Emma (Penguin Clothbound Classics)

I have always loved "Sense and Sensibility" and wanted to expand into more of Austen's works. This one did not disappoint! It is a fantastic tale with all the usual Austen humor and wittiness that work so well in her stories! In fact, it is now up there with "Sense" as my favorite Austen work! "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her." The first sentence in the novel really sets the stage for all the mistakes the main character makes throughout! This novel tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a privileged young lady who, with nothing else to occupy her time, loves matchmaking among her friends. She loves it so much that she doesn't pay any attention to her true love right under her nose! Of course things don't go the way Emma would like and there are the usual misunderstandings but things work out in the end and everyone ends up with who they are destined to be with. This had been called one of Austen's best works and I can agree with that. I really loved this story. This certainly is the "lightest" of Austen's novels as you will not find any lives ruined or huge scandals that ruin reputations. It is simply (and wonderfully so) the story of a small, English village where the inhabitants really have nothing substantial to occupy their time; none more so than Emma. I think one of the things Austen is so marvelous at is her ability to really focus on her characters and their everyday lives and none of her novels do this as well as Emma. As there is no serious "action" the story must therefore focus on everyday occurrences. You could call this a comedy of manners as the characters revolve within a very strict code of behavior and etiquette where everything should move along very smoothly but of course, because of meddling (mainly Emma's) things always go completely wrong! The novel is full of the usual, heavy Austen dialogue and description which I'm sure can get tedious for some readers (I did find myself skimming over some of Miss. Bates' extended ramblings) but, as in her other novels, it does not get in the way and can really help the reader come to terms with a time very foreign from our own. Many modern readers find the "elitist" attitudes in Austen's books a turn off and condemn the novels. However, Austen is not intending to make these attitudes seem wonderful; if some readers would look closer they would realize that she is really satirizing these attitudes and showing them for the silliness they really were. The main character, Emma, can be a bit annoying at times, but she is so open about her own faults and weaknesses that its hard to dislike her. In fact, you do see her acknowledging in several places her mistakes and is able to laugh them off and learn from them. Austen herself said that Emma was a character that nobody would really like but herself; I disagree.Yes, she can come across as snobbish, arrogant, and overly conscious of her place in society but what can you expect from a girl who has been raised by a doting father and governess? Mixed with those slightly irritating qualities, though, is a sweetness and a true desire to be helpful which really makes her endearing. I highly doubt Emma's personality is that much different from other young ladies of the time. I think the true shining star in this novel, though, is Mr. Knightley, Emma's close friend and true English gentleman (supposedly this was Austen's favorite hero as well and created her ideal gentleman in him; his name is no accident). He is kind and thoughtful, witty and intelligent, but blunt and always ready to bring Emma back down to Earth. Their bantering back and forth is really charming. I only wish we knew more about Mr. Knightley's background and that we could see more of him in the novel! The rest of the characters in the novel are all brilliantly drawn and even though they are not the focus of the story, you come to know them as well as the two mains: the eccentric and hypochondriac Mr. Woodhouse, sweet and naive Harriet Smith, the kind Westons, slightly foppish Frank Churchill and the very reserved Jane Fairfax, the kindly Miss. and Mrs. Bates, and the exceedingly arrogant Eltons. This is a wonderful and delightful story and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is a light and charming story about a slightly flawed but kind young lady (and who among us is not flawed?) who, through a series of blunders, grows and matures. It is also a humorous story poking fun at the strict code of behavior and the social classes of the day.

Jane Austen has a lot of fans. I am one of them. My wife is another. People have been arguing the merits of Austen's novels for quite a number of years now; some people love her work, others do not. This is as it should be. We can take this premise of love/hate Austen a step further though. It has been my experience over the years that there is conflict even among those who love this writer's work and that everyone seems to have their favorite novel. This is also only right. The problem is though that I have found people who read Jane Austen are also a very opinionated lot and quite often harsh words are spoken when discussing the strengths, merits, flaws, dislikes, etc. of Austen's various works. Alas, I have to report to you that this is the case in our household; a normally peaceful place filled with tranquility and marital bliss...about 49 years of it...thank you very much! Yes, we are a family torn asunder. My wife (silly girl) feels that Emma is Austen's best work, while I, who am far more knowledgeable of such matters, prefer her novel, Pride and Prejudice...of which I am sure most of you will agree....me, not her, i.e. my mistaken wife. (Emma, bless her heart, is such an aggravating little twit). Anyway, this is really not a review of Emma, the work (I will admit that it is a very fine read worthy of multiple readings ever few years), but rather that of the actual book edition on sale here. I felt sorry for my wife when I saw her ragged copy stuffed into one of her already overly stuffed bookshelves and felt a new edition was in order. I bought this one for her. For the asking price of this book, including S&H, I cannot for the life of me figure out why people are disgruntled and unhappy with it. It is very well bound, the font is extremely readable, the quality of paper is quite good, the dust jacket is extremely attractive and all the pages were present. I check the binding very closely when the book arrived, and again, for what I paid for this thing, it was excellent! Trust me...I know about such things. Hey folks, this is not advertized nor is it a leather bound first edition! This is a workable, useful book for everyday use. Now I have both this work and P&P down loaded to my Kindle. The chances of my wife ever using one of these reading machines are as about as likely as pigs flying next mayday. It ain't going to happen. Therefore, she now has a new hardback book; one that will quite likely outlast both of us; It did not cost me a fortune. She can read her copy; I can read mine and the war between us that has been going on since we were in our early teens can continue. Bottom line...this is a good buy. And I must tell you, my wife was delighted with it. Don Blankenship The Ozarks

I read Emma for an English class many years ago. I remembered that I'd enjoyed it and as I approach the big 7-0, I thought that I would read it again. Surprisingly, I found it to be more ponderous than I'd remembered it. Lots of beating a topic to death. Endless sentences (but then that's Jane Austen!). There were many days and nights when I'd fall asleep while reading. But, all in all, Emma kept me coming back to the story. Never wanted to give up on it. Emma has her flaws, but in my opinion she isn't half as bad as many reviewers make her out to be. She's manipulative but in the spirit of wanting the best for a friend. She enjoys matchmaking as she believes that this is the closest she will get to romantic love, that her duties to her elderly father preclude any romance for herself. Much of the joy of this book for me was that there is more to it than just the typical characteristics of an Austen novel--finding romance in a world of rigid class distinctions and wealth disparities. This book contains all of this, but also plays up the idiosyncrasies of people which have nothing to do with class or wealth--such things as food preferences, desire for home life over social life, aversion to certain types of weather, and a tendency to talk almost continuously about virtually nothing. These parts of the novel are some of my favorites because some of the characters with their phobias and addictions remind me of people in my family so it's a truly entertaining aspect for me. I was very pleased with the ending. Jane Austen ties things up neatly. She's not like so many of our modern writers today who are in love with the ambiguous ending (I've read many such books and have enjoyed them), but it's so nice to read an old-fashioned story occasionally and to know that it's all going to work out and that you may even cry as I did at some of the touching, romantic parts at the end (even though there was not so much as a kiss!), Austen has a way of communicating deep emotion. The couple can deeply move the reader, just in the way they look at one another or join hands. Even though the ending is satisfying, the book keeps us on edge and makes us wonder how it will all work out to everyone's satisfaction. Lots of plot twists and surprises. You'll feel for the characters and long for them to find love.

I haven't read a Jane Austen novel in years. The last time I read one of her novels I was very young and it was not by choice. If you want to rediscover Jane Austen, start with Emma. This novel is about a very snobby, spoiled, and at times malicious young lady by the name of Emma Woodhouse. Emma lives in the village of Highbury with her hypchondriac father. After Emma's Governess, who throughout the book is known as Mrs Weston marries, Emma is left with a lot of time on her hands. I'm afraid she does not use this time wisely. Emma finds a new friend and protege in Harriet Smith, a young lady with an unknown past who Emma takes under her wing. Emma brings it upon herself to give young Harriet somewhat of a social makeover. She induces her to aspire to greatness and put on airs proper to a lady of Emma's class, although she's not even sure what class Harriet belongs to. When Harriet is offered marriage by a farmer by the name of Mr Martin, Emma is horrified! She convinces Harrriet that such a man is hardly worthy of her and intices her to find romance with the handsome but vain vicor, Mr Elton. Emma's disasterous matchmaking decison is the focus of the book. I found this novel incredibly amusing! Emma's unbashed snobbery, Harriet's ignorance, Mr Woodhouse's constant worry of illness befalling every character in the book. This book is literally laugh out loud funny at times. The novel features many other equally amusing characters. Mr Knightley, Emma's sister's brother-in-law, who is the one person in the novel to always tell Emma how it really is. The chatty and annoying Mrs Bates, the insufferable Augusta Elton who is almost as full of herself as Emma. When Jane Austen wrote this book she claimed no one but herself would like Emma Woodhouse. Emma is conceited and selfish, but the beauty of this book is that Emma is forced to come to terms with what her behavior has caused her and those she loves. The Emma you meet at the beginning of the novel is not the same Emma that you say goodbye to at the end. If you want a simple description of what this novel is about I will tell you that it is about a young lady's road to maturity and growth. Jane Austen isn't for everyone, but if you are curious or want to give her novels another try, start with Emma. It's guaranteed to renew your interest in one of the greatest writers in English literature. Five stars!!

Although I will never be a fan of Jane Austen -- her works are too tedious for my taste -- I have recently enjoyed a couple of them in audio version, this being one of them. Emma is the story of a well-to-do young lady who likes to arrange matches for her friends. With her mother long deceased, her sister and governess married and in their own households, and living alone with her fussy, silly, doddering old father, there is no one in Emma's life to curb her self-important interference into other people's affairs. Mr. Knightley, a long-time friend of the family and Emma's brother-in-law, is the only one who will even dare to criticize her, as everyone else in Emma's life thinks she is perfect. The story centers around Emma's relationship with Harriet Smith, a poor younger woman in unfortunate circumstances, who Emma takes under her wing, convinced that she can improve Harriet and make a perfect match for her. Alas, every one of Emma's schemes goes awry as she constantly misunderstands and misinterprets the feelings and actions of others, and poor Harriet suffers as a result. It is a credit to Jane Austen's ability to create subtle, nuanced characters that I liked Emma. She was full of qualities that should make her unlikeable, and yet I liked her in spite of her flaws. And when she bore Mr. Knightley's somewhat harsh criticism of a particular instance of bad behavior with grace and contrition, I knew my liking of her was justified. All that being said, this book isn't nor ever can be one of my favorites. It was too long and drawn out -- as Miss Austen's works tend to be -- for my taste. It took me much longer to finish this book than it should have, simply because I often lost interest and did other things rather than listen to it. I also don't particularly care for tidy, they-all-lived-happily-ever-after endings such as this book has. The narrator, Nadia May, does a fine job. Although narrators can make or break any audio book, I find they are particulary crucial to Jane Austen's works. Her books need more than just a nice, pleasant voice, they need some character and drama to keep them from becoming just so much monotonous background noise.

I'm reading Emma again for the third time. It happened like this: I thought I'd try an audio book on CD for the first time, something to listen to in the car besides music. Scanning the shelves at the local bookstore, I saw loads of contemporary best sellers, self and financial help, new age and evangelical Christian spirituality, and Jane Austen's Emma in MP3 format, all on one disc. Austen! Water in the desert! I scooped her up. For the last week I've been listening to her in my car. At the beginning it was without much concentration. Over the next few days my attention gradually increased. Now I'm hooked. Down the throat. Through the gut. Again. It happens to me every time I return to Jane. I just can't get enough. The last two nights I've gone to bed reading ahead of where I've listened. Even though the story is coming back to me, I'm still taken by it, hook line & sinker. Jane's reeling me in, and the line is utterly slack. Now, I am a guy. I break out in hives if I happen to accidentally brush a romance novel. As far as I am concerned, bodice rippers where the tall olive skinned duke inevitably has his forceful yet gentle way with the heroine are good only as ammunition with which to tease the women in my life who enjoy such tripe. Having said this, I realize a lot of people also refer to Jane Austen as "Chick Lit," equating her with the likes of Nicolas Sparks. For the record, those people are on crack. Austen is much more a comedic writer than a writer of what we call romances. She is simply a hoot. Subtle disjunctures and ironies build to exquisite crescendos. She has me laughing every other page. Her characters, even her unpleasant and ridiculous ones, tend to breed sympathy. Like most of my favorite books, she creates worlds, or a world, really (all of her books are set in the same historic and geographic milieu,) which comforts and gladdens. The feeling I get from her is much like the feeling I get when I read Tolkien describe the Shire or Last Homely House, or something like the children's book Frog & Toad to my niece. It's an eating poached egg on toast snuggled up inside under a quilt on the couch with a cup of tea on a rainy day kind of feeling. (Don't you just love English prepositions and phrasal verbs? Try doing that in French! Austen and phrasal verbs: two of the many reasons English speakers ought to rejoice in their language, I say!) Anyway, during all of her stories, including Emma, Europe was being blown apart by the Napoleonic Wars, and the only oblique references in any of her stories to that maelstrom is that Great Britain has a mobilized Army (Pride & Prejudice) and an active Navy (Persuasion.) The reason the military is important has nothing to do with Austerlitz, Waterloo, Trafalgar or any of that nonsense. Rather, it is that both services have officers which make very suitable suitors for women of her heroines' social positions (Lt. Wickham & Capt. Wentworth, for example.) Some brand this awful: elitist, sexist, parochial. I, for one, find it beautiful. Small, intimate, ordered, secure, anchored. Very human and sane, that is. What matters most is not what some silly diminutive one armed Corsican with maniacal delusions of world conquest is doing; no. What really matters is whether and how Mr. Woodhouse takes his gruel, or if Mr. Elton will propose to Harriet. Or if Mr. Knightly and Mrs. Weston have come to visit yet, today. Will Mr. Frank Churchill come, and what is he like? Has Emma truly foiled Mr. Martin's advances on her friend, he being an entirely unsuitable yeoman farmer? Harriet must marry a gentleman, you see. Just so. Indeed, these are truly the things that mattered- and still matter- most. Don't let the history books and the reverse snobbery of some critics fool you. Instead go read this book, and every other that Jane wrote, and prepare to be enchanted.

Smart clever page turner. Lessons on triangulation and snobbery. Vivid detailed. One could a rgue too detailed perhaps. Secrets can be vicious and damaging.

In this timeless Jane Austen classic, Emma Woodhouse is young, rich, and beautiful. She is happy and comfortable, without any complaint in the worry, doted on by everyone around her, especially her pleasant father. A tragedy in the Woodhouse household is when someone departs -- first the eldest daughter Isabella and then the beloved governess -- but both Emma and her father are assured and comforted by the strongest belief that the two could never leave each other. The departure of her governess has vexed Emma though, and bored and feeling mischievous Emma decides to take on a new plaything -- a young impressionable Harriet Smith -- and play match-maker. In the rustic bubble that is the lower British aristocracy, there is no crime, poverty, and disease, and everyone ends up marrying their rich, well-to-do, and articulate cousin or neighbor anyway. Marriage then is a very low-stakes game, but because it is a game people -- especially Emma -- take it far too seriously, and seek to marry for the greatest advantage possible (marriage is for "security, stability, and improvement" in her words). In her silly game-playing Emma mischievously plays with the feelings of all those around her, and in her silly mischief ends up marrying herself to the perfect man. I did not enjoy "Emma" as much as I thought I would. Sometimes, the writing is beautiful and musical, as per Austen's intention. But sometimes it can be clunky and overwrought as well. The plot -- if what happens can be called a plot -- is low-stakes and meaningless, empty and silly gossip and chatter in people's parlour-rooms. And insight into the priorities of high-born women intent on marriage -- especially the evasiveness and trickiness of their emotions -- is better handled by Iris Murdoch and Edith Wharton. What recommends the book -- and why it remains a timeless classic -- is that it is a perfect and timeless encapsulation of the priorities, engagements, and thinking of wealthy women in any society and in any time -- the desire to maintain peace, grace, and the veneer of friendliness in their small society, while blocking out anything unpleasant or threatening to their small society.