So I finally read Emma by Jane Austen, and first of all, this book was much shorter than I expected. It’s undeniably well written, sharp, and clever, and I can absolutely see why Austen is still talked about centuries later. That said… this was soooo girly pop. Like, aggressively so. This might genuinely be the most girl-coded book I’ve ever read, (outside of modern BookTok smut lol). Which isn’t inherently bad, just… not exactly my usual lane.
My biggest issue: Emma herself. I know she’s supposed to be flawed, but wow did she get on my nerves. She felt kind of delulu, constantly overthinking, misreading everyone, and then confidently acting on those wrong assumptions. It was one of those cases where the character is written well, but I personally did not enjoy being inside her head. Watching her spiral into self-made problems was more frustrating than entertaining for me.
And listen, we need to talk about Frank Churchill. That man is a hoe. No notes. Absolute menace. Every time he showed up, I got frustrated.
I know I’ll probably get some hate for this review, especially from Austen die-hards, but overall? I respect Emma more than I enjoyed it. Still, this hasn’t scared me off Austen entirely, I’m 100% planning on reading Pride and Prejudice soon. I’m hoping Elizabeth Bennet is more my speed. 👀📚
by Caffeine_And_Regret