Killing my TBR Classics pile: #6 Emma by Jane Austen

I really wanted to get to Emma. Although I can't say I was embarrassed by not having read this, as I have read everything else by Jane Austen, I did feel that it was a book I would enjoy. It would also close the 'Killing my TBR Classics pile' with a book with perhaps a similar feeling to the one which started the whole project - Middlemarch by George Eliot. So with at least a few expectations of enjoying this one, I ventured into the world of Emma.

I was not disappointed. Although I had tempted this one unsuccessfully in the past, I managed to power through the first chapter. And that was all it took to get me involved in the goings on.

Emma was an interesting character. While she was not the most likeable of characters I have ever read about, I still found myself wanting her to be happy. The characters that bugged her, bugged me - even though I could sense a few similarities between them and Emma. At least I could forgive Emma. This story is, very basically, the story of her growing: growing in wisdom and growing within herself. She handled her mistakes gracefully, and grew from them. I appreciated that.

But what I loved most about Emma was Mr Knightley. Yes folks. Darcy has been dethroned as my favourite Austen male. I adored his sense of humour. I liked his compassion. I liked how he was able to compromise. Mr Knightley was perfect. I even respected him for being able to tell Emma the truth and pick her out when she did unkind things.

The book was not plot driven. There were a few puzzles here and there to keep the reader guessing. But on the whole, it was character driven. This is where Austen excels. She can really create characters that walk off the page and into one's head (and heart).

I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads. It was a great classic, and I was thrilled to end my classics marathon on such a good note.

I only have a handful of classics to go. I think I might try this again in my next holiday. I think classics read better when they aren't nibbled at, but consumed in one sitting (or as close to one sitting as possible).