Review: A great retelling of Austen's Emma . .
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 20, 2014
Jane Austen's Emma was one of my least favourite books when studying my English degree, but in Only With You Cecilia Gray revises the 19th century story and transposes it into the modern world.Cecilia Gray's heroine, Emma Greene, is as meddlesome as Austen's Emma, constantly attempting to 'help' and pair up her friends. However, Emma Greene is not malicious in any way, though perhaps a little self-absorbed and ambitious. Cecilia Gray is able to enhance these often negative characteristics, influencing her reader to love and even admire Emma.Only With You is essentially a romance, with the added drama surrounding the group's friendships and worry about The Jane Austen Academy's closure. Emma is adamant that during the weekend the group of friends are together she will be successful in match making a relationship between Anne and Josh, yet she is blind to her evolving feelings for her best friend Gregory Knight. Cecilia Gray is careful to develop Emma and Gregory's friendship slowly, with the repartee between the two, rather than actions, enchanting the reader and giving us hope that Emma's will be a HEA.Only With You is a relatively short novel, but the characters are animated and like able, even for their faults. This is a story for an relaxing afternoon at the beach, or even curled up on a rainy day. I look forward to reading more of Cecilia Gray's books.I received Only With You as a complimentary review copy, but this has had no influence on my opinion.