Reviews - Emma Illustrated

17.8k reviews for:

Emma Illustrated

Jane Austen

4.0 AVERAGE

tbfrog's review against another edition

4.5

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

rarchar's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

paleflyer's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoy Jane Austen’s books. I love that time period, it draws me in for some reason. I did not especially enjoy Emma as much as other books that she has written, however. Emma was insufferable, which she was meant to be. She never changed. She remained selfish to the end – but perhaps that is realistic. Some people don’t really change. She received everything she wanted but to no credit to herself. She was perfectly happy to throw her friend Harriet under the bus despite feeling bad about it – it simply had to be done.
I think Mr. Knightly loved her for her faults, and I do love his character. He was probably the saving grace of the book, the one character I didn't find annoying and self-obsessed. Mr. Woodhouse was awfully boorish and I don’t think if he were real I could stand to be around him for more than a few minutes. Second that thought for poor Miss Bates and Mrs. Elton.
While the people in the book were very grating I did enjoy it. It was not by any means the greatest book I've read lately, and I already knew the story very well (the movie adaptation is incredibly close in its depiction, if not lacking in good direction), but I did still like it.