Northanger Abbey in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jun 29, 2009 Arianna rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001books, audiobook

This was...interesting Austen. Clearly her earlier writing, thus she hadn't yet developed her talents to their height, but it was a fun read. Much like her later works, but just a little bit less refined. More adventure - she wrote (tongue-in-cheekly, of course) like she was a young girl who read a lot of gothic romances about castles, and learned her novel-writing skills from thence. Of course, she pokes fun at the whole idea the entire time, so she certainly considers herself somewhat above th ...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Nina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: novel, women, classic-literature, reread

I'm reading _A Jane Austen Education_ and the author's description of Northanger Abbey inspired me to reread it. The last time I read it, I believe I was a sophomore in high school and didn't properly appreciate the dryness of Austen's wit or her gothic satire. I love this story--I suppose this is really the type of story that Bridget Jones apes, even more than Pride & Prejudice. Catherine Moreland, we're told, has none of the trappings of a heroine. She is not terribly attractive, not overly cl ...more

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Dec 11, 2009 Steph S rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, young-adult, audiobooks, favorites, 2010, classics, british, funny, favorite-authors, author-female

Slightly differing in tone and subject matter from Austen's usual fair, her delightful irony is ever-present. Targeting both literary and social conventions, Austen's earliest novel is a tale of a comically daft heroine and her first encounters requiring finesse with both human subtlety and the manners of society.

In audio format, I think it wise to find a performer a bit inept with the character of John Thorpe as he quickly becomes painfully annoying. I listened to the version narrated by Juliet ...more

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