Emma

In a publishing career that spanned less than a decade, Jane Austen revolutionized the literary romance, using it as a stage from which to address issues of gender politics and class consciousness rarely expressed in her day.

I read classics often and enjoy them, but I struggled getting through Emma. Emma herself is immature, selfish, and very unlikable. The whole book feels like you're listening into the most boring conversations you've ever heard. Like at one point one character goes on for 3-4 pages about apples. All the characters blend together which makes it hard to follow, and the ones who do stand out are because they're annoying. I understand the time and setting of this novel but all the characters are so bland and all the dialogue is just surface-level niceties. The plot develops very slowly (if at all) and the end is very predictable. I understand why this is a classic and it's significance historically but I shouldn't have to care about the authors background to enjoy a book. On its own, this one doesn't stand the test of time.

Finished Emma and I’d say it was a very interesting book. It’s not really a romance — more like a look into how society worked in that time. You get to read about people who feel real, with problems that still kind of exist even now. The writing is beautiful, and even though it took me some time to adjust to the pace and style (classic book stuff), once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.That said, it was a bit too long. Some details felt unnecessary and didn’t really add to the story. But overall, I think it was a great read — thoughtful, grounded, and very Jane Austen.