Sunday 29 August 2010

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

In the summer, I always try to read some classics, because I have the time to concentrate and read them properly.  My sister is a Jane Austen nerd (she did a module called 'Reading the Romance' at university) and gave me an extra copy of Emma a few weeks ago, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Synopsis: Emma fancies herself as a bit of a matchmaker and tries to set up all of her friends, although things don't quite go as she plans.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I liked this book well enough.  The character of Emma was engaging (I loved that she wasn't perfect) and easy to relate to.  Austen used the trick of letting the reader know what Emma didn't, meaning that we could easily see what was going to go wrong and sometimes it was funny (though probably would have been funnier when it was published).  Some of the more minor characters were really well done too, especially Harriet and Mr Elton.

I just didn't love the book though, like I loved 'Pride and Prejudice'.  It seemed very long and not much actually happened. All the comic plays on class distinctions were not as relevant or sharp as they would have been when it was written.  And Mr Knightley seemed too perfect, not like a real person at all.  If he really was that perfect, why did he like Emma?

All in all, a good read but not as good as I hoped it would be.

7 comments:

  1. I wish I had the patience to read the classics. I just can't quite focus on them :( (resulting in a half read Pride & Prejudice and a barely opened Paradise Lost)

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  2. You definitely have to be in the right frame of mind for a classic.

    Good luck with the blogging. I have just recently started a blog, and I see we are both from the UK.

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  3. I have to be in the mood for classics, definitely. And some are much easier to read than others - I loved Dracula but find anything by Dickens almost impossible to read.

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  4. Hey Sam, thanks for following my blog. I went back to the discussion on Book Blogs and found your link and when I saw your profile pic and name on here, I realised that I recognised you as my latest follower.

    I just joined the 2010 Jane Austen Challenge (a bit late!) so I'll be reading Emma soon so it was nice to see your thoughts on it.

    I'm following you too now and I look forward to reading your future posts!

    Stephanie

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  5. Hi Sam, I'm also from bookblogs.ning, good luck blogging.

    http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

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  6. @Stephanie :) (Books Are A Girl's Best Friend)

    Hi Stephanie,

    Good luck with the Jane Austen challenge, Pride & Prejudice is my favourite Austen. Look forward to reading your review of them :)

    Sam

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  7. @Man of la Books

    Hi,

    Had a look at your blog and I'm following you now :)

    Sam

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