The most perfect of Jane Austen’s perfect novels begins with twenty-one-year-old Emma Woodhouse comfortably dominating the social order in the village of Highbury, convinced that she has both the understanding and the right to manage other people’s lives–for their own good, of course. Her well-meant interfering centers on the aloof Jane Fairfax, the dangerously attractive Frank Churchill, the foolish if appealing Harriet Smith, and the ambitious young vicar Mr. Elton–and ends with her complacency shattered, her mind awakened to some of life’s more intractable dilemmas, and her happiness assured.
Jane Austen’s comic imagination was so deft and beautifully fluent that she could use it to probe the deepest human ironies while setting before us a dazzling gallery of characters–some pretentious or ridiculous, some admirable and moving, all utterly true.
From the Publisher
On the face of it, the concern with love is just what makes any Austen novel likeable, accessible, among the friendliest of classics. Where Emma is concerned, it’s also where the puzzles of this teasing novel begin . . . It is in Emma that Austen does most to release herself from the narrow preoccupation with romantic love that her plots seem to hold out to the reader. Emma is a very great novel, and a particularly intriguing one.”
–from the Introduction by Marilyn Butler
VOYA - Donna L. Phillips
For those who missed not only Austen's book but also the 1996 film and the 2010 PBS Masterpiece Classic, Emma is the story of a young woman who believes she is a consummate matchmaker, following one success for which she questionably claims full responsibility. She quickly finds a fresh focus for her matchmaking genius when she is introduced to Harriet Smith, a young woman of pleasing demeanor and fresh looks but unknown parentage. Despite this absence of pedigree, Emma is convinced that Miss Smith deserves a genteel mate. When a young farmer proposes to Harriet, Emma urges her to demur, then attempts with disastrous results to match her to three socially suitable gentlemen. Nearly too late, Emma realizes that the last of these, Mr. Knightley, is the man she really prefers for herself. Emma is one of nine classical romances reprised by HarperTeen. As other reviewers have noticed, each has a flowery red-and-white-on-black cover reminiscent of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. All but the ablest readers among Stephenie Meyer's fans will find Austen's seventeenth-century syntax a daunting read, with little resemblance to Meyer beyond its cover. Those who love Jane Austen, however, will appreciate any ploy that brings back a beloved and wonderfully insightful writer. Extras appended to Austen's original text include "10 Things You Didn't Know about Jane Austen" and a quiz, "Have you found your match? See if Emma would approve your choice!" These are not 5Q but will appeal to some teens. Reviewer: Donna L. Phillips
Children's Literature - Paula McMillen
Emma Woodhouse is not, at first, an easy character to like. She meddles in people's lives—especially their love lives—often with painful results. As the younger daughter of a landed family, she sits at the top of the village foodchain; for in Regency-era England social class controls everything. Emma is both victim and perpetuator of the system. When she begins to mentor a young woman in the village, she initially convinces Harriet that marrying a well-to-do farmer is "beneath" her. Emma's older sister, living in London and married to John Knightley, is effectively out of the picture and Emma is solely responsible for companionship and care of her hypochondriacal father. John Knightley's brother still runs the family estate nearby and has been a stalwart friend of the Woodhouse family for years. The local Mr. Knightley (George, as we learn late in the book), has taken a long-time interest in curbing some of Emma's less desirable interferences and snobbish behavior. After a fair amount of convoluted plotting and interpersonal drama, Emma acknowledges the folly of her ways and realizes that Mr. George Knightley is the person she truly loves. Emma, and Austen's work in general, have been valued for providing satirical insights on the social class structure of the time. This edition of Austen's classic is supplemented with minimal information about the author, "10 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen," and a "quiz" that allows you to rate your boyfriend. Although ostensibly designed to engage teen readers, these add-ons will not facilitate traversing a lengthy tome written in the language of the time which presents some challenges (e.g., "stoppt" for stopped, or "is not it") as well as some smiles (e.g., referring to inappropriate young men as coxcombs or puppies). The availability of relatively recent movie versions of Austen's works may entice some female readers to persist, however. Reviewer: Paula McMillen, Ph.D.
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