL OPINIONS
The initial thought that came to me was: this is Austen! And it was not just a few vibes, choice of names or lines that spoke to me; the whole style of writing, the story’s tone and descriptions screamed Austen. Naturally, this is because it is based on the novel Jane Austen began to write called “The Watsons” which is incomplete. It has been a while since I looked into her unfinished stories, since the PBS and ITV’s adaptation of “Sanditon” so I had actually forgotten The Watsons – imagine my pleasant surprise to find this.

Indeed, the more you look at it the more it is a combination of everything Austen.
•The story goes from verbal conversations to describing conversations, occasionally the author speaking directly to the reader.
•Emma reminds me of both Anne from “Persuasion” and Fanny Price from “Mansfield Park” as she is reserved but has excellent opinions.
•Her brother Robert and his wife Jane are like John and Fanny Dashwood from “Sense and Sensibility”
•Lord Osborne may be a potential reflection on Austen’s own experience (as she herself turned down a wealthy man).
•We have a moment akin to Mr. Knightley saving Harriet in “Emma”, with Mr. Henry Howard saving Emma from a clumsy dancer.
•We have a moment like Colonel Brandon saving Marianne from “Sense and Sensibility” as Henry saves Emma in the storm.
•We have a moment like “Pride and Prejudice” as Emma receives a letter from Elizabeth explaining her history with her sister; in comparison to Elizabeth receiving a letter explaining his history with Mr. Wickham.
•Lady Caroline Osborne is essentially another Caroline Bingley, and it could be argued she and her brother are like the Crawford siblings in “Mansfield Park”. •Tom Musgrove is like Wickham and Willoughby.
•There are also the names: like Emma, Robert, Jane (Austen) with the addition of Musgrove, Bennet, Wentworth, Russel (Haines); the settings of London, Brighton (even taking an exact quote of “from Mickleham to Dorking”)
•The roles are reversed (instead of the usual nice gentleman in Austen’s works like Darcy, Knightley, Tilney, he is ridiculous, and instead of the usual ridiculous clergyman like Colins and Elton, he is nice - though I suppose this is like Edmund Betram and Edward Ferrars).

Austen started it in 1803 when she was in London and stopped in 1805. There have been a few debates as to why this was the case; the most probable reason was her father’s death but it may have also concerned the subject in the story (the heroine and her family are destitute which may be more difficult for the characters, not just Emma, to make a love match). Upon her death in 1817, Jane’s sister Cassandra received the manuscript for it and knew what Jane intended for the narrative.

Kaila E. Haines has rewritten and condensed what Austen wrote of The Watsons into her prologue, and taken the intended ending of the story to create a worthy and wonderful masterpiece!

There are too many excellent descriptions to possibly list but here are a few:

Robert Watson had turned the family trait of pragmatism into cold calculation for the benefit of himself and his immediate family, which did not extend to his brother or sisters.

This alone is very powerful. It tells you everything you need to know about the character of Emma’s older brother: he does not care about his siblings, only himself and the family he has made.

Margaret, assiduously seconding every opinion Lady Caroline uttered – as though she were the oracle of Delphi – made her feel infinitesimally worse.

This one is very clever! For those who are unaware, Delphi was a temple in ancient Greece and its oracle was a priestess named Pythia who delivered cryptic prophecies from the God Apollo. It not only shows Margaret holds Lady Caroline in the highest regard, someone to looks up to (putting her on a pedestal, if you will) but it may also suggest what Lady Caroline says are things Margaret is not smart enough to understand (therefore cryptic to Margaret).

I loved that a peacock is used as recurring symbolism for Lord Osborne (from the peacock pattern on his clothing to the description of him “hovering like a proud peacock anxious to be admired”) as peacocks are often associated with vanity. He tries to be nice, but he is simply too ridiculous. Even Emma pities him.

Emma felt he really meant to be a better man, but for far too long, he had been left under the guidance of an overindulgent mother, whose only care was ensuring the preservation of the Osborne title, and his supercilious elder sister, who overestimated the worth of said title. Lord Osborne required steady, constant guidance. It was a role that Emma did not desire.

Haines also addresses issues of racism, classism and gossip in Georgian era, something Austen often discussed in her works. These could cause discrimination and tarnished reputations respectively, and are used as areas essential and effective to the plot. For example, Mr. Howard on more than one occasion either defends Emma or dislikes the conversation he is in due to other’s remarks on Emma’s station and skin colour. Jane Austen herself describes how harshly people judge her:

“Many were the eyes, and various the degrees of approbation with which she was examined. Some saw no fault, and some no beauty. With some her brown skin was the annihilation of every grace.”

The word choice of “annihilation” as Haines mentions in a blog post, is strong and significant, as it indicates destruction, there being nothing left as evidence. Haines ensures she uses the same word and tweaks this into “Some saw no fault, others found their brown skin to be an annihilation of all things proper” for her story.

Another example is Emma’s brother Samuel had to be “mindful that quite often, the color of his skin prevented him from being fully accepted in polite society.” These situations are still relatable today, unfortunately.

<< Positives >>
🠚 I really like the overall plot that was chosen.
🠚 The bond and tension between Emma and Henry was perfect.
🠚 The plot twist about Lucille’s husband was very sweet (though I feel Austen herself would never have written that element).
🠚 The denouement was great when Mr. Howards finally proposes!
🠚 The support Emma receives from her sisters Elizabeth and Penelope was lovely! As someone with sisters I felt their bond. It is a pity Margaret is not so pleasant.
🠚 Throughout, there were some funny moments: one that had me laughing was when Henry saves Emma after she is caught up in the rain and Lord Osborne offers to help. The way he is taken aback when Emma refuses, and then Tom Musgrove says “I do believe the water would have spoiled your jacket. It is silk, is it not?” which he concedes to haha.

<< Negatives >>
🠚 For some reason, some of the names and orders of characters have changed. Tom Musgrove in the original text is Tom Musgrave and Elizabeth seems to be the eldest sister in the original but Penelope is the eldest instead.
🠚 The novel’s epilogue (chapter 35) felt more like a Gaskell than an Austen! Many characters at some future time pass away or have misfortunes and the only good news is of Emma and her brother Samuel. I thought it to be too many and too concurrently. This did not take away from the overall narrative but I would have preferred more happier things occurring.
🠚 I feel like I would have liked Emma to stand up for herself a little more often, though it is so lovely of Henry to defend her – and she does have some great moments such as when she reprimands Tom Musgrove at the ball. That was very brave of her!
🠚 There is a scene missing where Emma receives her Christmas present of the book and the perfume, or discovers Henry was the one who purchased it.
🠚 We are also missing a scene or moment where there is an argument between Emma and Henry. I think that would have been interesting.
🠚 I think Lord Osborne’s proposal publicly in the midst of a ball would not have been done, nor written by Austen but I overall don’t mind it. It makes sense because he is so desperate to have her and it adds a huge amount of scandal!
🠚 The blurb should have included the information that this was a continuation of Austen’s unfinished work so more people are drawn to this. Some may not know, or like me may have forgotten.
🠚 The blurb could also have avoided a particular spoiler about Mrs Blake’s husband. I think that made for an interesting plot point for the reader to discover by themselves.
🠚 I also would have liked to have known the exact date of when the story is set.

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Emma꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ She is a wonderful character, very gentle, very kind, changes the Lucille’s family situation for the better. A true angel on Earth!

Emma was clearly well read, and she listened attentively. Her opinion, when sought, was given with all the feelings and delicacy of good breeding and sound reasoning, and she was industrious.

-ˋˏ ꒰ Henry꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ He is one of my favourites. He is so honourable, trying to let Lord Osborne have a chance with Emma. He even tries to remove himself from the situation a few times but nothing can keep him away from Emma.

”I do not know what chance I have when you have refused a duke, but you must know,”—he paused, studying her face for her reaction—“A sign from you and I will not ask, although the question holds my very soul hostage. Emma, my heart is yours, take all of it or only part of it, as you choose. All I ask is that your face be the first I see each morning and the last I kiss at night. Emma, I love you.”

FAV QUOTES
• “She will have bound him to her more tightly than Prometheus to his rock.”
• Mr. Howard’s benevolence impressed itself onto Emma’s gentle heart, her admiration for him growing tenfold.
• “I do not think that the lack of a formal education can be an issue where a man is determined to improve himself by constant application.”
• Their eyes locked, united by a complicit desire to ensure the happiness of those they loved, and Emma’s heart skipped a beat.
• Despite her persuasions, from that moment on, Emma played Mozart’s sonata often and imagined that perhaps she heard an echo of the melody in the cadence of his sermons. The parsonage had become a haven of perfect harmony.
• It was past midnight before Mr. Howard found himself finally alone with his thoughts in the sanctuary of his study. Sleep eluded him as the emotions and thoughts that had been set aside earlier in the day now demanded his undivided attention. That he was deeply and irrevocably in love with Emma, he now knew.
• Lord Osborne began to compliment her looks to anyone who would listen. His fixation on her looks soon tired those whose appreciation of Emma ran much deeper, and he ran out of adjectives, which led him to talk about himself. His lines of credit, the size of his properties, his future as a peer, the number of horses and hounds in his possession, and the quality of his silks soon wearied his listeners.
• Charles smiled broadly and took Emma’s hand, leading her to his uncle. “You will take good care of her, sir. She is very special.” With solemn formality, Charles handed Emma to Mr. Howard, who hid his immense admiration in a single word. “Indeed.”
• “His taste in dance partners is better than his taste in clothing. I do not much care for frills and frippery, as if one needs to wear his social status on his sleeves.”
• It did not matter how one drank his coffee if he could not afford a clean cup to serve it in.
• “Mrs. Watson keeps a social calendar worthy of the queen.”
• She leant forward. “It is remarkable that those three simple words, I love you, can accomplish more than any title in this land.”
• “So, you would not break an unwritten code of chivalry, and Emma would not allow herself to be loved. I wonder that Mrs. Ratcliffe can write such tales of passion when the English are bound by such etiquette.”

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I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Kaila E. Haines, and Reedsy for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“The Watsons: Emma” is out December 25th!