Emma

Reviews

“After nearly two centuries, Emma Woodhouse, one of Austen’s finest creations in the novel many critics consider her best, wins hearts because she makes us laugh; also because no malice beats behind her profoundly misconceived romantic stratagems.”

“As in all of Jane Austen’s works, the simple theme of courtship belies the complexity of her vision of human nature and of our need for power. Technical brilliance? Yes. Moral brilliance? Most definitely.”

“In this novel…Austen’s genius for ironic comedy is displayed at its peak. The plot involves finding the proper husband for the heroine, but behind the deceptively simple and everyday events lie the author’s moral vision of a world in which social responsibility and familial obligation are key virtues and compromise a necessary response to the irreconcilable opposites encountered in life.”

“[Narrator Wanda McCaddon] does a wonderful job rendering the variety of accents necessary to portray the span of upper and lower classes, as well as the medley of personalities, from the sweetness of Emma to the egregious Mrs. Elton.”

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