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Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: classic fiction/romance
Rating: 
Emma is a young woman, living in Highbury, 19th century England, with her dad.
Her sister Isabella is already married with John Knightley, the brother of Mr.
(George) Knightley, her best (male) friend and "fifteen years her superior".
She just made a love match for her former nanny and she thinks herself the best
matchmaker there is. Her friend Harriet Smith knows everything about that as
Emma tries to get the vicar interested in Harriet and letting Harriet believe
this match is possible. In her enthusiasm Emma
forgets however about the different social status that are still well represented
in the England she lives in. Emma herself says she is never going to be married,
but once Frank Churchill arrives on the scene, she can't help thinking about her
own life, and the love in it. During that time she is guided and often corrected
by Mr. Knightley, but she is as often blind to all his reasons for it, or is
she?
Emma is a book about social relationships between different people,
different classes and about love. The book has three parts, each holding 18
chapters. For me only the third part was interesting and fun to read, because
only there the real interaction between the different characters took place. The
first two parts were just an introduction. Too bad, that this introduction is
2/3 of the complete book though.
Jane Austen has also written Pride
and prejudice, and I have to say I liked that one far better than her Emma.
I think Austen with Emma tried to write a contemporary comedy as well, but
there is too much explaining about social classes and norms for that. There is
some humor in things said, observed and in a couple of characters (i.e. Mrs.
Elton and Ms. Bates), but for me, that was about it.
In short: what only is the last part of Emma, is Pride
and prejudice in whole.
If you liked this
book, you should try:
Bridget Jones's
diary
Mansfield Park
Pride and prejudice
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