Reviews

Emma by Jane Austen

rubywr16's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-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

5.0

Jane austen's masterpiece 10/10

dguelere's review against another edition

3.0

Não consegui me conectar nada com esse livro e achei tudo meio meh... dei 3 estrelas pq a escrita da Jane é boa mas a história me irritou do começo ao fim.

the_pale_woman's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

5.0

I might categorize this as a cozy classic. The miscommunication didn't stress me out, and the obnoxious characters didn't annoy me as much as I was anticipating. So, really, this was kind of a chill read. Even the romance was mellow. 

One thing that really got me thinking about this book was trying to figure out what the characters weren't telling us. There are a few bits of gossip that get mentioned, and I have my own ideas about what's really going on there. By the end, I started to look at every character with a bit of suspicion, to be honest.

SPOILERS 

I have a suspension, Mr. Weston's original wife and Frank Churchill's mother killed herself when she was cut off from her parents and wealth. She died five years after the marriage. Austen would never say something like this out right, but the way her story was told suggested that we were getting the polite version. 

There is a possibility that Frank Churchill may have been involved in the demise of his grandmother. It is mentioned that she had a pattern of feigning illness to manipulate those around her. When she died, it was assumed that she had been genuinely unwell all along. However, Frank had several motives to want her dead. She exercised control over his life, managed his finances, and would have been an obstacle for a potential marriage with anyone, particularly Jane.

Mr. Knightly groomed Emma. He is almost twice her age, and when they get together at the end, he tells her that he's had his mind set on her since she was 13! While this isn't a theory pre se (because it was actually quite blatant), it does qualify as an issue too quickly glossed over. Then, thinking back over the book, you realize that this is the reason this guy is around all the time. It's not even romantic cause all he does is reprimand her and try to correct her behavior to his standards. Emma deserves every rebuke, but when it comes from someone who raised her and wants to marry her... it takes on a sinister quality.

sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

2.0

It has been said of Emma Clueless Wood house that her middlename has come to become a word entered into dictionaries for very good reasons. As some critics have noticed that she won't notice the elephant in the room even if it was to make loud noises, dance on it's trunk or splash water on her. She will noticed the odd presence in the place only if someone gave a verbal and explicit hint to her while pointing finger at the creature

..... In which case, she is sure to feel excited believing pony she has ordered has arrived.

ranee_samaniego's review against another edition

4.0

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Emma. I had tried to read Emma twice before, but I could never get far into the novel because Emma's pride, arrogance, and annoyingness were too much for me to feel like I could support this protagonist.

This time, I was determined to finish - and I am so glad I did! By the end, I was proud of Emma, so pleased to see how Emma grew, and was rooting for her to have a happy ending.

gkgkgk's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

aherman18's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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

3.75

beammey's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely loved this. A quick read, I liked the take on it. I mean, come on, classics in manga? Yes, please! The pictures were gorgeous. Amazing. Five stars.

naturallynoni's review against another edition

3.0

Pretty slow start. Everything picked up in the last 1/3 of the book. I didn't like Emma at first because she seemed pretty self righteous. But she ended up growing on me by the end. The book just seemed like a giant gossip column.

sg22's review against another edition

relaxing slow-paced

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

3.5