Emma by Jane Austen

 I now know that Jane Austen has written six novels, two of them published posthumously. That means I have four more to go.

Emma Woodhouse is a rich girl, with nothing much to do with her life but thinks herself an important and intelligent person.When her governess gets married to a gentleman whom Emma had introduced to her, she starts to think of herself as a perfect match maker. So she introduces an orphan girl, Harriet, to the first class society she belongs to and tries to find an eligible match for her. Mr Knightly, Emma's friend and relative observes her and on understanding her intentions criticises her for the same. But Emma remains adamant and goes on with her mission. But her plans are to go wrong more than once.

It seems that each of Austen's characters are so well-sculpted that after some time you feel like you know them in and out and can easily predict what Mr. X will do at a given situation. But this does not make the story boring or predicable.

Another story of intricate man-woman relationships from Austen. 4.25 out of 5.

Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen

I took a lot of time to read this. Blame it on my hectic life or the old style of English. But I thought it was total worth of my time.

In short, this is the story of five sisters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia Bennet. The narrartive is from Elizabeth's view point. Mrs. Bennet, the girl's mother, is on the lookout for rich husbands for her daughters and the girls are looking for love. So much interest has been generated in the Bennet household when a rich young gentleman, Mr Bingley comes to stay in the neighborhood. And with him, there is his friend, Mr. Darcy. Shortly, a guest arrives at Bennet house; cousin Collins, who is also looking for a wife. There is the military regimen also, which has charming officers like Mr. Wickham. So are the Bennet girls going to find love? Can Jane win Bingley's heart in spite of her inferior connections ? Is Lizzy going to find her man even if her pride is hurt by a certain Mr. Darcy ?

I found out from wiki that Jane Austen titled the novel as "First Impressions" initially, which was rather apt considering the characters of the main protagonists, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. The characterization done is very much robust. All the characters, let it be the annoying Mrs Bennet, or the arrogant Lady de Borough or the silly and selfish Lydia, all the characters stick to the identity given to them. The novel also has a tint of humour almost throughout the storyline.

A must read for sure, 4.25 out of 5.