South of Broad: Review by Dorothy

Emma: Review by Carissa

 Emma

     I know Jane Austen warned us in the intro how unlikeable Emma was but I didn't realize that every character would fall into that category.  I suppose that isn't entirely the case...Jane Fairfax was grateful for the Campbell's bringing her up, very patient with her family,  she was strong in setting boundaries for the intrusive Mrs. Elton and handled Frank Churchill like he deserved.  She was by far my favorite character in this book.  The Weston's seemed like lovely people as well.  They truly cared for their friends as shown by their scheduling a dinner party and dance around Mr. Woodhouse's extremely particular needs and taking deeply to heart Frank's mishandling of Emma.  Emma was so selfish it was unbearable.  Mr. Knightley came off as much more pompous than he did in the movie where he showed such feeling.  Harriett is basically Emma's hand puppet.  Mr. Elton has chosen to spend the rest of his life with the only person more obnoxious than he is, that being said I found myself celebrating the entry of the extremely annoying Mrs. Elton just to break up the monotony.  

     I am afraid I wouldn't have fared well in that era.  Sure there are days when I long for the most pressing thing on my schedule being a visit from a friend, but every day?  No thank you.  I do think it is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of people so different from myself and my environment.  It reminds me a bit of 'Downton Abby' where the girls are really only expected to behave like ladies, find a good match and marry.  At least in this PBS drama the women have minds of their own and much more depth. A movie that I remember watching and liking is 'The Jane Austen Book Club' and now that I have read 'Emma' I realize what an undertaking this was. 

     Taking all of the above into account I am really glad we read this book.  It's a classic and I have always wanted to read Jane Austen.  She has a fascinating mind, I may even give 'Pride & Prejudice' a shot one day.