[WPF] Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - 4 stars

[Jen K]

Enjoyable but light read of Austen's early writing. Catherine has been invited by the neighbors to join them in Bath. At first bored without any acquaintances, she finally finds a friend in Isabella who is a bit of a fickle friend. Isabella catches Catherine's brother's eye and it seems that they may become sisters. Catherine also catches the eye of Isabella's brother who is a bit pompous and heavy handed but Catherine only has eyes for Henry Tinley and befriends his sister. The first half of the book includes the set up in Bath and for the second Catherine is invited to the Tinley's gothic Northanger Abbey estate.

The book is fun with entertaining characters and poor Catherine too naive and innocent to catch little if any of the machinations and sentiments around her. She takes everyone at face value and is quite surprised when all isn't as it seems. Austen has fun with the Abbey as Catherine imagines as many scenarios as would be appropriate for a proper gothic setting as she reads in books. It is hard to go wrong with Austen.