Product Description

Like many girls, Emma Woodhouse thinks she knows best. Her heart is in the right place - but her head isn't. Beautiful, clever and rich, she only wants to help others arrange things as she thinks they should be done. Emma has no interest in true love for herself: convinced she’s just not destined to find it, she believes she must instead devote herself to playing Cupid for others.

Ignoring the warnings of good family friend Mr Knightley, Emma sets out to find a husband for her favourite new companion, the lovely, shy Harriet Smith. But absolutely nothing goes to plan – and in the process, Emma has a lot of learning to do: about others, but most of all about herself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51069 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

About the Author
Jane Austen was born in 1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, where her father was rector. When she was 25 the family moved to Bath till her father’s death in 1805, then to Chawton in Hampshire where Jane lived with her mother and sister. She wrote six novels. Sense and Sensibility was first in 1811, then Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Northanger Abbey and Persusaion were both published posthumously, in 1817. Jane Austen died in 1817.
Well-received during her lifetime, since her death she has become known as not just one of the greatest writers of English fiction, but one of the most beloved.

Customer Reviews

An Exquisite Novel
"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 and moves out of the family home of Hartfield. As a result, most of the day she is confined to staying in the house and looking after her Father and 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 and see how things turn out. She is a self proclaimed imaginist, although her playful games sometimes get out of hand, causing problems and hurting those involved. Soon after Miss Taylor - her former Governess - leaves, Emma meets Harriet Smith, a girl of unknown parentage and decides to take the girl under her wing, with hopes of improving her class and 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 and rude and shocked that Harriet would be interested in marrying a farmer of all people. However, due to Austen's all seeing narrative, the reader discovers that Emma does not know as much as she thinks she does and 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 and 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, especially on a second reading.

One of my favourite novels, "Emma" is filled with memorable characters, wonderful descriptions of setting, excellent dialogue and a brilliant central heroine. A truly timeless novel with a story which will engross and enchant the reader, "Emma" is a book never to be forgotten.

Really irritating and dull
This book was spectacularly long winded and for the most part I found it amazingly dull. While I can appreciate the beautiful language and the historical relevance, I just couldn't get past the fact that the main characters are horribly irritating. I spent the whole book wanting to slap Emma and most of the book finding the rest of the characters simpering and dull. I read this because of it's status as a 'classic', but this really isn't my genre.