Where does the time go? I had so many things I wanted to get into the last week but we are running out of time. But the one thing I wanted to make sure I got in was the theme of Peace and Harmony represented mainly by Emma and Mr. Knightley. Despite the disagreements they engage in, which are mostly amiable, we see them working in tandem to maintain the peace, such as during the health discussion where things begin to get a little dicey and at Randall's when it has started to snow. They do it almost without thinking; it just seems to happen seamlessly.

As the book closes, in spite of the notions of some of the characters to mix and match things up, all unions reveal a balance/rebalancing of class level: Mr. and Mrs. E., Mr. and Mrs. Weston, Harriet and Robert Martin, and Emma and Mr. Knightley whose union (the final word of the novel) suggests a fairly peaceful existence for Highbury. And, yes, Highbury, what a motley crew as I like to call them and yet, as the story ends one can not help but feel, even though Highbury contains some not-so-nice people, as a group/town there is something a bit lovable about them as a unit and through all the trials and tribulations of the characters and my own personal annoyances, by the last word, I can't help but think: what a great story.