I enjoyed this book at least as much as Pride and Prejudice - maybe even more!

Where Pride and Prejudice had wit, Emma has humor. Emma is downright funny! It is a light-hearted and entertaining read; very approachable. I was delightfully engaged from the beginning, and Jane Austen's characteristic dialogue did not disappoint. As usual, I was impressed by Austen's keen insight into human nature and by the timelessness of the described emotions. She skillfully leads the reader through the evolution of Emma's self-awareness and feelings towards others, and she ties everything up nicely in the end, in a very satisfying way, just the way I like it. There was a full cast of characters with idiosyncrasies and neuroses, and I dare say I saw in Mr. Woodhouse a bit of what I might become, if I don't keep myself in check!

Addendum: Now that I've watched three screen adaptations, I have to admit that the adaptations opened my eyes to more significant meanings behind several scenes in the book! Many small hints were dropped along the way regarding a surprise towards the end, and I'd like to think that I would have discovered these meanings myself upon subsequent readings. :P In any case, these discoveries only increase my regard for Jane Austen's writing, because she didn't lay everything open at the very end; while she did provide sufficient explanation to answer lingering questions, she still gave her readers credit and left some things unsaid for the readers to interpret themselves.