Emma was as unlovable a character as Austen promised she would be, and yet by the end you couldn't help but root for her. Emma reads as almost a who-dun-it of romance novels, trying to guess who Emma would pair with who all while wondering if the main character herself doth protest too much. There's no denying Austen can give you 25 characters and you'll know and have opinions on each and every one of them. A classic for a reason.