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Loading... Emma (1815)by Jane Austen
Much ado about not much. Emma disappoints in the lack of interesting ideas or actions. It centers around a small, ingrown community of rich persons who seem to have little meaningful to do. Our heroine is (as she describes another) "a vain woman, extremely well satisfied with herself, and thinking much of her own importance." Why the active Mr. Knightley would even be interested in such a undeveloped young woman is a mystery to me. (  ) CynthiaBelgum | Jun 14, 2013 |  Don't get the fuss. Did not enjoy. ( ) bherner | Jun 9, 2013 |  tauruseducation | Jun 7, 2013 | Although convinced that she herself will never marry, Emma Woodhouse - beautiful, clever, rich and single - imagines herself to be naturally talented in match making. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her friend Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. My only experience with Austen before this was Pride and Prejudice, which I quite enjoyed, so I was surprised by how hard a time I had getting into Emma. The story dragged in the beginning for me and I found myself putting the book down quite often. There was a lack of plot and I found that saw things coming that the characters didn't which made their big reveals have less impact. The other issue I had was with Austen's writing style. Her use of language is beautiful. However, at some points when the story seems to be going very slowly it began to grate on me. She also seemed to do a lot of telling rather than showing. That said, by the third act I finally became more involved with the characters. They are funny, witty, annoying and quite memorable. The social commentary provided by the ladies was an interesting insight into the times back then. Some things are vastly different now and in others things haven't changed all that much. I'm glad I stuck it out. (  ) Narilka | May 27, 2013 | Wonderful. More later. (  ) Yona | May 2, 2013 | no reviews | add a review Is contained inThe complete novels of Jane Austen by Jane Austen Emma/Mansfield Park/Northanger Abbey/Persuasion/Pride and Prejudice/Sense and Sensibility AND Lady Susan by Jane Austen Emma/Mansfield Park/Northanger Abbey/Persuasion/Pride and Prejudice/Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Emma/Mansfield Park/Northanger Abbey/Persuasion/Pride and Predjudice/Sense and Sensibility AND Shorter Works by Jane Austen Emma/Persuasion/Pride And Prejudice/Sense And Sensibility by Jane Austen Emma AND Lady Susan by Jane Austen Emma/Pride and Prejudice/Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Emma/Northanger Abbey/Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Emma/Mansfield Park/Northanger Abbey/Persuasion/Pride and Prejudice/Sense and Sensibility AND Catharine/Lady Susan/Sanditon/The Watsons by Jane Austen Is retold inHas the (non-series) sequelThe Intrigue at Highbury: or, Emma's Match by Carrie Bebris Emma & Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Emma by Rachel Billington Has the adaptationClueless [movie] by Amy Heckerling Emma [abridged - Penguin Readers] by Jane Austen Is abridged inInspiredCold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons Jane Fairfax: a novel to complement EMMA by Jane Austen by Joan Aiken Jane Austen Made Me Do It: Original Stories Inspired by Literature's Most Astute Observer of the Human Heart by Laurel Ann Nattress Has as a reference guide/companionHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guide
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For Emma, raised to think well of herself, has such a high opinion of her own worth that it blinds her to the opinions of others. The story revolves around a comedy of errors: Emma befriends Harriet Smith, a young woman of unknown parentage, and attempts to remake her in her own image. Ignoring the gaping difference in their respective fortunes and stations in life, Emma convinces herself and her friend that Harriet should look as high as Emma herself might for a husband--and she zeroes in on an ambitious vicar as the perfect match. At the same time, she reads too much into a flirtation with Frank Churchill, the newly arrived son of family friends, and thoughtlessly starts a rumor about poor but beautiful Jane Fairfax, the beloved niece of two genteelly impoverished elderly ladies in the village. As Emma's fantastically misguided schemes threaten to surge out of control, the voice of reason is provided by Mr. Knightly, the Woodhouse's longtime friend and neighbor. Though Austen herself described Emma as "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like," she endowed her creation with enough charm to see her through her most egregious behavior, and the saving grace of being able to learn from her mistakes. By the end of the novel Harriet, Frank, and Jane are all properly accounted for, Emma is wiser (though certainly not sadder), and the reader has had the satisfaction of enjoying Jane Austen at the height of her powers. --Alix Wilber
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:51:59 -0500)
Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organises the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.
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31 editions of this book were published by Audible.com.
Penguin AustraliaFour editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia.
Editions: 0141439580, 0141028092, 0143106465, 0141199520
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