Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love Jane Austen. I love her work. I am a self-proclaimed Janeite. I wrote my graduate thesis on Austen’s six major novels and a term paper on NorthangerAbbey.
I have to admit, Northanger Abbey is my absolute favourite. The satire, the gothic, Austen’s humour and her ability to create a naïve character without making her annoying is quite the accomplishment.
I adore Catherine’s evolution from a sheltered country girl to being thrown into the fashionable society of Bath.
The characters in general are very rich, interesting and life-like. The attention to detail and commentary Austen provides is astounding and every time I read this story, I discover something new I had missed during my previous read.
The jury is still out there on Mr. Tilney being the perfect leading man in an Austen novel, but for me there is no contest. He is perfect in a sense that his character is solid, unfaltering, he knows his manners and morals, and he knows right from wrong.
The setting, Bath and then an old abbey, is perfect and really satisfies my delight in gothic storytelling.
Austen’s writing is complex, but once you get used to it, you’ll find that it actually flows quite nicely. A word of caution, though, for all us speed-readers: take your time with her works, the experience will that much more satisfying and you will pick up on Austen’s incredible wit and sarcasm a lot easier.
Overall, I’m going to stop gushing, because I can go on forever when it comes to Austen’s work. Northanger Abbey was her first finished novel, but not published until much later. It shows her lively youth, optimism and wit; the beginning of a marvelous, yet too short, writing career.
