Emma (Puffin in Bloom)

Emma Woodhouse loves to play matchmaker, even though she has no interest in getting married. She does and sees things the way she wants to and doesn't struggle with holding her tongue. This leads her to insulting people without truly meaning to. Being from money, Emma has access to people and things and it opens up more opportunities for her to play matchmaker, but she doesn't take the time to learn about the people she is trying to match. She even interferes with her best friend Harriet because she wants to keep her for herself a little longer.

Emma views the world through a lens full of arrogance. Knightley, on the other hand, is her opposite in every way. He is kind and doesn't judge people based on their social standing. He is also way better reading people than Emma. Everyone else is smitten with Emma, but Knightley isn't afraid to tell her when she's done something wrong. In the end, Knightley is the only person who truly understands Emma and sees the good in her.

EMMA is a contemporary romance with drama and awkward social situations that I enjoyed delving into. Emma is unlike Jane Austen's typical female lead because she's vain and has trouble seeing how others feel. That's one reason I love Knightley so much. He challenges her to be better because he knows she can be. While Emma is so unlikeable, Knightley compliments her and carries the story to a higher place. I also liked the other twists with Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill because it added the drama we needed. I really enjoyed watching Emma's growth and how she slowly started to understand people aren't pawns for her to move around on a chessboard.


Final Verdict: Overall, I really love how different this Emma is to the usual standard Austen places on her female leads while Knightley is the perfect gentleman. I would recommend this to Jane Austen fans who enjoy contemporary romance, coming of age, and watching an unlikeable character grow into a likeable one.


P.S. I love the ideas of all these classic books getting stunning new covers. The floral design is the perfect theme for EMMA along with the soft pink coloring. This is a book I'm more than happy to display on my bookshelf. It's simple yet elegant.