The original Bridgerton

Thanks to Netflix and their new show, Bridgerton, there's been a spike in interest for regency-era high society. I've only watched a couple episodes and am undecided if I like the show or not. However, the vibe feels like a re-imagined Jane Austen novel. I recently read Emma and here are my thoughts on the story.

It took me a LONG time to get through Emma. Significantly longer than it normally takes me to read a book. The problem was that while the plot was interesting, I constantly wanted Austen to just get to the point. Every sentence felt five times longer than necessary, with added fluff and irrelevant descriptions. Perhaps this was the writing style of choice during the Austen-era. However in 2021, an age of short attention spans, it was a challenge for me to cut through the needless extra to find the plot.

Something that bothered me to no end was the way that characters referred to each other as "Mr. or Mrs. So and so" rather than their first names. I was terribly confused trying to figure out who characters were supposed to be addressing as several of them share a last name. Absolutely ridiculous.

On a more positive note however, I was genuinely invested in the main character, Emma, and her central love story. I felt she was a sympathetic heroine and wanted her to find romance with the man she eventually does. Recently a movie of adaptation of Emma came out featuring Anya Taylor-Joy, the star of The Queen's Gambit, so maybe I'll check that out.

Since I've just criticized Jane Austen for being lengthy, I'll keep this blog post short. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy old/British/high society/regency-style literature. Otherwise, I recommend just watching Clueless, which is based on Emma.

Let me know below! Do you enjoy Jane Austen's writing? Should I review Pride and Prejudice next?