a thousand books: Emma

Emma by Jane Austen


My rating: 3 of 5 stars




My mother got me a copy of Emma when I was probably around eight or nine- a desperate attempt to pull me away from the lure of the Babysitters Club, most likely. I tried reading it several times, but didn't actually complete reading it until high school. I also studied it for my English Novel class in my final year of college.

The titular heroine is a bright yet selfish young lady of privilege who doesn't feel the need to marry, so she busies herself with arranging marriages for others, particularly for her impoverished friend Harriet Smith. Very few of Emma's grand schemes come together, but in the end all is well and everyone is happy.

I have to confess something. I hate Jane Austen's books. They bore me to tears. Even the Keira Knightley version that everyone waxed poetic over couldn't hold my attention. (Second confession: I watch Jane Austen movies for the dresses). Out of all of her books, the only one that I have genuinely enjoyed is Emma, mostly because I see a great deal of myself in her personality. It's well-written and is undoubtedly a classic...but Emma is still hard for me to slog through.

Four books down, 996 to go.

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