Book Review: Emma

Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Published: Sometime in 1815
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Hardback or Paperback: Paperback
Acquired: Bought used from a thrift store
Pages: 474
Rating: 5 stars




Summary:
I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.'
Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

Review:
I will be very upfront and honest when I say that the writing style took a while to get used to. When I read the first 50 pages it felt like I was just drowning in a sea of words, however it became easier as I progressed. I feel that writers like Dickens, Shakespeare, Austen, Bronte, etc. are people that you either adore and cannot stand. There is not a lot of middle ground with these writers. Are they wordy? yes! Does their signature style take a minute to adjust to? yes! That is because you do not talk like that in modern day language. No one would stick around to hear someone lament for a long period of time over how pretty the sunset is or take a full paragraph to say what could be condensed into one sentence. That is the beauty of these types of writers though is that they do say things in a way that deviates from the norm of everyday speech. I am not saying that you have to pretend this style of writing if you really do not care for it but I still feel like classics are worth reading because they are considered a classic for a reason. I for one want to find out what I can learn from them.

I went into this book knowing that Emma was meant to be a satire. A young women who defies social norms by making it known that she never intends to marry but has no problem meddling in the love affairs of others, particularly her good friend Harriet Smith. Emma is rich, slightly spoiled, highly judgmental, and also particularly good hearted. It is this good nature that truly just wants to see her friend happy and that cares for others who are not on her level of social status. As for some of her views on the world one must remember that this book was written and published in the 1800's when social status and wealth were of the upmost importance. If one was in good social standing by birth the options were limitless but if they were not in good status by birth then you had better make some friends in high places. That is the social undertone in the book that I feel can often be missed if you get bogged down in the shallow nature of our main character. However, back then that is what was expected of women. They should get married, have children, and take care of the estate. One must remember to judge the book based on the social context of when it was written. I am pretty sure that Jane Austen would have burned at the stake if she had taken too much liberty with her characters.

Personally I absolutely loved the book! The character growth that is achieved by Emma is slightly astounding. In the beginning she is blind to her own feelings about certain people but through the course of the book she begins to change her perception of herself and of the people who surround her. I think that the fact that the character has some flaws and that she is made acutely aware of them is a breath of fresh air. Often in novels a character has a flaw but everyone around them as well as themselves are either blind to them or just simply overlook them. The fact that Mr. Knightley continually calls her out when her flaws show and eventually makes her see that her actions do in fact have consequences just made my heart smile.

Though the writing style was tough I definitely see the merit of this book and hope to pick up more by Austen and others with the same style of writing. Let me know if you are fan of wordy novels or if you cannot stand them.

Happy Reading!