Emma

I've never read Jane Austen. I know, I know. What am I doing not reading Austen? Several of Ms. Austen's books are on the Classics list I am going through. Imagine my joy, joy, joy, when I went into Borders one day in January and saw the their signature classic label "Border's Classics" books on sale; clearance even. I purchased "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice" in paperback.....for $1.74 each! Seriously! I would have purchased more classics, had I not read the rest they had on clearance. A buck seventy four! Whoot!

Ok, "Emma." If you've seen the movie with Gwynith (sp?) Paltrow, I'm sorry. *snort* Kidding. It's a good movie actually, I'm just not a fan of hers. (She plays the same person over and over. ) The movie was the first introduction I had of Ms. Austen's book, not counting "Clueless" which really was a fun movie, and was based on "Emma."

The book is a hoot. I can say hoot, dang-it, if I want to. I don't care that it's antiquated. Let's use antiquated words. Much better than saying "The book's cooool!" Emma is a young lady of privilege who, God help her, is so "clueless", so snooty and snobby that she has no idea of what is going on around her. She thinks she does, and ends up making a mess of so many things. See, she thinks she's a matchmaker, and her attempts at getting people together are fun. As I read, I rolled my eyes, I sucked my teeth, shook my head. Things right in front of her nose passed her notice. She was so sure of her ideas, she couldn't hear or imagine anything else.

We have some characters! Her father, aye, her father. Mister Hypochondriac. Lord forbid you should have any opinion on health or how things should be done other than his. He's not a mean person in the least. He just thinks that his opinions are the only ones that matter when it comes to what to eat to not make you sick, that his doctor is the only one who knows anything, that his governess who married is so sad ("Poor Mrs. Weston" is how he refers to her in every conversation) she got married and left taking care of him and Emma, *sigh*.

Mr. Elton who thinks he is such the catch and his wife! His wife who thinks she is bringing culture and class to their town once she married Mr. Elton. Oh, she was a doozy and I disliked her immensely.

There are too many more characters to note. I enjoyed the twists and turns, the language, oh the language! I enjoyed the hilarity of her attempts at matchmaking, her attempts at foiling the matchmaking actually going on, and finally her recognizing that she herself should be matched with the one person she never thought of, who was right in front of her all along, chiding her, correcting her, believing in her.