Book Review: Emma

Author: Jane Austen
Title: Emma
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Classics
Pages: 396
First Published: 1815
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Barnes&Nobles)


"Charming, willful Emma Woodehouse amuses herself by planning other people's lives. When her interfering backfires, she learns a bitter lesson: well-intentioned busybodies are as resented as those motivated by ill will, and everyone should learn to respect the individuality of others."





The summary doesn't do the novel any justice. There's so much more to Emma then that. It's very complex and confusing at times. It took me a while to finish this one. I've been reading this novel for a month and a half now. Unlike Jane Austen's other novels, I wasn't very interested in the story or the characters. I felt distant from all the characters; I didn't connect with any of them. I usually become attached to at least one character, however it wasn't the case for this one. I hated Emma. She was annoying and very naive. She's a terrible friend to poor Harriet (I felt bad for Harriet the whole time) and she didn't deserve Mr. Knightely at the end. He was such a warm-hearted man. 


This one by Jane Austen is my least favorite out of all her books (I still have Northanger Abbey and her other short stories to read). It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't my cup of tea. I just can't stand characters like Emma and she was heroine. Even though I didn't like the story or the characters I still liked this book because of HOW Jane Austen wrote it. I love how Jane Austen writes. You can't help but love her writing techniques. I also loved the meaning behind the story: don't be like Emma and you'll be okay and people will actually like you. Well, I don't think that's the EXACT meaning, but that's the jest of it.   
  

I did like Mr. Knightely and Harriet though. They weren't that bad. Also, I enjoyed the fact that none of the characters were perfect little angels. They all had real, human flaws! For example, Emma may have been pretty, but she was a busybody and not the brightest crayon in the Crayola box. She would probably be the black one or the gray one. I appreciate when authors do that and Jane Austen is the queen of making characters seem like real humans, not robots. 


Anyways...it's hard to pick a rating for this. I've been thinking all day about what I should rate this novel. Usually a number just pops into my head when I'm done or when I sit down and turn on my computer on to begin my review-writing, but nothing has popped into my head until now. 


In the end I have to give this book a four...in all reality it would be a 3.6. However, I don't give decimals, so I must round up. ^.^ Anyone who loves Jane Austen and hasn't read this book yet, should. It shows her as the genius she really is! If you love history or you just love that time period you must read it. I also recommend it to people who just love to read books. This IS a classic and everyone should attempt to read it.

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<3Carole Rae