Emma

Rating - 8.5

Jane Austen's Emma was an excellent novel. Emma is about a young lady named Emma Woodhouse. Unlike many women in nineteenth-century English society, Emma actively participates in society with men. She is extremely clever and intelligent. Emma considers herself a talented matchmaker. However, she often runs into mischief when her attempted matches fail, causing grief for her friend Harriet. Austen's eloquent writing style makes Emma a great read. The characters and plot reveal satire and humor. Overall, it has great literary value. However, I failed to relate to the characters and felt the plot was lacking in suspense and depth. I felt that it was hard to keep track of the relationships between the characters and that the ending was too cliche. The book was also very long and in parts, I started wandering from the pages. Overall though, Emma was interesting and rewarding.

Jane Eyre

Rating - 9.5

I absolutely love Jane Eyre. It's one of my favorites. The main character Jane Eyre starts out as a 10 year old orphan surrounded by hostility in her Aunt Reed's house. Jane sets on a quest to achive independence, love and acceptance in society. Throughout the novel, the reader sees Jane matur into a young woman who breaks the standards of Nineteenth-Century english society to achieve her goals. Many people can relate to Jane's character and her determination. This novel is full of suspense and plot twists. Bronte uses a diverse vocabulary to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Jane Eyre is unlike anything else I have ever read. It is very lengthly, but it is an enjoyable read.

Just a random thought.............

"We could all learn a lot from crayons; some are fat, some are skinny, some are tall, some are short (or "vertically challenged" to be politically correct), some have hideous wrappers and some even have funny names like "Tickle Me Pink" and "Arrest Me Race Car Red". Yet, they exist very nicely in the same box."