As I have shared in other posts, Emma was my first foray into the world of Jane Austen and was almost my last.

At this point in the novel, Miss Austen had set up a very complicated stage for this reader.

In spite of the contrariness of Emma and the confusing list of characters, the real "hook" for me at about this very point in the story was an irresistible urge to find out how Emma would turn out. She is like the eye of the storm as the characters revolve around her. There was something magnetic about her that I could not resist.

It was the mastery of Miss Austen who created such a fascinating personality as Emma that "hooked" me into my continued reading to find out what was going to happen next. At this point, I was truly hoping that Emma would somehow improve herself but absolutely nothing had been settled and the endless "what if's" drifted throughout my thoughts.