Emma by Jane Austen

I have always wanted to read Emma, and finally got the chance. I was between books, and was in the mood for a romance, so I decided to see if it was available for free download. It was! I read it on my recently-acquired iPad. I am not a fan of reading a novel on my iPad. Here's why:

• It was a little awkward and heavy to hold
• I would often lose my place or page by holding the iPad wrong
• I couldn't tell when I was near the end of a chapter, or worse, near the end of the book!

It WAS, however, a good learning experience for me. I had to really think about whether Austen was winding down near the end of the story, because I didn't have that physical evidence of a thinning book! As for the book's content, I enjoyed it. It's an engaging story of romance, and it held my interest. However, there were whole paragraphs that were really obscure. I didn't get them at all. And there were some parts that were just filled with insights about Emma's character that I could relate to. Somehow the plot and characters were a little uneven. There were so many characters, I had a little trouble tracking them. Not my favorite Austen work, but an enjoyable one. I found the relationship between Emma and her father kind of trying...and redundant.There was occasional humor which was enjoyable. I think I probably missed a lot of it--there is so much of her language that is difficult and complicated...even in slowing down and rereading, I found it sometimes hard to understand. Still, parts of the story just sparkled.