Customer Reviews
An Exquisite Novel - By: David Rush, 19 Mar 2008 
"Emma" by Jane Austen is easily one of the greatest novels ever written. Simple yet subtley multi-layered, it tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, the daughter of a rich landowner who finds herself living alone with him when her Governess marries & moves out of the family home of Hartfield. As a result, most of the day she is confined to staying in the house & looking after her Father & as there is precious little to do in the evening, finds herself desperate for amusement.
It is revealed very early on in the novel that Emma likes to match people up together & see how things turn out. She is a self proclaimed imaginist, although her playful games sometimes get out of hand, causing problems & hurting those involved. Soon after Miss Taylor - her former Governess - leaves, Emma meets Harriet Smith, a girl of unknown parentage & decides to take the girl under her wing, with hopes of improving her class & chances of finding a good husband. It is in these moments with Harriet that Emma's character is at her most unappealing, often seeming snobbish & rude & shocked that Harriet would be interested in marrying a farmer of alll people. However, due to Austen's alll seeing narrative, the reader discovers that Emma does not know as much as she thinks she does & that many events are taking place which she is completely unaware of.
Perhaps the first novel which requires a re-read in order to fully appreciate Austen's intricate plot, "Emma" is a wonderful novel. It is filled with Austen's formidable wit & humour but is also a brilliant romance which will enchant its reader. Austen herself felt that no-one but her could like the character of Emma, which may or may not be true, however it is easy to empathise with her, especiallly on a second reading.
One of my favourite novels, "Emma" is filled with memorable characters, wonderful descriptions of setting, excellent dialogue & a brilliant central heroine. A truly timeless novel with a story which will engross & enchant the reader, "Emma" is a book never to be forgotten.
Penguin Classics 2003/4/5 - paper, print and text quality. - By: JESS, 05 Feb 2008 I've just treated myself to Penguin's latest editions of Jane Austen's novels. I needn't review the novels themselves, trillions have already done that! But I thought it might help to tell others: the paper quality is excellent (lovely to touch & ... smells good too!), the text is clear (no burrs, light patches or 'bleeding') & of a good size (not that awful off putting dead weeny size. It's the size of an 'Arial 10'. Very easy on your eyes). Hope this helps. These things make a big difference me!
Read something else! - By: London9087, 09 Aug 2007 
I HATED this book the first time I read it. And the second time. The third time, however, I began to quite like it.
The way I feel about Emma is this (and I know that this is contreversial): it's trivial. The whole thing is a very long book based around who loves who in a tedious upper class village in Surrey. To me, this book deals with very little that is important or even interesting in the world, or in history. I am sure that Austen lovers (and there are many) would tell me to "look at the irony"- well, I have. She's reallly good at using irony- but to me, that somehow doesn't fill up the whole book. The reason I liked this book the third time around, was because I found it comforting. It's rather like the famous five: full of silly little quips & upper-class twits, it doesn't talk about any of the issues of the day (in Blyton's case WW2, & in Austen's the French Revolution among others), & one feels that any comments that readers have picked up on social class are imagined. I once had the misfortune of reading some of Austen's letters to her sister Cassandra. In these she rambled on, & on, & on about plum trees, petticoats, Aunty Maud's stitching & the weather- perhaps Miss Bates is autobiographical?
Read it if you want to have read it. If you have any blood in your veins don't pick it up for the pleasure of reading. Neither thought-provoking nor intellectual, this book is, however, a fun little foray into the world of a selfish little girl of the Regency period who is seemingly trapped in a Hugh Grant Rom-Com.
"I seem to have been doomed to blindness.", - By: Mary Whipple, 16 Aug 2005 Emma Woodhouse, "handsome, clever, & rich," is the 21-year-old daughter of the elderly owner of Hartfield, the largest estate in Highbury. Though only a couple of hours away from London by carriage, Highbury regards itself as an isolated & virtuallly self-contained community, with the Woodhouse family the center of social life & at the top of its social ladder.
Emma, doting on her hypochondriac father, whom she represents to the outside world, has grown up without a mother's softening influence, & at twenty-one, she is bright, willful, & not a little spoiled. Having too little to do to keep out of trouble, Emma's hobby is matchmaking, "the greatest amusement in the world." Unfortunately, her sophistication in the social graces does not extend to much insight into human beings.
Taking Harriet Smith, a young woman of "questionable birth" under her wing, Emma makes Harriet her "project," educating her in the social graces, convincing Harriet not to marry farmer Robert Martin, who has courted her, & ultimately persuading Harriet, wrongly, that the vicar, Mr. Elton, is fallling in love with her.
Bored & without a large circle of "suitable" friends, Emma is an incorrigible meddler, playing with the lives of those around her, snubbing those she considers inferior, gossiping about others in an attempt to divert attention to herself, & misreading intentions. Only Mr. Knightly, sixteen years older than Emma & a friend of her father, stands up to Emma & tells her what he thinks of her behavior, & it is through him that she eventuallly begins to grow.
Love & the formal protocol or marriage are a major focus here, with marriage more often a merger of "appropriate" families than the result of romance or passion. Class distinctions, acknowledged by alll levels of society, limit both personal friendships & romantic possibilities, & as Emma's matchmaking fails again & again, causing grief to many of her victims, Emma begins to recognize that her pride, willfulness, & love of power over others have made her oblivious to her own faults.
Austen shines in her depiction of Emma & her upperclass friends, gently satirizing their weaknesses but leaving room for them to learn from their mistakes-if only they can learn to recognize the ironies in their lives. Though Emma may be, in some ways, Austen's least charming heroine, she is certainly vibrant and, with her annoying faults, a most realistic one. Mary Whipple
Not Pride and Prejudice but still a good read. - By: , 17 Feb 2004 
Jane Austen's Emma tells the story of Highbury & the escapades of Emma Woodhouse. The novel is easily accessible & is absolutely filled with dramatic irony. Emma is unlike any other of Austen's heroines, in that she is independent of her family for financial support. This means that she is able to be a more comical character & is able to express her opinions more explicitly. The 'red herring' of Frank Churchill is a likeable characterisation as is the much talked about Jane Fairfax.
The novel is a set text for English Literature AS Level, but don't buy the York Notes Advanced book as this is useless if you have managed to read the novel.
The resolution of the novel is satisfactory & is typical Austen. Emma does not evoke the emotions that you experience when reading Pride & Prejudice but it is still a very good read & as enjoyable as any of Austen's other works.
