Northanger Abbey depicts the misadventures of Catherine Morland, young, ingenuous, and mettlesome, and an indefatigable reader of gothic novels. Th...
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Apr 02, 2011
Ben
rated it: 
I've talked smack about Jane Austen before, not so much to discount her ability as a writer—if you question that, then oh, we will throw down—but to compare her unfavourably to George Eliot. What can I say? I was young and stupid two years ago!
Today I would like to apologize to Miss Austen. Since Middlemarch I've come a long way and read a lot more of Austen's works, and while Eliot's novel remains uneclipsed by Austen's novels, my awe and appreciation of Austen's abilities has only in More...
Today I would like to apologize to Miss Austen. Since Middlemarch I've come a long way and read a lot more of Austen's works, and while Eliot's novel remains uneclipsed by Austen's novels, my awe and appreciation of Austen's abilities has only in More...
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Nov 03, 2008
Jeanette
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The first time I read Northanger Abbey, I did not get it. Because I didn't get it, I didn't enjoy it. I didn't get it because when I first read Northanger Abbey I did not know much about Jane Austen, the time she lived in or Gothic novels. As I learned more about these things and re-read Northanger Abbey I started to get it and started to enjoy the novel. Now that I've actually read some of the Gothic novels that Austen parodies in Northanger Abbey I've come to realize that this is one of my fav
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Aug 24, 2011
Rowena
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this was great! i liked catherine. i felt like eleanor's strange behavior was just sort of left there. it was amusing that no one thought of catherine's relative lack of money as being the problem. i enjoyed the parts at bath the most.
also plenty of great quotes.
"To look almost pretty, is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life, than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive."
"'I More...
also plenty of great quotes.
"To look almost pretty, is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life, than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive."
"'I More...
Oct 01, 2011
Mark
rated it:
The star rating is for Northanger Abbey rather than for the collection as a whole. Northanger Abbey was famously written before Austen's other novels but published after them. It contains the various elements we associate with Austen's writing: incisive wit, comic characters, marriage plots, and country estates. The novel is shorter than her later ones and moves quickly through the action; whether this is good or bad I cannot say. Northanger is usually described as a parody of Gothic novels, but
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Apr 21, 2008
Bonnie
rated it:
Wow, what a departure! I loved this very different novel. This book shows Austen's ability to step out of her mold. I particularly liked how she addresses the reader and defines/justifies her heroine's failings yet still allows her the role. A delight!
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Dec 20, 2008
Graham
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I studied NORTHANGER ABBEY at university. It's not Jane Austen's most enjoyable work, but it does make for an interesting read. It's something of an oddity, sitting out of place with her other works; this is Austen's first, written long before the rest, and her take on the kind of Gothic literature that was popular at the time of her writing it.
A lot of NORTHANGER ABBEY is heavily based on Ann Radcliffe's MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO, so for a better understanding, read that first. Character More...
A lot of NORTHANGER ABBEY is heavily based on Ann Radcliffe's MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO, so for a better understanding, read that first. Character More...
Sep 19, 2010
Zelly
rated it:
Right! So.
I decided to just read Northanger Abbey this time around and skip the short stories and rough writings because they felt really incoherent and disjointed to me; things that you really would expect to find in rough, unpublished drafts not meant to be seen by anyone.
In short, I really enjoyed it. The cast of characters were a really great and diverse one. I love Henry Tilney to a really sad degree the most, though; I thought he was a really fun character: smart, witty More...
I decided to just read Northanger Abbey this time around and skip the short stories and rough writings because they felt really incoherent and disjointed to me; things that you really would expect to find in rough, unpublished drafts not meant to be seen by anyone.
In short, I really enjoyed it. The cast of characters were a really great and diverse one. I love Henry Tilney to a really sad degree the most, though; I thought he was a really fun character: smart, witty More...
Sep 17, 2011
Marlene
rated it:
I read Oxford's Northanger Abbey which also included Lady Susan, the Watsons, and Sandition. So this is a review of her novel and these 3 short stories.
i must confess, as much as i adore jane, northanger was not my favorite read. it's a love/hate with this book. i do like that she shows how the mind can be a dangerous thing if not kept in moderated restraints as she displayed in catherine's imaginative character. the story was amazing and i felt that it had so much potential to be as e More...
i must confess, as much as i adore jane, northanger was not my favorite read. it's a love/hate with this book. i do like that she shows how the mind can be a dangerous thing if not kept in moderated restraints as she displayed in catherine's imaginative character. the story was amazing and i felt that it had so much potential to be as e More...
Dec 10, 2009
Lindz
rated it:
Sometimes a title of a novel just does not suit the story. 'Northanger Abbey' is one of them. This was one of the first novels Miss Austen wrote and subsequently went through a number of title changes due to dodgy publishers . Finally published less than a year after her death, it is not known whether her brother or Jane chose the title. But 'Northanger Abbey' gives off a dark gothic feel, of dark corners, vails and long menacing tapestries, with hidden skeletons. Much like the novels Jane
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Nov 21, 2009
Ally
rated it:
This is my favourite of Austen's novels but it's not as straightforward as it appears on first reading...its very demanding of the reader and too many people miss the intelligence behind it and see only the naive silliness of a herione who lives in the world of the Gothic Romance's she's reading rather than the real world.
I love the characterisation in this novel - General Tilney is cast by the heroine Catherine as the perfect Gothic villain, Isabella Thorpe is an arch maipulator an More...
I love the characterisation in this novel - General Tilney is cast by the heroine Catherine as the perfect Gothic villain, Isabella Thorpe is an arch maipulator an More...
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Sep 09, 2008
Elisha
rated it:
First, I have to admit, I only read "Northanger Abbey". I simply could not make it through the others (they were boring! there. I said it).
Northanger Abbey (NA) is Austen's first novel, and a kind of take on the popular gothic novels of her day where the heroine faces things like an old castle, a body hidden in a trunk, etc. And Austen was trying to write a book like those gothic novels. It was interesting to see that in the main character of Catherine Morland you DO have More...
Northanger Abbey (NA) is Austen's first novel, and a kind of take on the popular gothic novels of her day where the heroine faces things like an old castle, a body hidden in a trunk, etc. And Austen was trying to write a book like those gothic novels. It was interesting to see that in the main character of Catherine Morland you DO have More...
Mar 16, 2010
Lindsay
rated it:
I really like how Jane takes her stand against the views of female writers and in particular female novel writers. The prejudices and struggles she faced are made quite clear. I also love the delight in the horrid or the mysterious and how they all seem to become obsessed and entertained by such... it quite reminds me of my family! I thought the ending was pretty abrupt. I actually read this novel maybe 6 or 7 years ago and I distinctly remember not liking it very much at the time. It was def
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May 22, 2008
Krystal
rated it:
I just noticed that this is a book including 4 different stories. I only got Northanger Abbey and this review is ONLY for that novel.
I went to Border's to get a quick read for the plane home and decided on this because I LOVE Pride and Prejudice, but didn't want to read any Austen novels that had been spoiled by movies. (They are still good, but I already know what's going to happen.) So I bought her first novel, that I hadn't really heard much about, not really expecting anything fr More...
I went to Border's to get a quick read for the plane home and decided on this because I LOVE Pride and Prejudice, but didn't want to read any Austen novels that had been spoiled by movies. (They are still good, but I already know what's going to happen.) So I bought her first novel, that I hadn't really heard much about, not really expecting anything fr More...
Aug 07, 2011
Vanessa
rated it:
I had to read this for a British Lit class at school. Having never read a Jane Austen novel before, I cant say that I was overly thrilled with this one. I am looking forward to reading some of her more popular novels as I have heard this isn't one of her best. The story was a bit dull. There was a point toward the end when things got a little more exciting but overall there just wasn't a lot happening in the story. I do have to say that I love Austen's sarcasm and the way she exploits certa
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Oct 31, 2009
Jamie
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This is probably my second favorite Austen book (after Pride and Prejudice), simply because I didn't see this one coming. Jane Austen parodying Gothic literature? Using Jane Austen and parody in the same sentence? Characters attempting to pry open chests, naive seventeen-year-old girls, and unnecessarily obvious flirtation? I adore this.
Mar 07, 2010
Pam
rated it:
The last two books are unfinished. I knew this when I started reading them, but for some reason I didn't believe the introduction. Too bad for me. I enjoyed Northanger Abbey, and Lady Susan, and the discussion of them in the introduction, but I'm not sure I would recommend either to anyone unless they were big Jane Austen fans. There's nothing provided in these books that can't be found from some of Austen's other, better, books.
Jul 15, 2009
Jennifer
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I've found the version I read - this one - it includes other short, unedited, and two incomplete works of Austen in addition to Northanger Abbey. It was nice to see this side of Austen. Northanger Abbey is a much shorter read than her other works, yet still as enjoyable. I really loved Lady Susan as the story unfolds only through familial correspondence, though I was rather disappointed at its abrupt conclusion.
May 20, 2010
Snorkle
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I've read Northanger Abbey before, but not for several years and I had forgotten most of the plot. One of the reasons I really enjoyed this novel was because of the way Austen wrote it. She is so good at creating characters who get under your skin and make you think. She also creates other people who are so despicable you want to shove them off a cliff, but can't because you are too curious to see what they are going to do next. I also loved her snarky comments throughout the novel, they made me
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Jun 10, 2009
Laura
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I think I enjoyed Northanger Abbey the most because of its style - Jane Austen's touch, really. The story is a satire of various social fashions of the time period in which she writes, as well as a warning against naivete that can be applied to any generation of young people, and it ties itself up very neatly at the end. I don't know if everyone learns the same lessons Catherine did in her excursion into society, but I know that I myself had similar experiences - and Jane Austen's critical all
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May 02, 2011
Sandra
rated it:
This book made me laugh out loud. It is a pastiche of gothic novels and works best, I think, if you read it for the first time paying attention to the notes at the back. They help you understand just how clever Austen has been. The characters are amusing and the plot very funny. Austen's writing is as well observed and humourous as always.
Jan 09, 2009
Mellen
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This is our latest Jane Austen read-aloud. Lady Susan is one of Jane Austen's few really bad characters and she is very funny. This story was written when JA was young. The Watsons is an unfinished text from JA's young adult years. Sanditon is JA's last unfinished work. They all provide a little more insight into Jane Austen's work.
May 05, 2008
Maureen
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Northanger Abbey was SOOO funny! I would love to go out and have a couple drinks with Henry Tilney, what a hoot. Poor Catherine is so naive, she's completely taken in by Isabella who could not be more two-faced and self-serving. Well, with the possible exception of Lady Susan. Might be fun to put Isabella Thorpe and Lady Susan in a room together and watch them try to out-schmooze eachother while planning the other's untimely demise. What a shame Ms. Austen wasn't able to finish Sanditon, I found
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Apr 23, 2011
Marissa
rated it:
Not quite as well done as Pride & Prejudice, but valuable as the first novel Austen wrote (although it was published posthumously). This edition was especially interesting, as it comes with bits of other manuscripts from the beginning and end of Austen's career, as well as the complete short story of Lady Susan.
Aug 03, 2010
Kassie
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So far I've only ready Northanger Abbey. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I have her other novels. The heroine in this novel is a bit to silly for me at times, way to easily influenced by the novels that she reads herself. It was interesting to read a book though where the heroine is clearly not what is expected of a heroine.
Jan 30, 2012
Leila
rated it:
Having never heard anything about this book, and never seeing a movie interpretation, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Northanger Abbey is sweet, scary, funny and yet still maintains those characters that drive me nuts in Austen's work. Catherine and Henry's love story is simple and can be tough to follow, but easier when contrasted with Isabella's relationships.
Mar 07, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Northanger Abbey is one of my favorites of Jane Austen's books, and Lady Susan is such a priceless gem (written in letter form about conniving Lady Susan). I didn't read the Watsons (I'll wait and read the finished version by another author), and I read the original part of Sandition, and am reading the completed version that's by another author.
Feb 22, 2010
Ciana
rated it:
I always enjoy Austen's novels because she always ties up the end so nice and neatly. Northanger Abbey the novel in this collection, was Austen first written novel though the last published. The innocence and naievty of her heroine Catherine is endering. I thought she was funny, though I'm pretty sure I was laughing at her expense. The character who I found most interesting is Catherine's mother, Mrs. Moreland. She is not a main character but her realistic and nonchalant nature she exhibits in t
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Dec 30, 2008
Gina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 20, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
The typical Jane Austen stories. All are related to who is rich and poor in society and trying to land a wealthy husband...and yet still fall in love. These were somewhat disappointing - there wasn't a lot of depth to the characters and the stories were a little too short.
Jan 22, 2009
Emily
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I have this book because it included Austens little known, Lady Susan, the Watsons and Sandition. they were all good, pleasant reads, stories that you could read in an evening and be happy with them when done. They definitely aren't her blockbusters though.
