Reviews with content warning for Death - Emma

yeah so the fact that he was in love with her when she was like 13 doesn't sit right with me and the four starts are for emma and emma only bc she is an icon and i love her

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catherinedsharp's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

DISCLAIMER - I read this text as a set text for university meaning I did not pick this up for myself. It does not necessarily fit my usual reading selection so my review may be rather biased.

I have found my favourite Austen! Despite going into reading knowing the plot (I have watched the most recent film adaptation) I very much enjoyed my time reading this novel.

Characters who made me laugh out loud with their dialogue, development in personality and a lighthearted plot that ends in happiness.

I would highly recommend reading this classic of a novel, it is a fun journey that was very enjoyable.

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hannahbailey's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

TW: sexism, classism and gypsy/traveller stereotypes

Jane, I'm so sorry I didn't like this. I just visited your house and loved it. You're a feminist icon! But wow, this book is long and boring. I did enjoy Pride and Prejudice though, so I'm not an Austen hater. This book just wasn't for me.

People that know me know I hate long sentences. Punctuation is free to use guys, you don't have to fill a whole page with your monologue. Taking a breath is ok. Letting someone else speak every once in a while is ok. What's not ok is saying something in five paragraphs that could be said in one line! The way this novel was written combined with the very dry subject matter made it an absolute SLOG to get through. If it wasn't a renowned and popular classic written by a woman, I would've dnf'd. I like to support women where I can 😌

I would say that some parts were enjoyable and it did feel ahead of its time. The women were often outspoken and sometimes cheeky and unafraid to turn down a marriage proposal. Most of them showed independence of thought and self, which was quite refreshing. Some of the characters were endearing and likeable, but most of them were snobby and uptight. Every new character introduced was more boring and annoying than the last. It's a surprise that I managed to get through the whole thing. Emma was especially judgemental and liked to categorise people by their class, which was always lower than her own. The Tory party would love her!

I can appreciate this was a gentle critique of marital arrangements and women's place in society at the time, but Austen could not keep me engaged nor interested in what was going on. Which, to be fair, wasn't much, given that rich people back then seemed to do nothing other than visit each other's houses and look down upon the poor. And if it was bad weather, write to each other instead. Rather similar to now I suppose.

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nkazi's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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idajoh's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Absolutely loved this book. I could overlook some of the dated things such as classism and misoginy, but one aspect just absolutely revolted me.

I hated that Mr. Knightley basically groomed Emma and that he was so much older than her. I loved their chemistry however and predicted their match from early on, but I just wished he had not seen her grow up!

I actually regretted starting this a bit, but only because I've heard this is one of Austen's best works and I don't want to be disappointed by her other books because I loved this one so much

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savannahrb's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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books_hello's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I would have to say I did not thoroughly enjoy the book Emma. I have read pride and prejudice, and sense and sensibility and enjoyed both those books. I especially enjoyed sense and sensibility. But I think the main problem of this book, for me is I didn't like the character Emma. I felt I could not connect to her. I did already know some of the plot so I kept reading. But It if I did not know the plot I would not have. She was such a 'miss know it all' and I didn't like that. I know that's the point of the book, but I just found myself getting annoyed by her. I wish I liked it more :(

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