KRIS - Enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and well written. Social status, breeding and wealth were so important for a woman at that time. The conversations between the characters were long and complex. Emma's meddling in Harriet's love life showed how restricted and boring the lives of women could be.
JULIA - wondered if there were different versions of the book. She saw many of the situations as a power game with others emotions. Some characters were seen as egotistical and selfish. There was comedy in the book as well as a journey for Emma of self discovery.
PAMELA - her favourite book! Extremely funny, many comedic instances, it was also a moral education of Emma as there was a gap between her conduct and her consciousness. The insensitivity of Mr Elton and Mrs Weston was a modern day theme. The book revealed tremendous wit and the acerbic comedy of the author.
SHEILA - didn't read too much of the book. She thought it tedious and torturous. Sheila thought perhaps a discussion of each chapter with others would help her.
CONNIE - loved the introduction of the heroine "whom no one but myself would like". The conversations between people were very good. Emma revealed no hint about how the lower classes lived.
JOAN - said manners and decorum were extremely important, people had to know their places in society and keep it. She described a 'parlour boarder' as someone who could be a wealthy widow who lived permanently with another family. Particular crimes during the time of the story were valued differently - property was sacrosanct so its theft was dealt with harshly.
BEV - fell asleep so stopped at 40 pages.
TAMMY - loves Jane Austen. She loved the refined language used and the colloquialisms. She also watched the movie to provide her with visuals and to further enjoy the story.
PAT - read very little.
PAULINE - found it difficult to read. She needed to reread sections as she missed understanding parts. Still it was interesting.
JO - read to page 70. Thought the women in the book had no life. Emma not good as she judged others.
DIANNE - said the book was verbose but written beautifully. She loved the period it was set in but was infuriated with the social class system.
JANE - had read it previously when her son, in Year 12, studied the text.
CLAURINE - found the writing very small! She only read to page 123 as she had a far more enjoyable book to read!
PRU - also thought it hard to read and didn't read it all. Being set in the Napoleonic era, it showed the social class of the time. Emma never finished a project eg art, embroidery, she was always looking for things to do as she was bored.
ROSEMARY - proudly finished the book. She thought Emma put her nose into others' business, found Mrs Elton obnoxious and the text heavy to read.
WENDY - really enjoyed the book. It was a great observation of society. She loved really understanding how the class system worked. The responses of Emma and her peers were acceptable and appropriate for the time. Children were farmed out to be raised by others (Harriet, Jane, Churchill). There was a pragmatic nature to this system. Even today it is still a modern book.
LESLEY - enjoyed the book but had to keep rereading to make sure she understood it. She found the conversations quite complex at times with very little real meaning! Mr Woodhouse irritated her, along with the Bates women. Emma was very indulged and selfish but, put in context, she had been raised in a social strand that provided her with little stimulation. There was so little of the larger world for her mentally explore.
