So this was technically my 5th Austen (4th that I finished because I did DNF Mansfield Park). If I only count the 4 I finished so far, Emma is possibly last on my rankings list.

The novel is extremely slow at times, causing me to be bored and at one point I started skimming some of the dialogues. 

There were too many monologues from characters (looking at you Miss Bates) or descriptions that went on unnecessarily (did not need those descriptions on Pork, Woodhouses)! I think the novel could have been cut by about 100 pages and nothing of substance would change. The pacing felt all over the place as the story picked up for me around 60 pages in but then slowed down again-rinse and repeat. The ending felt dragged out and kind of anticlimactic.

I didn’t mind the characters as much as others may have. Emma could be annoying and spoiled but I found her entertaining enough to read about. Miss Bates and Mrs Elton drove me insane, and Frank Churchill is a walking red flag. Mainly continued the book for Mr Knightley, that man carried this book! Mr Woodhouse had some funny (and relatable) lines, “the sooner any party breaks up, the better.” 😂

Overall I’m mostly glad to have read this and checked it off my list of Austen novels. But I can understand why many don’t like classics or Austen if they read Emma (I swear her other books are so much better and less boring). This is one Austen I won’t be rereading though.