Scan barcode
A review by the_pale_woman
Emma by Jane Austen
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.
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
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.