A review by serenereader9
Emma by Jane Austen

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

4.5

I had a great time listening to Emma as an audio book. I think I would've lost steam if I had seen the actual length and number of pages, but on audio it was great. I thought it was very funny and didn't know that Clueless was an adaptation of Emma until I saw someone else say so. Luckily I was near the end of the book and so I saw the parallels in plot that were very interesting because of the subtelness in similarities. Emma certainly had some ideas that would've been frowned upon today but she grows into a more accepting person who is less conceited by the end. Jane Austen writes the antagonists so well in each of the books I've read from her, that I always end up feeling very annoyed by them that I just want them to shut up! I thought all the characters were interesting and it was funny how Mrs. Elton and Emma are very similar in how they choose someone to be their "project" to transform and shape their lives. Mrs Elton doesn't, however, have the better qualities in Emma to balance out her negative ones. It was also very interesting to see how vital social status was for marriage back in those days, that everyone thought about it so much. I think it's also a warning to not be blind to people's real intentions, seeing only what you want to in them.

Emma is surprised by Elton's admiration of her, Harriet doesn't see how Emma manipulates her, Jane lets Mrs Elton boss her around and constrict her.