Miss Bates - by Catherine Cliff (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"A delicious premise."--Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review

"I read Miss Bates in a single, enraptured sitting. Cliff's prose is a joy -- precise and rich and wickedly observant."--Belle Burden, New York Times bestselling author of Strangers

Miss Bates, creepy, funny, and heartbreaking, is a daring reimagining of the world of Jane Austen's Emma. But make no mistake, this is no marriage plot; it is a spinster plot. Or maybe, it is the spinster's plot.

Henrietta Bates, the iconic bore of Emma, is the opposite of handsome, clever, and rich Emma: she is plain, ill-educated, and impoverished. An unmarried woman of quite a different order from that novel's proudly single heroine, she is an object of scorn and pity, whose survival depends upon the generosity of her neighbors which she barters for with an unrelenting shower of banal and grateful chatter.

But what if the woman we see in Emma were actually deliberately assuming a role, donning a mask, as a means of managing an untenable situation? What if there was a world of difference between her inward and outward voice? What would the Woodhouses's Highbury look like from herperspective?

Miss Bates by Catherine Cliff imagines answers to these questions as it chronicles Henrietta Bates's unexpected and, at times, violent life, navigating a world with no ready-made opportunities, where the stakes are of the highest order. In a debut that is by turns comedic, tragic, startling, and altogether brilliant, Miss Bates turns Austen's poignant and ridiculous side character into a feminist force who understands innately the life she has been dealt and how to slyly play it to her advantage.

Review Quotes

"Exquisitely done. Very well written and thoroughly different from other Austen spin-offs--the writing still feels Regency but isn't a mimic of Austen. I was sad to see it end. A brilliant job."--Miles of Books

"The delicious premise of Cliff's Miss Bates is that the boring, endlessly loquacious spinster of Jane Austen's novel harbors unsuspected depths of emotion and cunning. Will Miss Bates manage to turn the miserable hand life has dealt her into a winning one? It wouldn't be wise to bet against her."--The New York Times Book Review

"In this bold and beguiling debut, Catherine Cliff performs a feat that would make even the great Jane Austen raise an eyebrow: she rescues Miss Bates from the margins of Emma and restores to her a rich, secret interior life. Long dismissed as the garrulous bore of Highbury, Henrietta Bates emerges here as a woman of fierce intelligence and quiet strategy, whose endless chatter is not foolishness but armor; a performance honed for survival in a society that has no place for the poor, the plain, or the unmarried."-- "Paula Byrne, author of The Real Jane Austen and Six Weeks by the Sea"

"Miss Bates has a richly textured world, which lets us see behind the curtain of the shallow, idle rich who populate Austen's books. With humor, heart, and Miss Bates' secrets, this brilliant book is a welcome addition to the Austen spin-offs."--The Historical Novels Review

"This book is for all those who have grown tired of the Jane Austen marriage market and would prefer to consider the spinster. I'm a sucker for a good backstory for a boring character, and Cliff's new novel does for the pathetic Miss Bates what Laurie R. King did for Mrs. Hudson, Holmes' landlady, in The Murder of Mary Russell: restores a little agency to the side-lined helpers and gives them a bit more control over their own narrative, as they puts one over all those snobby central characters and their endless assumptions. Good on you, Catherine Cliff!"-- "CrimeReads"

"Henrietta Bates, a relatively minor character in Jane Austen's Emma, is front and center in this bold retelling that echoes Austen's wry and satirical wit. Dismissed by many in that novel because of her incessant chattering and lowly social position, the character here is endowed with a rich inner life that belies her ridiculed and lowly position in Highbury. There is social commentary aplenty but also tragedy, violence (real and imagined), humor, and heartbreak, all culminating in a very satisfying ending."-- "Library Journal"

"The garrulous spinster from Jane Austen's 1815 literary classic Emma is given voice in Catherine Cliff's captivating historical novel Miss Bates. With absorbing historical details and a sharpened social consciousness, the imaginative novel expands upon Jane Austen's literary universe with a twist of vengeful triumph."--Foreword Reviews

"This is the backstory of an overlooked secondary character readers didn't know they needed but will be grateful they found. Henrie comes alive in heartbreakingly tender moments. More than a new take on a classic Austen story, this novel has enough emotional depth and historical detail to find its own place on the shelf. A great choice for fans of Jane Austen, Gill Hornby, readers of historical fiction with domestic life details, or anyone looking for something a little unexpected."--Booklist, starred review

"I read Miss Bates in a single, enraptured sitting. Cliff's prose is a joy -- precise and rich and wickedly observant -- and her Miss Bates, long underestimated, is one of the most fully realized characters I've encountered in fiction. It is a love letter to Austen, a propulsive sequel to Emma, and a brilliant, moving work in its own right."--Belle Burden, New York Times bestselling author of Strangers

"Henrie Bates is a brilliant character and the contrast between her inner and outer world heightens the humor--and tragedy--in this superb exploration of a character who is so often a source of ridicule. Impressively, Catherine Cliff has struck a tone that feels beautifully similar to Austen's wry satire. Miss Bates is a wonderful portrayal of the rich inner world and inspiring inner fury of a powerless woman."--Caroline Lea, author of Love, Sex, and Frankenstein

About the Author

Catherine Cliff grew up in New York City. She has a BA in Classics and English from Harvard and a doctorate in English literature from Yale, specializing in English Renaissance poetry. She lived in London and Basel for many years and is now settled in western Massachusetts. This is her first novel.