Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma had a birthday; she turned 200 a year ago. A writer for Britain’s The Guardian described the original novel: Its heroine is a self-deluded young woman with the leisure and power to meddle in the lives of her neighbours. The narrative was radically experimental because it was designed to share her delusions. The novel bent narration through the distorting lens of its protagonist’s mind. Emma, has undergone updating by author Alexander McCall Smith. A deliciously clever reincarnation of that “self-deluded young woman” inhabits the pages of this modern retelling. While I haven’t compared the two books side-by-side, I will say that in both cases the story…