Emma in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Feb 02, 2015 Kerry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: about-a-woman, audiobook, audible, female-author

[Second read, Jan 31 2015-Feb 11 2015]
Definitely my favorite Austen. The plot isn't all that interesting, but the protagonist seems very real and modern. She's a hell of a snob, but aside from that, she has a good heart and listens when people whom she respects (that is, Mr. Knightly) criticize her. The relationships seem the most modern, too. Aside from the whole (view spoiler), none of the relationships (and I don't just mean romantic relationships, I ...more

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Sep 29, 2008 Kerry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: about-a-woman, romance, fromthelibrary, historical

Okay, this is my favorite Austen so far! (Just two more to go.)

At first it was okay. Then I realized it was "Clueless," which was distracting for a while (and spoiled the ending, though I guess I would have figured it out anyway.) There's a lot more to this story, though, than I remember being in "Clueless" (though I do have the urge to watch that movie again), so once we got past all that, it was okay again, but Emma is something of a stuck up bitch. BUT, just when she was becoming so insuffera ...more

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Nov 29, 2015 Molly rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-want-to-like-you, meh, kindle, classics, read-in-2015, read-harder-2015

So here’s my deep, dark, English major secret: I’ve never read Jane Austen. Actually, I’ve read Northanger Abbey...or at least it was assigned in my Gothic Novel class in grad school (looking back, I remember watching the movie -- in class -- and the book is definitely on my shelf, but I couldn’t tell you what it’s about for the life of me). I don’t worship at the altar of Lizzie Bennett, and I’m not in love with Mr. Darcy. I don’t have anything against Austen, in fact I always really thought I So here’s my deep, dark, English major secret: I’ve never read Jane Austen. Actually, I’ve read Northanger Abbey...or at least it was assigned in my Gothic Novel class in grad school (looking back, I remember watching the movie -- in class -- and the book is definitely on my shelf, but I couldn’t tell you what it’s about for the life of me). I don’t worship at the altar of Lizzie Bennett, and I’m not in love with Mr. Darcy. I don’t have anything against Austen, in fact I always really thought I would enjoy her books. But like so much else, they just fell by the wayside in favor of whatever was shiny and new.

I went into this book with an open mind, really wanting to enjoy it. I attempted Pride and Prejudice earlier this year, both in book form and on audio, and I just could not get through it. But then I remembered how much I adore Clueless, which is based on Emma, and I thought I’d give the pre-1850s challenge one last ditch effort. I actually wish I had read this book in the context of a class, so I’d have people to discuss it with -- I really think I would have enjoyed it more in that setting. And while I did finish the book, I know for certain that I would not have done so if I hadn’t been trying to finish this reading challenge. At first I thought I wasn’t enjoying it because I’m not much of an Anglophile, but then I remembered how much I adore Gail Carriger’s series...set in much the same time period. I know I definitely don’t have an ear for British humor -- it’s extremely hit or miss for me. For instance, while I enjoyed the story in Sorcerer to the Crown, most of the humor there fell flat. I knew it was supposed to be funny, but I didn’t find it to be so. I had much the same problem here -- so many conversations were full of what I’m sure was Austen’s trademark wit, but most of the time the humor didn’t land for me. I mostly wanted people to get to the damn point already.

Everybody knows the story here -- girl is a matchmaker; girl attempts to fix up everyone around her all the while claiming she never wants to get married; girl’s attempts at matchmaking are unilaterally disastrous; girl realizes that the person she loves has been right under her nose all along, calling her on all of her shit. Fin. It’s simple. And there are parts of the story I really enjoyed -- the side characters, for instance: hypochondriac Mr. Woodhouse, chatty Miss Bates, bitchy Mrs. Elton...loved them all. I also enjoyed amusing myself by replaying various plot points from Clueless in my head in conjunction with whatever scene was happening in the novel. It’s pretty impressive how well the movie does hew to the book’s plot (and I couldn’t hear Mr. Elton’s name without hearing Brittany Murphy say “El-en” in my head). And while Cher gets her happily-ever-after with her former stepbrother (still a little ew, to be honest. You cast anyone other than Paul Rudd in that role and it does not work), Emma gets hers with her brother-in-law.

It’s actually a bit like Winter, what with the foregone conclusion of the happy ending. Clearly everyone is going to pair off eventually, in spite of all the havoc Emma manages to wreak on their love lives. I actually felt worst for poor Harriet -- she gets jerked around, falling in love with anything with a pulse, only to find out that each dude actually loves someone else (usually Emma). But seeing as she’s, you know, not at all picky, it’s apparently totally fine for her to end up with the guy she rejected back at the beginning. Because she’ll literally be happy with anyone who will have her. There’s something fundamentally sad about that. But you have to take the time period into account -- you either get married or you end up like Miss Bates (I was hoping for a happy ending for her too!). It’s not Austen’s fault that those were society’s expectations while she was writing. But it’s also tough not to try to apply a modern lens to the story. I think there’s also something to be said about plotting -- the way writers plot out action has changed a great deal since 1815 (there’s also still a substantial difference in the way a YA novel’s plot progresses compared with a novel meant for adults). I have to wonder if readers -- in general -- are trained to expect faster-moving plots, which is why books from this era tend to feel slow. Again, I wish I were reading this as part of a class so I could discuss this with someone!

In the end, I’m glad this reading challenge forced me to (finally) give Austen a chance. I do need to take the time to read more “classics”, and I haven’t given up on P&P completely. Maybe for next year’s challenge. ...more

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May 18, 2019 Allie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, audience-adults, classics, format-audiobooks, audience-ya, place-uk, genre-romance, blankies-book-club

Jesus, this was so long. The first third moves at such a good clip and then there's so much party planning (for a party that doesn't happen!) and relaying of chit chat. Woooooof. I guess they can't all be Persuasion, which is the stone cold best. I listened to most of the audiobook at 1.5 speed (I usually do 1.25), but I had to listen to the last hour and a half at double speed to get through the damn thing! I definitely could/should have given up sooner, because there was so little content in t ...more

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Mar 19, 2010 Donna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-fiction

I didn't like this as much as Pride and Prejudice nor Sense and Sensibility. I find it hard to enjoy the "development" of Emma's character in the same context as the prejudice against the illegitimate Harriet. I guess I bring too much present-day "equality" to my reading. ...more

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