Review: Emma, by Jane Austen // A Classic That’s Worth (Buddy) Reading

Classics are amazing.

But you know what’s even better than a classic? A review and buddy read of a classic with a fellow blogger. 😉 So if you couldn’t tell, I’m so excited for today’s post- a discussion of my thoughts about Emma, by Jane Austen.

I know classics aren’t for everyone, but I love them dearly. One of my all time favorites was Pride & Prejudice, and I made it one of my goals to read more books by Jane Austen soon- and I’m working towards that goal by reading Emma! Even if you’re not the biggest classic lover, maybe my review will be convince you to read it.

Let’s get into the post!

First off, though, a little background.

Annie and I have been reading each other’s blogs for quite a while (I can’t remember a time before I wasn’t obsessed with all her posts) and when we decided to do a buddy read together, we decided on Emma right away. Because of an amazing 2 for $10 classics sale at Barnes & Noble, by the way. Which is still going on if you have a Barnes & Noble near you.

She is also posting today about her thoughts on the book, so please go and read that post, but also stalk the rest of her blog, you definitely won’t regret that decision. 😉

Throughout Emma, we discussed it with each other (which was amazing! there’s nothing better than screaming about a book with other bookworms) and then each decided to, like I said, do individual posts on the book and our thoughts. I decided to do a review, because if I can convince a few people to read Emma, then this post is a success.

Emma is most definitely a classic.

For me, a lot of classics follow the same formula- they don’t start off with a bang, there’s no hook to draw you in . Instead, they slowly set the scene, slowly introduce all the characters, and slowly get the story rolling. This is probably why a lot of people can’t stand classics- they don’t usually go fast at all.

But, once you get into the action, you’re hooked.

That’s how Emma was for me. It was much like reading (instead of watching) a soap opera. The story revolves around the residents of a small English town, and you get to know each individual character. And you either grow to love them, or to hate them. Here are a few things I really loved about this book:

• The unique cast of characters. Like I said, you get to know all the characters. It was really fun to read about all their different personalities and see each of them progress throughout the novel.
• The plot twists. You wouldn’t think a book published in 1815 would have many plot twists, but let me tell you, this one does. I never saw the twists coming!
• The fact that Emma didn’t feel like she needed a man in her life. The main character, Emma, didn’t want to marry. She didn’t feel like she needed a husband to have a good life, and in a time where you basically got married or lived with your parents forever, I really admire that.
• Emma’s relationship with her dad was so cute! I could go on and on and on and on about Emma’s dad, but the thing to know about him is that he’s overprotective and so sweet, and his relationship with his daughter was amazing.
• I never knew what was going to happen next. People change their minds very quickly in the 1800s. I never knew what all the characters had up their sleeves.

And for things I didn’t love? The biggest red flag for me was that Emma wasn’t the most likeable character ever. Fortunately, she got better as the story went on, and it didn’t affect my reading experience too much.

Even though I didn’t love Emma’s character, there were so many other well-developed supporting characters, it didn’t really matter as much. They were like a giant community!

Another thing was that the story did have a few dead spaces. There were a couple times where I got bored- but other than that, I have no complaints about the plot or pacing. For me, a lot of classics do have a few parts where you’re just like “eh,” but they always turn around very quickly.

I would truly recommend Emma to you all! It’s such an iconic book and deserves to be read by many, many people. 🙂

This was such a great experience for my first buddy read! All the heart eyes for Emma, and I know I’ll be rereading it soon.

If you’re wary to read classics for whatever reason, then I would highly recommend doing a buddy read! It makes the experience 1000x better. If you get confused or bored, then you have to talk (well, type) about it with, and it makes it way more fun.

Don’t forget to read Annie’s post, and thank you very much for listening to all my ramble-y thoughts today on Emma. 😉 You’re all amazing, and I hope you’re having the best day!

Do you like classics? Why or why not? Have you read Emma, and what were your thoughts on it? Do you like to do buddy reads?

P.S. A huge thank you to anyone who commented on my last post about Harry Potter, because I truly had the BEST time read all y’all’s thoughts on the series and it made my heart so happy to see and talk about Harry Potter with you all.💓

P.P.S. Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash >> credits for the image used in my featured image, many thanks to the photographer!