Emma

by Jane Austen

Fiona Stafford (Notes)

The culmination of Jane Austen's genius, a sparkling comedy of love and marriage

Now a major motion picture starring Anya Taylor-Joy

  Beautiful, clever, rich—and single—Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• ISBN10: 0141439580
• ISBN13: 9780141439587
• Publish Date: 6 May 2003 (first published 1 December 1815)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 7 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Penguin Classics
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780141439587

Reviews

[Berls]

This reread only took me almost 2 months! But I enjoyed it and am reminded why I love Jane Austen.

[MurderByDeath]

Well, Ms. Austen completely succeeds in her efforts to create a heroine that you both like and want to strangle at the same time (if indeed that was her design).  Given the complete mess she makes playing with those around her, Emma hardly deserves to have anything go well for herself, yet I was cheering for her just the same.   I found the book to be a bit long, and the dialog many times so tiresome I actually yelled at the speakers to "shut up!" (listening to audio edition)  but the narration was outstanding, and for anyone looking for a good audio version of the book, I can recommend this one without reservation.   Needless to say, this will remain at the bottom of my Jane Austen rankings and Pride and Prejudice will remain firmly at the top.

[clairelm]

Although I preferred Emma to Northanger Abbey, I can't actually say I like the book. As a character, I find Emma to be difficult to empathise with and her father even worse. It may be just me but I find it hard to get on with books where I don't like the main character.
As a piece of classic fiction, it's fine but as I story I just haven't enjoyed it.

[Eve1972]

Enjoyed this one!