anaphabetic's review
3.0
Austen's writing is always delightful, but I didn't connect with this story or the characters as much as in her other works. An enjoyable reading experience, but also a bit lackluster for me.
zellapaige's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
This book is striking in its cleverness. Just all around this book is smart. I adore the humor and author asides, the writing style in general is a pleasure to read. The plot is a bit ‘meh’ to me, but the writing more than makes up for it.
Loved the narrator for this audiobook edition!
Loved the narrator for this audiobook edition!
lorolemman's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this. I am so surprised I had never heard of it in detail or seen a screen adaptation before. It was fun, sweet, dramatic, sharp, and well balanced in all elements.
jennie78's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bookitalum's review against another edition
5.0
5⭐️ Wow. This is the most underrated Jane Austen novel, by far! This book was prioritized off my TBR when my bestie (and bookish idol) said it was a favorite, accidentally, intending to hype Mansfield Park (which I already think is great). The thing is that by the time I discovered the gaffe I was already so damn enamored that there was no turning back.
An average looking heroine, of average means, who loves reading?! Yes, please, sign me up! An engaging, intelligent love interest, full of witty banter? Yes again!! Beautifully honest portrayals of “friendship.” Yup, Austen’s all over it. I loved it. I’m ready to plan my trip to Bath.
An average looking heroine, of average means, who loves reading?! Yes, please, sign me up! An engaging, intelligent love interest, full of witty banter? Yes again!! Beautifully honest portrayals of “friendship.” Yup, Austen’s all over it. I loved it. I’m ready to plan my trip to Bath.
ilaria_14's review against another edition
5.0
Oh dear, I loved this book for so many reasons!
I'm aware that Northanger Abbey is supposed to be a parody to Radcliffe's gothic novels and that Janeites don't generally consider it one of Jane's greatest work, but as a reader I'm entitled to say that this book was brilliant.
Northanger Abbey is so filled with irony and wit, that I found myself smiling throughout the majority of it.
The characters were all amazingly portrayed in their own way:
Mrs. Isabella Thorpe was just as silly -but literarily funny- as some actual people I've met, and a true fangirl at heart. John, Isabella's brother, was boredom at its finest (second, maybe, to Mr. Collins) and don't get me started on how good humoured, smart and fascinating Mr. Tilney is!
The book has also struck me for the contemporary taste of a couple of scenes; the first one involved Catherine and the Mysteries of Udolpho's ending: she begged her best friend Isabella not to tell her a single word about the book she was still reading and this is proof enough of how annoying spoilers have always been since humans' memory.
The second one was about Mr. Thorpe's obsession with his vehicle. A most men's classic.
Besides I really appreciated Jane Austen's narrative presence and her comments on writing. And the fact that I easily managed to read one of her book in English (when I thought I wouldn't make it till the end) -well, that counts as yet another reason why I enjoyed Northanger Abbey so much.
On the down side though, I have to admit I was expecting a
I'm aware that Northanger Abbey is supposed to be a parody to Radcliffe's gothic novels and that Janeites don't generally consider it one of Jane's greatest work, but as a reader I'm entitled to say that this book was brilliant.
Northanger Abbey is so filled with irony and wit, that I found myself smiling throughout the majority of it.
The characters were all amazingly portrayed in their own way:
Spoiler
I grew fond of Catherine Morland from the very first pages -her fervid imagination and illusory expectations, her romantic and idealistic view of life, her making fool of herself and her incapability of flirting with handsome Mr. Tilney properly... one of us, really.Mrs. Isabella Thorpe was just as silly -but literarily funny- as some actual people I've met, and a true fangirl at heart. John, Isabella's brother, was boredom at its finest (second, maybe, to Mr. Collins) and don't get me started on how good humoured, smart and fascinating Mr. Tilney is!
The book has also struck me for the contemporary taste of a couple of scenes; the first one involved Catherine and the Mysteries of Udolpho's ending: she begged her best friend Isabella not to tell her a single word about the book she was still reading and this is proof enough of how annoying spoilers have always been since humans' memory.
The second one was about Mr. Thorpe's obsession with his vehicle. A most men's classic.
Besides I really appreciated Jane Austen's narrative presence and her comments on writing. And the fact that I easily managed to read one of her book in English (when I thought I wouldn't make it till the end) -well, that counts as yet another reason why I enjoyed Northanger Abbey so much.
On the down side though, I have to admit I was expecting a
Spoiler
heart-breaking, passionate declaration of love by Mr. Tilney. Well, that never happened :(a_bstractly's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pedantic_reader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
windraven's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ktbeth143's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
Giving this a 2.75 because I would only recommend it to people who’ve very much enjoyed Austen’s novels or who enjoy gothic novels. What I was reminded about myself while reading this is that I personally am not a fan of gothic novels. This is a satire of the gothic novel genre, so some knowledge of the genre—especially knowledge of gothic novels written in Austen’s time—is somewhat required to really enjoy this.
I will say though that even though I am not the intended audience for this novel, there were some elements I enjoyed.
I don’t think romance readers will enjoy this as the love story is very slow. (and some might find the conclusion anticlimactic). Henry’s interactions with Catherine are fun and flirty in an innocent way. But if you’re going in looking for the passionate speeches for which Austen’s love interests have been known to make, you will be disappointed by Henry. Other than the fact that it’s clear he enjoys Catherine’s company, his affections for her aren’t clear until the very end.
I will say though that even though I am not the intended audience for this novel, there were some elements I enjoyed.
Spoiler
I think Catherine is the most relatable Austen heroine—because who among us has not ever allowed ourselves to be fueled and guided by the want to be accepted by others? And for those of us who have always loved reading, Catherine’s overactive imagination about Northanger Abbey is understandable, and her embarrassment among realizing it’s nothing like the story she conjured up in her head is so relatable I was experiencing second-hand embarrassment.I don’t think romance readers will enjoy this as the love story is very slow. (and some might find the conclusion anticlimactic). Henry’s interactions with Catherine are fun and flirty in an innocent way. But if you’re going in looking for the passionate speeches for which Austen’s love interests have been known to make, you will be disappointed by Henry. Other than the fact that it’s clear he enjoys Catherine’s company, his affections for her aren’t clear until the very end.