Author: Jane Austen (O.o I did not know that her name was spelled with an E instead of an I until just today. So the label on this post will still say Jane Austin, instead of Jane Austen. Funny thing to not notice, right? EDIT 12/22/14: I've just got an changed the label because otherwise it would annoy me.)
Synopsis: 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.
(From Goodreads, because I couldn't think one up.)
My rating: 9/10 stars.
Things I didn't like/things you should know: I can't think of a single thing that was wrong about this book, in terms of cleanness. Emma takes God's name in vain a few times near the end of the book.... But that's about it.
One thing, however, annoyed me. Numerous times throughout the book, instead of saying, "I went to the store and bought some apples because I am going to make an apple pie," Jane Austen wrote, "She went to the store and bought some apples because she is going to make an apple pie." She would put it in quotations, but write it as if it weren't in quotations. That annoyed me.
My thoughts: This was a great book! I'm a fan of Jane Austen anyway. Emma doesn't quite top Pride and Prejudice (or Sense and Sensibility... though I'd need to re-read that one before making up my mind entirely), but it is a wonderful book! I especially loved the last 19 chapters (part three, in my version). The last 19 chapters is when all my favorite parts happen - the ball, Box Hill, the proposal.... *dreamy sigh.*
Emma is very well-written and has Jane Austen's usual humor, which I love.
What I really loved about this book, though, was the character development. The book takes place over a period of about a year and Emma learns and changes through that year. You can see her innermost thoughts, and can see how her mistakes make her into a better person. She's a totally different person by the end of the book, than she was at the beginning. I love seeing that in literature.
Would I recommend this book? Yes! To fans of books like Jane Austen's, Emma will delight.
And if you don't want to read the book.... go watch BBC's 2009 version of Emma! It is amazing! Very accurate to the book, I think - and just beautiful to watch.
I started reading the book and watched the movie. It is definitely very interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteI have watched ... four versions of Emma this month. Two BBC's (there are two, and the one I told you about before was actually the older version which was even more book accurate in most parts), the Gweneth Paltrow (found it at my library, actually wasn't as bad as I feared. But their Harriet ... I was calling her Juliet by the end.) and the other one where they had an Ella for an Emma. (In my opinion)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I prefer this book to P&P, though I'm not saying it's a BETTER book. The twists are better in P&P, but I like the character development of Emma. Also I'm more assured of the happily ever afters. I know that Emma and Knightly will get along just fine ... Lizzy and Darcy, not so much. I guess that's why Jane had to add the epilogue to P&P, so we could be certain that it worked out. We know that it will with Emma.
Considering I don't read too much of Austen, this actually sounds kind of interesting. I might give it a try, should I manage to squeeze in the time for it.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of reading this book for about a year, but I've still not decided. I will watch the movie though, as soon as I can find the right one. I want to see E-Lock in Mr. Darcy style clothes. Also, I've been told I'm a lot like Emma because I am always plotting who of my friends would make good couples.
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