26 CLASSICS: Emma #10

Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Classics


Blurb: 'I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.'

Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

Me: Jane Austen...I can't tell if you are overhyped or just too incredible for my feeble mind to enjoy. 

The Ups: I enjoyed this book, I really did. It has a classic Austen feel of light romanticness and great characters to portray the dynamic lives of the upper class in 19th century England. But something about all the Jane Austen books just doesn't intrigue me. It is great writing, but the setting and the romantic undertones are very subtle and honestly, a bit boring. 

Emma is a great character. I loved that she had her fair share of flaws; she was very sensitive of social ranking and enforced her ideas that only members of the same "class" should marry and interact. She was also quite self-absorbed, and make one too many impulsive decisions. However, she was passionate, intelligent, caring, and had a certain quality that made her feel almost like a best friend. I felt like I could gossip with her for hours. 

Mr. Knightley, to me, was the ultimate lover. More than Mr. Darcy! He is an incredible gentleman, kind, caring, always polite. He is intelligent, strong, and honest. Where can I find him? 

Quite a lot of different social commentary was going on in the novel. I always love that Jane Austen books succeed in completely immersing myself into the world of the novel for the time that I am reading. All the imagery, details, dialogue- I feel like I am in 1800s England. 

The Downs: But despite all the enjoyment, it really is way too long. I lost interest very quickly after a few pages and almost felt like I was being pulled in and out, again and again. It was quite bland for my taste- even though I read classics, I still crave the drama and the big events. In short, I don't know if I'm quite ready for more Jane Austen just yet. 

Rating: 3 kisses!

Have you read Emma or any Jane Austen?