My fifth read for the Back to the Classics Challenge is one that I have been avoiding for years -- my final Jane Austen, Emma. Partly, I didn't want to be done with all of the Austens but, mostly, I have never liked the character of Emma in the film/television versions I've seen. But, I needed "A Classic with a Single Word Title" and so decided that now was the time to finally pick this one up. It's on the longer side at 500 pages so I also chose an audiobook version from the library, narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Thanks to her stellar performance, I listened to the majority of the book over two days while painting a powder room and the time just flew by!
Now, if you know nothing at all about this story, it's simply this -- Emma Woodhouse is young and beautiful and upper class and therefore thinks she knows best about everything. It turns out, she doesn't. And, to my great surprise, I really enjoyed reading about all of her mistakes and misunderstandings.
And, okay, I will confess that I was running Clueless through my head the entire time and was just waiting until she figured out that SHE was "majorly, totally, butt-crazy in love with Josh" ... um, I mean Mr. Knightley. I have a whole new appreciation for that movie too, by the way.
So, yes ... I loved this book and am so glad I finally picked it up. Thanks, Classics Challenge!
Daydreaming about that gif,
K
I think Clueless is perhaps the best of the Austen spin-offs. Glad you loved the original too.
ReplyDeleteI was really pleasantly surprised. It has been years since I last read Austen and I really forgot what a superb writer she was.
DeleteYour closing there left me giggling. :) I'm so awful about reading classics, and Jane Austen in particular. I've only ever read Northanger Abbey, which I truly loved. Yet I still can't seem to make myself pick any of her others up. It makes me feel like a failure as a reader. ;)
ReplyDeleteI am such a huge fan of Paul Rudd's face. ;) And I definitely need pushes like this challenge sometimes to get me reading more than one or maybe two classics a year. Now I just need some sort of challenge to get me to read and reread all of the Shakespeare that I just can't seem to get to!
DeleteGlad you were finally able to read (and enjoy!) Emma. I think it's one of Austen's funnier books. And I love the movie versions of it, too, especially Clueless. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, she is so honest and harsh about people's shortcomings but yet it's obvious that she cares about all the characters too -- well, all except for Elton and Mrs. Elton.
DeleteEmma is definitely a bit oblivious, but it's still a fun read!
ReplyDeleteI am glad I finally got to it!
DeleteThat gif makes me think about how my mom yells at people to keep their eyes on the road whenever there’s a driving scene on tv. Lol
ReplyDeleteHaha! They don't even make the smallest effort to simulate road safety ... or coffee. That one is my pet peeve. ;)
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