No doubt you’ll all be spending New Year’s Eve at glitzy, glamorous, altogether fabulous parties across the country and, indeed, the globe. But just in case you, like me, will actually be tucked up at home in your PJs with a big cup of hot chocolate, a big bowl of popcorn, and nothing to do until it’s time to watch the ball drop, here’s a way to celebrate the bicentennial of Emma:
The BBC’s Radio 4 recently aired "Memsahib Emma," a two-part, two-hour adaptation of the novel, which updates the story by a few decades and sets it in India during British colonial rule. (Click here for Episode 1 and here for Episode 2. They'll remain available online for another three weeks or so.)
I haven’t yet had a chance to listen – that’s what New Year’s Eve is for! – but I’m a sucker for these Austen reimaginings. Although I must admit that the last time Emma went to India -- in the 2010 Bollywood comedy Aisha -- the results were, umm, not so good. Still, hope springs eternal. . .