From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

Emma

Jane Austen

Start date: July 1, 2016

Finish date: July 31, 2016

Discussion leader: Kris (My Novelesque Life)

Why we're reading this: Our July Mixed Bag features a romance, perfect in time for the steamy summer month.
[close] Our July Mixed Bag features a romance, perfect in time for the steamy summer month.

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Sep 14, 2016 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

I decided to just add books to an existing review. This new book of Emma is like the Pride and Prejudice. I’ll leave some pictures here and I have a big ole review below from back in the day when I wrote big ole reviews! 4.5 Stars ⭐️

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

******
Okay, when I first started the book and was reading how Emma was taking happiness away from Harriet Smith by telling her that Mr. Martin wasn't good enough for her - I didn't like Emma at all.

Now I can understand how Emma only wanted to do good by Har ...more

217 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2021 Tasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, reading-with-lia

A really enjoyable read. I'm glad I finally read it! Loved reading it with my daughter, Lia. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2014 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics

This will be a short review.
This is not one of my favorite Jane Austen books, mostly because many of the characters, mainly the women, drove me nuts. I imagined, while reading the book, that Jane Austen was writing a commentary that poked fun at the absurdity of the spoiled upper classes. I'm not much a fan of this type of story telling, reminds me of the 'problems' that our wealthier classes 'suffer' from these days. Nothing to do... Have to gossip and cause mischief for fun... It just wasn't m ...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: concierge, women-writers, library, social-commentary, audio, 19th-century, classic, movie, literature, love

Book on CD read by Michael Page. Portable Audio PlayAway performed by Juliet Stevenson

Emma Woodhouse is one of the most exasperating lead characters in the English cannon, but I love her.

Smart, rich, charming and accomplished, Emma seems to have every advantage. The youngest daughter of an indulgent father, she leads a somewhat pampered life. Because her mother died when Emma was young, and her older sister married and left the estate, Emma has been the de facto mistress of Hartfield for severa Book on CD read by Michael Page. Portable Audio PlayAway performed by Juliet Stevenson

Emma Woodhouse is one of the most exasperating lead characters in the English cannon, but I love her.

Smart, rich, charming and accomplished, Emma seems to have every advantage. The youngest daughter of an indulgent father, she leads a somewhat pampered life. Because her mother died when Emma was young, and her older sister married and left the estate, Emma has been the de facto mistress of Hartfield for several years and, therefore, is used to managing her father and his household. Having recently lost her governess and companion, Miss Taylor, to marriage, Emma busies herself with cultivating a friendship with Harriet Smith, a parlor border at Mrs Goddard’s school. She declares that she will never marry. Not because she doesn’t favor the institution, but because she couldn’t bear to leave her father alone and there is no one in the immediate vicinity who is her equal socially. Feeling some success in bringing Miss Taylor and Captain Weston together, Emma is certain she can find a suitable match for Harriet as well.

But Emma is decidedly blind to the realities of Miss Smith’s situation, as well as her own, Frank Churchill’s, and just about everyone else in her circle. Her actions taken as a result of misinterpreting many social cues, result in more than a little disappointment. Not to worry – this is Jane Austen, after all. Everyone will be happy in the end.

I like Emma, the novel, though I am less enthralled with Emma, the character. To me, she behaves in an infuriatingly superior manner towards everyone. Once I have reminded myself of the very different social norms of Austen’s time, I see that Emma is merely a product of her situation and social class. Her final realizations, slow as they are to come, are all the more rewarding. Austen reveals her characters in their thoughts, words and actions. While there are some sections of the book where I felt her exposition was a bit much, that is probably because of changes in style of writing over the centuries. As ever, Austen shines in her dialogue.

I began listening to the CDs on my daily commute, read by Michael Page. His voice is simply too deep and mature for the female characters, though he does a splendid job of bringing Austen’s dialogue to life. The portable PlayAway I used for the last third of the book was performed by Juliet Stevenson who is just marvelous. I really came to “love to hate” her Mrs Elton!
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Sep 13, 2011 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-freebie

EMMA
Written by Jane Austen
1815, 474 Pages (Penguin Classics 2003 version)
Genre: classic, romance, humour

★★★★★

Emma's father, Mr. Wodehouse, wishes people would stop getting married and disrupting his life. Hasn't he been a good man and good father? First his eldest daughter gets married and moves away. Now Emma's companion and governess, Miss. Taylor has married a widower l(Mr. Weston) leaving Emma too much time to think. Emma fancies herself a matchmaker, after all she was the one to set up Mis EMMA
Written by Jane Austen
1815, 474 Pages (Penguin Classics 2003 version)
Genre: classic, romance, humour

★★★★★

Emma's father, Mr. Wodehouse, wishes people would stop getting married and disrupting his life. Hasn't he been a good man and good father? First his eldest daughter gets married and moves away. Now Emma's companion and governess, Miss. Taylor has married a widower l(Mr. Weston) leaving Emma too much time to think. Emma fancies herself a matchmaker, after all she was the one to set up Miss. Taylor and Mr. Weston, and wonders who else she can match up. Mr. Wodehouse tells her to keep things as they are as he cannot stand anymore disruptions. Mr. Knightly, her friend and brother-in-law, wisely advises her to not meddle in other people's lives, and just worry about herself. Emma is not looking for a man of her own so sets about coupling off other people - whether they want it or not.

This is one of my favourite Jane Austen books (so far) - mostly because of Mr. Knightly! Mr. Knightly is not the brooding hero that Mr. Darcy, Heathcliffe and Rochester are. His banter with Emma is adorable because he knows her flaws and loves her because of them. He knows she has a big heart and so when he does make sarcastic comments they come off more loving. And, when Emma does mess up he straight up tells her. Emma is lovable but is so nosy, sort of like a well-meaning but ditsy relative (Gwyneth Paltrow does a great job portraying this ditsy-ness in the Hollywood version). Mr. Wodehouse is freaking hilarious. His comments had me laughing out loud. He is kind of the male version of Mrs. Bennett but adverse to his daughters marrying. There are some great secondarycharacters like Harriet Smith, Mr. Elton and Miss. Bates that evoke different emotion as you read this novel. It is a great romantic comedy from the 19th century. A perfect read for the cold weather holed up in your warm house! (And, after you can watch a modern retelling Clueless).

k (My Novelesque Life)

My Novelesque Life

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Jan 27, 2021 Lory Sakay rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-reads

Thankfully, I switched from a Kindle version to an audible version, narrated by Emma Thompson halfway through delving into this classic. It was wordy and contained a lot of "chatter", making it difficult for me to focus. The audible version was great, however, and quite entertaining. I didn't love the story but enjoyed it and appreciated the wittiness and wide array of characters Jane Austen created. It is like a "coming of age" story for those times - with Emma, obviously, being the protagonist ...more

1 like · Like · see review