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eggsoap's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-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
3.25
I found Emma to be the hardest of Austen's novels to get through of the ones ive read. The blatant self-importance of Emma herself isn't that different to many Austen characters but the fact that this leads her to veiw of the people around her has mainly seeming to exist for her entertainment makes her hard to like. She probably has the most character development of any of Austen's heroines throughout her novel, except maybe Lizzy Bennett, but the vhange happens much later in the story for Emma and she does a lot more outward harm through her actions before the development.
The biggest point in Emma's favour is that her character growth is mainly self prompted. She doesn't really need any prompting beyond Mr Knightly telling her how much she hurt Miss Bates on the Box Hill trip to begin her self-reflection and attempts to repent. She has a lot of loyalty for the people in Highbury, but it is only once she actually sees just how arrogant she has become and reflect on rhe damage that it has done that she really is able be properly generous and display the care to the people around her that she should. Due to her own guilt she does develop and become kinder and stops treating the lives others as her entertainment.
Ironically, it is her arrogance makes Emma's romance with Mr. Knightly so satisfying to read. They know each other so well and they care about each other so obviously, that Emma's willfull blindess his and her own feelings and complete resolution to never marry, make the payoff that much better in the end. They might be my favourite couple, if I could get over Mr Knightly admitting to Emma that he fell in love with her when she was 13. Yuck.
The biggest point in Emma's favour is that her character growth is mainly self prompted. She doesn't really need any prompting beyond Mr Knightly telling her how much she hurt Miss Bates on the Box Hill trip to begin her self-reflection and attempts to repent. She has a lot of loyalty for the people in Highbury, but it is only once she actually sees just how arrogant she has become and reflect on rhe damage that it has done that she really is able be properly generous and display the care to the people around her that she should. Due to her own guilt she does develop and become kinder and stops treating the lives others as her entertainment.
Ironically, it is her arrogance makes Emma's romance with Mr. Knightly so satisfying to read. They know each other so well and they care about each other so obviously, that Emma's willfull blindess his and her own feelings and complete resolution to never marry, make the payoff that much better in the end. They might be my favourite couple, if I could get over Mr Knightly admitting to Emma that he fell in love with her when she was 13. Yuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Addiction
nehanaomi's review against another edition
funny
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? Yes
4.0
I'm choosing to ignore that ONE part of Mr. Knightley's character.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism
jessthanthree's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, and Classism
Minor: Racism
ratthew86's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.0
Definitely wasn’t in the right place when I picked this up (extremely stressed, busy, anxious) but by the end I did feel as if I was able to have some fun with it. I really felt the length of this because of how extremely character-driven it was but also, having watched (and loved) the recent movie adaptation definitely added to the slow pace. I wouldn’t recommend people start with this Austen book but if you enjoy her other novels you’ll like enjoy this too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexism and Toxic friendship
natanidae's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
elysh_kaye's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
4.75
Things I have learned:
- society silly
- Mr Knightly sexc
I think this is my favourite classic and definitely Austen's most accessible in "easy-to-read"-ness. I found the social commentary incredibly funny, the banter sexc and witty and the character development gorgeous to examine. l
My favourite lines: (spoilers I guess)
"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more"
-
"You will find how very much he suffers"
"I hope he does"
Of course, like many classics, one storyline has definitely aged poorly. The plot where Harriet is attacked by travellers contains the g-slur used against the Romani people along with the stereotyping.
- society silly
- Mr Knightly sexc
I think this is my favourite classic and definitely Austen's most accessible in "easy-to-read"-ness. I found the social commentary incredibly funny, the banter sexc and witty and the character development gorgeous to examine. l
My favourite lines: (spoilers I guess)
"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more"
-
"You will find how very much he suffers"
"I hope he does"
Of course, like many classics, one storyline has definitely aged poorly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs
Of course, like many classics, one storyline has definitely aged poorly.sofipitch's review against another edition
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
5.0
Charming as always, this was a reread and I remember Emma being the first of Austen's books that I ever read. They really do feel timeless in how authentic the characters feel.
I will say a bit of racism with having Romani ppl scare Harriet but also how accurate it was in terms of how the Romani do nothing to actually deserve being hated was darkly funny. It's literally just children begging and a full grown woman is fainting and acting like she's going to be killed 🙄
I will say a bit of racism with having Romani ppl scare Harriet but also how accurate it was in terms of how the Romani do nothing to actually deserve being hated was darkly funny. It's literally just children begging and a full grown woman is fainting and acting like she's going to be killed 🙄
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Racial slurs and Classism
adrizeuza's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Racial slurs
cornustella's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book took me a tremendous amount of time to read (I go to a german gymnasium I hope it's understandable) but Jane Austen has not failed to impress me once again (I'm from her hometown!). I found Emma way easier to read than Pride and Prejudice, it's just well, it's a longer story and I've been really busy so it took me quite a while. It was still worth the read and a really good book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs and Death of parent
anna_wa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-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
5.0
Jo: She says the whole book that she doesn't want to marry. It's consistent.
Dashwood: Who cares? Girls want to see women MARRIED. Not CONSISTENT.
[...] Jo: Fine.
(Little Women 2019)
Out of all the Jane Austen books I read this semester, this one was my favorite. Why? It's hard for me to say exactly. By all accounts it should be my least favorite, since it is the most conservative book she ever wrote: with everybody marrying in the same social class they were born into, and nobody rising above said social class (which is what Elizabeth Bennett, Marianne Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Catherine Morland all did), and also way less subtle political commentary than other books of hers.
A lot of that conservativism has to do with 1. the fact that she was begged into dedicating the book to the Prince (whom she did not like, but could also not refuse) and 2. the fact that this book was actually published by a big publishing company, as opposed to self published.
So yes, why /was/ Austen's most conservative novel my favorite of all her novels? I'm still trying to figure that out. If I had to guess though, it's because of the main character. When Austen was alive, she said of Emma: "I'm going to create a heroine whom nobody but myself will like". Yet, I and my classmates loved Emma.
Emma is just so amusing and I found it fun to laugh at how absolutely clueless she was in the beginning of the book, and yet how simultaneously endearing she was. I loved her desire to be a spinster (which, of course, got broken at the end, but whatever) and her love for her father/putting her father before anybody else in her life. I loved her character journey and how she learned to admit when she was wrong and make amends.
I loved the other characters too. I loved Mr. Woodhouse, who was also adorably clueless and reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. I loved Mr. Knightley(even though I personally don't believe he should've been married to Emma - because I wish Emma had stayed a spinster) and how he worked as someone to bring Emma back down to Earth and reality. I loved pretty much everyone except for Mrs. Elton (I could even feel slightly sorry for Mr. Elton, but I absolutely have 0 good things to say about Mrs. Elton).
It has been an honor to work my way through Jane Austen's bibliography this semester(even though I never finished Mansfield Park and don't know if/when I will) and this one, especially, was wonderful. Thank you Jane Austen!
Dashwood: Who cares? Girls want to see women MARRIED. Not CONSISTENT.
[...] Jo: Fine.
(Little Women 2019)
Out of all the Jane Austen books I read this semester, this one was my favorite. Why? It's hard for me to say exactly. By all accounts it should be my least favorite, since it is the most conservative book she ever wrote: with everybody marrying in the same social class they were born into, and nobody rising above said social class (which is what Elizabeth Bennett, Marianne Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Catherine Morland all did), and also way less subtle political commentary than other books of hers.
A lot of that conservativism has to do with 1. the fact that she was begged into dedicating the book to the Prince (whom she did not like, but could also not refuse) and 2. the fact that this book was actually published by a big publishing company, as opposed to self published.
So yes, why /was/ Austen's most conservative novel my favorite of all her novels? I'm still trying to figure that out. If I had to guess though, it's because of the main character. When Austen was alive, she said of Emma: "I'm going to create a heroine whom nobody but myself will like". Yet, I and my classmates loved Emma.
Emma is just so amusing and I found it fun to laugh at how absolutely clueless she was in the beginning of the book, and yet how simultaneously endearing she was. I loved her desire to be a spinster (which, of course, got broken at the end, but whatever) and her love for her father/putting her father before anybody else in her life. I loved her character journey and how she learned to admit when she was wrong and make amends.
I loved the other characters too. I loved Mr. Woodhouse, who was also adorably clueless and reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. I loved Mr. Knightley
It has been an honor to work my way through Jane Austen's bibliography this semester
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
G slur (against Romani people), anti-Romani stereotypes, F slur (used to mean 'exhausted'?)