I apologize for the delay in this post! I really had to think for today's topic. Not because I couldn't think of a book that makes me happy. It's quite the opposite problem actually. ALL books make me happy, or at least MOST books. So how do I choose ONE book to write about? I spent all week trying to decide what book I would write about. I finally narrowed it down and am ready to roll.
In general all of Jane Austen's books make me pretty happy. They take me a bit longer to read, but the stories are so good. They are the book equivalent of chick flicks, which then became actual chick flicks when Hollywood turned them in to movies. I won't lie, my experience with Jane Austen began by watching Pride and Prejudice (the 6 hour version) in English my senior year of high school. But it got me hooked on Jane Austen and her style. I then watched Emma, and finally decided it was probably time for me to read the books I loved as movies. There is one story that I think I love just a bit more than the others. It's not overly sad and it definitely ends on a happy note. The book I have chosen as a book that makes me happy is. . .
Emma is probably my favorite of Jane Austen's books. My actual first exposure to this story line was with the movie Clueless, which is loosely based off of Emma. I LOVED Clueless when I was younger, and still do. After watching Clueless and Emma I knew I had to see what the movies left out. The book, as per usual, is so much better. It just makes me happy.
For those of you who have never read Emma, watched the movie, or watched Clueless, here is a bit of a summary. Emma Woodhouse is a young lady who fancies herself a matchmaker. The book opens on Emma attending the wedding of her former governess Ms. Taylor, whom Emma has matched up with Mr. Weston. When Emma returns home from the wedding she gets to work on her next matchmaking quest: matching her new friend Harriet with Mr. Elton. This isn't as simple as Emma hopes. Harriet has her eyes on farmer Robert Martin and Mr. Elton has his eyes on Emma. Emma convinces Harriet that Mr. Elton is a better match for her than a farmer but this ends up going horribly wrong. When Mr. Elton "makes the moves" on Emma, she rejects him and Mr. Elton retreats to Bath. When he returns, Harriet is heartbroken to learn that he has returned with a wife.
Things get more interesting when both Frank Churchill, Mr Weston's son, and Jane Fairfax come to town. Mr. Knightly, a dear friend of Emma's, warns her that Frank is bad news. But, as Emma quickly learns, the heart wants what the heart wants and she finds herself falling for Frank. Without giving too much more away, heartbreak is in store, but everyone ends up in love and happier than Emma could have hoped.
There are a few reasons why I choose this book as a book that makes me happy. Emma wants her friends to be happy. She isn't the best at listening to what would make them happy, but I believe her heart is in the right place. There also isn't a horrible tragedy in this book. Yes there are broken hearts and hurt feelings. But there are no deaths, injuries, or other horrible events. Emma and her friends are normal, young adults living their lives. Heartbreak and hurt feelings happen, and happened 200 years ago when this book was written. The aspect of this story that really seals the deal as a book that makes me happy is that there are happily ever afters for all of the "main" characters. Everyone gets what they want, finds loves, and ends up happy. How can you go wrong with a story that ends so happy? And the fact that the journey isn't full of tragedy makes it that much better. This is just a feel good story all the way around. And, in my opinion, makes this a happy book.
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