Retro Reads: Emma

It took me a while to become a Jane Austen fan, having slept though several movie adaptations of the classic writer's novels. That changed when I saw the wonderful BBC miniseries Emma, the most recent screen version of Jane Austen's 1815 novel, and I decided to take a look at the original.

Emma Woodhouse is the pampered daughter of a country gentleman, living a carefree life "with very little to distress or vex her." When her former governess gets married and moves away, Emma takes credit for having introduced her to her husband, and to entertain herself in a now lonely house, Emma decides to pursue matchmaking full-time. Absurd situations ensue when Emma meets Harriet - a young woman with a great deal of beauty but little in the way of money, family, or sense - and embarks upon the project of preparing Harriet for society and getting her paired off. But Emma proves to be as ignorant as Harriet in matters of romance. Like many novels of its time, Emma moves slowly compared to modern stories, with more dialogue than action. Its charm unfolds gradually in the voices of the utterly innocent Harriet, Emma's hypochondriac father, and Emma herself, whom Austen described as "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like" but who becomes irresistible in her own way.

You can find Emma and hundreds of other classic books in our Always Available ebook collection, part of the Greater Phoenix Digital Library. Download them to your home computer or transfer them to an EPUB-compatible reader. You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions to access the ebooks. For the Always Available books, you will need to click the Download button, then save the file to your computer (make note of its location). Open Adobe Digital Editions, then choose Library - Add item to library. The Always Available classic ebooks do not expire and do not count against your checkout limit, so you can check out as many as you want and keep them for as long as you want.
-Michelle (Sunset)