Emma by Jane Austen

I loved, loved the newest BBC version of Emma. I admit I fell asleep watching it twice, but it was very late at night. The costumes and acting was top notch. A true Austen-fest. So I decided to read the book to catch up on the parts that I had missed.

I tried. I really tried to read Emma. But I found it boring and tedious. Maybe because I had seen the movie, and various incarnations of it, that I already knew the story. I admit I had a hard time following the relationships of the characters. After all, there are two Mr. Knightly's and Mr. Churchill is really a Weston. At least I think Mr. Churchill is really a Weston, that had been adopted. I guess I am still a little lost.

Anyway, the story is about Emma, a middle-class young woman, that attempts in her young naivete to meddle in matchmaking. She quickly learns that her meddling causes some broken hearts and delayed romances, including her own. As I said again, I loved the lavish BBC production. The book was tedious. The characters spend pages talking about someone's complexion and whether they should go out or not. There are some true literary gems within the text, but I had a hard time focusing and had to finally give it up. I know this is one of Austen's most popular stories, but I think I will stick with the screen versions.