Emma

I ordered three novels by Jane Austen for a class. It was my misfortune that all three were published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. All three are unacceptable. Pride and Prejudice and Emma have no page numbers, chapters start in the middle of the page, and the books are physically too large to hold comfortably. Sense and Sensibility is physically smaller, but the type is so small as to be unreadable, and pages from a completely unrelated book are bound in the middle. Look for copies of these novels from another publisher.

It's not the original copy. It has no publisher and it was copied just days before getting to me, I was very disappointed.

Up till now, I didn’t quite understand the hype about Jane Austen. I quite liked “Pride and Prejudice”, yes, and “Sense and Sensibility” was by no means bad, but I wasn’t floored by either, and I wasn’t about to sing Austen’s praises to high heaven. But then I stumbled across “Emma” and bought it on a whim. After reading it, I’m happy to say that I’ve finally found an Austen novel that I can shove in my friends’ faces and say, “You’ve got to read this; it’s great!” Slow to start, perhaps, and frustrating at times, but great nonetheless.

Most people believe that Emma Woodhouse has the perfect life, and Emma is inclined to think it herself. She’s young, pretty, clever, and rich, not to mention the daughter of an adoring, widowed father that gives her almost full reign over his household. She’s also only too happy to share her good fortune with Harriet Smith, a new friend badly in need of some refining. Emma instructs Harriet on how to behave, converse, and appear at all times. She even tries to make a suitable match for Harriet, dismissing one of the girl’s former admirers as far too common. However, Emma’s not as astute as she thinks when it comes to romance. Her plans for Harriet and for herself inevitably get so tangled that she questions her own beliefs and practices. Maybe she isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks.

I first became familiar with the story of “Emma” through, of all things, a 90s movie. Anyone seen “Clueless”, starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd (and featuring a cameo role by Wallace Shawn from “The Princess Bride”)? That’s actually a modern version of “Emma”. Yep, it blew my mind, too. I had a lot of fun matching up the book characters with their movie counterparts. I also had a pretty good idea of how Emma’s and Harriet’s romances would turn out, but since the movie changed one character’s situation drastically, there were still some surprises left in store for me.

But what makes this novel great is not the correlation it has with one of my favorite movies, but the thinly veiled hilarity sprinkled throughout. “Emma” is the funniest of Jane Austen’s novels because it pokes the most fun – politely, of course – at hypochondriacs, know-it-all matchmakers, and social climbers. Particularly amusing is Miss Bates, the neighborhood chatterbox we all know and love but sometimes find it hard to escape when she’s on a roll. It may take readers a little while to get used to Austen’s style, but those who persevere will be rewarded with her wonderful sense of humor. I know I was. So please, discover for yourselves the book that made me a Jane Austen fan. And give “Clueless” a go, if you haven’t seen that already.

I would give zero because it's a textbook type print and not a novel!!
ZERO for book print, otherwise the novel is great.

The paperback must be 81/2 X 11. It looks like a notebook. Not large print just an enormous size. I had no idea that this was what was coming. Very awkward for reading!!

I needed it for a class, so yeah. Its alright.

Not Jane Austen's best.

clasics are sometimes hard to read - my bad

The book was printed in magazine format which I found most difficult to read and prepare for a book group meeting.

If I could give this book four and a half stars, that is where I would place it. It is evidence of a more mature Austen, yet "Pride and Prejudice" will always remain my favorite. I have read this book twice, and I have also seen the movie with Ewan McGregor. The second time that I read "Emma," the two primary emotions I felt when reading the novel were mirth and dread.

As I read, I remembered the main events of what was going to happen, and I was able to look at clues along the way. This is a book I think everyone who reads once should at some point read a second time. It is really interesting to see what you might have missed the first time. The strength of the novel is not its plot, however; its strength is its characters. Since this is a comedy of manners, the different personages to be found within it are the most crucial element. There were several places where the dialogue was absolutely brilliant--and where I was laughing out loud.

The greatest humor is to be found in Mr. Woodhouse. His hypochondriac tendencies--which his daughter Isabella shares to a certain degree--are the cause of much mirth. His fear of wedding cake and his "my apothecary is better than your apothecary" conversation with Isabella are classic. I don't know that any other passages in Austen's work reach the hilarity of these. Another character of note is Mr. John Knightley, whose grumpiness is quite snort-inducing.

One of the most interesting things about this book is that it is sort of hard to like the titular character. Certainly, the reader cannot help but agree with many of her criticisms, yet her critical nature is so strong and her vanity so great that it makes it ambiguous as to whether you should actually like her. She often has good intentions, but she makes mistakes, just as a normal person would. She is a flawed heroine, which certainly makes her more real.

I think in the end, however, you cannot help but see that she does have an amazing heart beneath all that. She shows very real love and attention to her father, even at times when her own happiness should be all she thinks about. Furthermore, she *does* feel mortified by her mistakes.

My two main criticisms of this novel are the pace and the romance. I often felt like the story could be a fair amount shorter without losing much, and the ending especially seemed to drag. As for the romance, it feels rather weak except for one great moment. If your main interest is in romance, I don't know that I would look here; "Pride and Prejudice" would better suit that sort of fancy. I think the character who serves as Emma's romance is too flat and uninteresting; Emma, with her many strengths and weaknesses, is far too interesting a character to end up with who she does.

If you are not necessarily looking for romance but for good literature, then I would absolutely recommend this novel. If I ever made a list of literature's most amusing characters, Mr. Woodhouse would definitely make the list. And when it comes to complex heroines, I think Emma Woodhouse should be on anyone's list.