Like death and taxes, nothing is certain but the market for Jane Austen fan fiction. Seriously, writing a story based on Austen's characters is a sure-fire money spinner, because obsessive fans like myself will buy anything even vaguely related to the original books. Luckily, Rosie Rushton's teen take on Emma, my favourite Austen novel, is another winner - sort of Clueless in the style of Juliet Archer's The Importance of Being Emma. A fast read, but one that will hopefully tempt teens into reading the source material.

'Emma Woodhouse had, for seventeen years and ten months, had pretty much everything in life her own way, and saw no reason at all why the situation should ever change'. Rushton's YA update remains creatively faithful to Emma, barring a rather more forceful and obnoxious heroine. Emma's father is an ageing rock star turned eco-warrior, concerned about the environment instead of his own health ('When he held dinner parties at Hartfield, he served only locally grown organic food, and English wine that was made from grapes that had been consulted as to their feelings during planting'), Harriet is a shy school friend with family troubles, the garrulous Miss Bates is now Lily Bates, another classmate of Emma's who looks after her disabled mother, and Lily's cousin Jake Fairfax is the mysterious local celebrity who shares a secret with wealthy playboy Freddie Churchill. All the old names and relationships are instantly recognisable, if occasionally revamped, including 'dear, darling, wonderful, gorgeous' George Knightley, Emma's next door neighbour and lifelong friend. I thought the various tweaks and twists necessary to bring the story into the twenty-first century were all very fitting, especially 'Freddie' Churchill's secret relationship, and enjoyed the new seaside setting of Brighton, too. The writing is sharp and funny, the characters are likeable, and Emma is suitably bitchy and domineering (I love that she's thinking of studying psychology and human behavioural sciences at university!) The ending felt a little rushed, but then the final chapters in Austen's Emma do, too.

Great fun, and definitely recommended! I might try some of Rosie Rushton's other Austen novels next. ( )