Emma (Penguin Classics)

I think I enjoyed this as much as Pride and Prejudice. I love a friends to lovers romance, so that aspect was great for me. I thought the insufferable characters were less insufferable than some other Austen novels, and the quirks of characters were more endearing to me than annoying. Miss Bates never annoyed me, I just loved her. My only complaint I think is with the classism, but that's a product of the time.

How can a book be so delightful as this one? Prepare yourself a cup of tea, some biscuits, and enjoy this romantic comedy from 1815. It cannot be more British, and aesthetic. Delicious!

I really struggled to get through this book, even though I am a big Austen fan. There are times where it felt like editing would have made a major difference, particularly with lengthy dialogue. This is one of the few times that I enjoy the movie adaptation more than the book because the movie is able to make strategic cuts that don’t impact the overall story. I do genuinely love Mr. Knightley and think he is one of the strongest male Austen characters. In the 1996 film adaptation, I thought Gwyneth Paltrow gave Emma charm and light spirit, which the book version seems to lack. I will probably skip this when re-reading Austen in the future.

too vacuous

2nd read 2021: i still find Emma to be an anti-heroine and the book largely plotless. This time through, I can laugh at the ironies of the stories told, savor the wit and planning involved in maintaining community relationships & rejoice in a few happy endings.

1st read: 2013 (audiobook)I usually love Austen - her wit is delightful and the little peccadilloes of Victorian life are quaint. Not so with Emma - which plays out in she said, she said form through a plethora of 'gossip girls for the Victorian age' mentality. I listened to it while driving and the reader was quite talented. Voice fit the story well. And I say story loosely. It's all about Emma meddling randomly in other people's livesm but seems to have no motion to the plot.