Mr. Knightley's Diary

I've always found Mr. Knightley to be an appealing character, but it's not necessarily easy to make a nice person interesting. Written from Knightley's perspective on the events of Jane Austen's _Emma_, Amanda Grange does a fine job of filling in our knowledge of the character and what his life would be like, and particularly of letting us hear his view on pivotal scenes from the original novel; further, the author masterfully writes the gradual realization by Knightley that he loves Emma. Nice writing, believable. Perhaps not as elegant as the source material, but what is? I will read other books by this author.

This little book is an ideal appendage to the TV movie of "Emma". Mr Knightley is a gentleman in his thirties, living on a large and prosperous estate and unmarried. Now that he has reached this age, he realises that it's time that he married and produced an heir, but, strangely to him, cannot help but compare other ladies to his neighbour, 21 year old Emma,the irritating, headstrong daughter of an elderly gentleman who is obsessed with his health and that of everyone else. Emma is an inveterate matchmaker, determined to pair up all of the unattached men and women of her acquaintance. This, of course, causes problems because of her well intentioned meddling but she is quite determined to remain single while pairing up others. It's a quick and charming read, especially for lovers of Jane Austen.

Experience Jane Austen's Emma (Penguin Classics) through the eyes of her hero. MR. KNIGHTLEY'S DIARY takes us through a year of his life as he writes about his estate life, visiting with the neighbors, dinner parties he must attend, and his daily encounters with Emma. These encounters range from enjoyable moments, to moments where he wishes her to grow as a person, and finally to things he wishes would happen between the two of them. If you're a Jane Austen fan or you've read Emma (Penguin Classics), then this latest Jane Austen diary from the male perspective is a must read. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

I felt that this book was true both to the story and the character of Mr. Darcy.

Although I had heard of some of Amanda Grange's previous books, such as Mr. Darcy's Diary, I had never read them. Recently, I got the chance to read a copy of Grange's Mr. Knightley's Diary and found that it is a fantastic take on Jane Austen's Emma. I haven't read Emma in probably a couple of years, so it was refreshing to read the story through Mr. Knightley's eyes. He's a very interesting character and I don't know him as well as Mr. Darcy. Grange takes the reader into Knightley's (should I be so bold as to address him as such? Emma might not like it.) world and enables us to go with him when he is absent from Highbury. Readers of Emma will remember that Knightley misses Miss Taylor and Mr. Weston's wedding because he is in London. In Mr. Knightley's Diary, the reader is with him! We get to find out what he is doing when he is not with Emma. Haven't you always been curious? The diary spans just over a year and recounts any number of events found in the original novel in a slightly different, more masculine way. Knightley is constantly worrying about Emma's behavior, hoping she will be more mature and leave off matchmaking, and trying to decide if, and who, he should marry. Just as Emma tries to pair Harriet with various gentlemen, Knightley meets several women (including Jane Fairfax) and tries to see if he feels any sparks with them. Of course, as we all know, in the end only Emma will do. Our favorite (and not-so-favorite) secondary characters still play largely in this novel, though through Knightley's eyes. Mr. Woodhouse is still the same old valetudinarian that we all love (and wish would stop saying that cake is bad for one's health!). Mr. Elton and his wife, as always, quite irritating, though Knightley is polite. He finds Frank Churchill to be somewhat suspect, rather than the charming gentleman the ladies believe him to be. We also see more of Knightley's brother John and his wife, Emma's sister. I was quite glad to read more about them, as they are not a huge part of Emma. I highly recommend Mr. Knightley's Diary to all Jane Austen fans. It was a very enjoyable take on a beloved book.