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limeykiss's review against another edition
3.0
Having not read the original (I know, I know, I'm a bad Austen fan), I can't comment on the adaptation of Austen's original plot vs this one. I can, however, say that while the writing was in general good, and the plot mostly interesting, at about the middle of the book, the author stopped writing in modern lexicon and seemed to try to switch into Austen's style of verse, which made no sense and ruined the book. This is also the point when she seemed to stop caring about adapting some of the elements for the modern day. For example: two characters would probably not get married after only knowing each other a few months, and DEFINITELY not after only a few weeks. A man (General Tilney) would not constantly be asking his guest about the financial status of her neighbours (the Allens). Tilney's questions about the Allens financial and social status also made little sense because Cat didn't live with them, and, prior to her trip with them, didn't even seem to socialise with them very much. The characters in the Thorpe family, however, were written brilliantly, and McDermid did an excellent job of painting the scenery for both Edinburgh and the Tilney's houses.
clairedrinkstea's review against another edition
1.0
Rubbish! Don't read it. It's an insult to Austin and her works and I'm not an Austin purist, I don't mind retellings or re-imaginations of her works.
If I could I would give it ZERO stars!!
It's whinny and silly; you have no love for any of the characters and the speech is so stereotyped it's cringe and shudder worthy.
Has Val McDermid ever spoken to teenager from the last decade or basing her characters on memes, gifs and tumblr jokes about being a fangirl? It's actually quite sad really, I honestly don't know who gave the green-light to this book but everyone involved should hang their heads in shame.
My copy is already in the charity bin. At least it might do some good that way.
If I could I would give it ZERO stars!!
It's whinny and silly; you have no love for any of the characters and the speech is so stereotyped it's cringe and shudder worthy.
Has Val McDermid ever spoken to teenager from the last decade or basing her characters on memes, gifs and tumblr jokes about being a fangirl? It's actually quite sad really, I honestly don't know who gave the green-light to this book but everyone involved should hang their heads in shame.
My copy is already in the charity bin. At least it might do some good that way.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I've never read a Val McDermid. I have though, read every Jane Austen. The Austen Project fascinates me, as I've loved many of the cinematic adaptations created from her novels (Clueless being my favourite) and love seeing how contemporary writers/directors use her words and stories. Without any knowledge of McDermid's work though, if her fans are expecting her usual voice and style to shine through, I think you may be disappointed. It's not a McDermid book.
By that, I don't mean that this book is disappointing. Far from it. Simply that it's written in the style of Austen as far as possible in a modern context and follows the plot of the original exceptionally closely (with contemporary adaptations. More on those shortly).
And anyone reading this who's not a fan of Jane Austen, don't stop now thinking this isn't for you. It's a well-told story with humour, romance and a (small) touch of mystery.
I decided to read the original directly before starting this, so it was fresh in my mind as I sped through the new version. Northanger Abbey was never in my mind one of Austen's most accomplished novels, with a slightly too naive heroine, but with wit evident and a nice romantic element.
McDermid has clearly thought hard on how to update every element and I think she did a marvellous job in making this 200-year-old book accessible and fresh, while keeping so closely to the original.
To summarise, Catherine Morland, daughter of a working-class vicar and his wife is invited to the Edinburgh festival by wealthy family friends. Feeling lost among strangers, she indulges in imaginative bouts, enjoying outlandish vampire stories. She is befriended by the charming Bella Thorpe and her overpowering brother Johnny, who both try and commandeer Cat away from another pair of siblings, the much more likeable Ellie Tilney and her witty brother Henry. Eventually, Cat is invited to the Tilney home, the gothic abbey of the title, where her imagination runs riot with vampiric plots revolving around the Tilneys' dead mother and their brusque and cold father, General Tilney.
All of this could be straight out of a contemporary Young Adult story. Which just goes to show how applicable some of our classic authors are.
I found Cat herself more likeable than in the original, she's less annoyingly innocent (though still slow to catch on at times). Henry makes a wonderful (if still underused) love interest. He's not meant to be Darcy - he's younger, and a second son with an overbearing father, but still someone you can develop a crush on. Bella and Ellie are very much as they are in Austen's writing, one all sweetness and the other all hypocrisy. Minor characters that are there to turn the plot. My favourite is still Johnny - deliciously arrogant and someone you want to punch. Very well updated - the love for his horse replaced by a love of fast sports cars.
In the original, Cat is a gothic fiction obsessive, so to make her equivalent a vampire/horror fan seemed appropriate, though still of course very silly in a 17-year-old!
I liked the substitution of Edinburgh for Bath. Bath has less cultural significance today, and McDermid has managed to get a lot of comedy out of the shows and setting of this Scottish city.
Austen's language and words are cleverly woven into the book, closely enough that conversations are the same in direction and content, though this does leave the current author's voice absent. But if this considered a piece of fan fiction it's very well done.
I think I caught an authorial 'dig' or two though, a short rant against poets: "the more obscure their verse, the more praise they appear to garner" as well as other snippets of her own thoughts popping out. Enjoyed those.
Where McDermid changes something vital for me is in making Austen's subtlety vanish - telling us explicitly things we can infer, telling us what Cat hasn't noticed. Not letting us spot these things ourselves. Didn't like that aspect. It's part of Austen's dig at characters' flaws that I really like.
I also wasn't happy with the reason for Cat's sudden departure from one location (no spoilers here!) - while I can see that a change had to be made to the original to make sense today, this change shocked me somewhat and felt wrong. See if you agree with me.
The contemporary references to wi-fi, 'selfies' and Twitter will help readers feel at home in this story. Harry Potter, Julia Donaldson and Jane Austen herself are all referenced. Some readers won't understand the joke about Mrs Danvers though. She's made it feel very current.
All-in-all, I loved it. Very well constructed out of the bones of Austen's original. Faithful to the tone, character and message. For students studying Northanger Abbey, reading this alongside it will bring up a wealth of discussion points on modernising classics and the differences in society that have taken place. For those of us reading for pure pleasure, you'll find a lot of that here, and I hope if you've never tried Austen that Val encourages you to do so.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
By that, I don't mean that this book is disappointing. Far from it. Simply that it's written in the style of Austen as far as possible in a modern context and follows the plot of the original exceptionally closely (with contemporary adaptations. More on those shortly).
And anyone reading this who's not a fan of Jane Austen, don't stop now thinking this isn't for you. It's a well-told story with humour, romance and a (small) touch of mystery.
I decided to read the original directly before starting this, so it was fresh in my mind as I sped through the new version. Northanger Abbey was never in my mind one of Austen's most accomplished novels, with a slightly too naive heroine, but with wit evident and a nice romantic element.
McDermid has clearly thought hard on how to update every element and I think she did a marvellous job in making this 200-year-old book accessible and fresh, while keeping so closely to the original.
To summarise, Catherine Morland, daughter of a working-class vicar and his wife is invited to the Edinburgh festival by wealthy family friends. Feeling lost among strangers, she indulges in imaginative bouts, enjoying outlandish vampire stories. She is befriended by the charming Bella Thorpe and her overpowering brother Johnny, who both try and commandeer Cat away from another pair of siblings, the much more likeable Ellie Tilney and her witty brother Henry. Eventually, Cat is invited to the Tilney home, the gothic abbey of the title, where her imagination runs riot with vampiric plots revolving around the Tilneys' dead mother and their brusque and cold father, General Tilney.
All of this could be straight out of a contemporary Young Adult story. Which just goes to show how applicable some of our classic authors are.
I found Cat herself more likeable than in the original, she's less annoyingly innocent (though still slow to catch on at times). Henry makes a wonderful (if still underused) love interest. He's not meant to be Darcy - he's younger, and a second son with an overbearing father, but still someone you can develop a crush on. Bella and Ellie are very much as they are in Austen's writing, one all sweetness and the other all hypocrisy. Minor characters that are there to turn the plot. My favourite is still Johnny - deliciously arrogant and someone you want to punch. Very well updated - the love for his horse replaced by a love of fast sports cars.
In the original, Cat is a gothic fiction obsessive, so to make her equivalent a vampire/horror fan seemed appropriate, though still of course very silly in a 17-year-old!
I liked the substitution of Edinburgh for Bath. Bath has less cultural significance today, and McDermid has managed to get a lot of comedy out of the shows and setting of this Scottish city.
Austen's language and words are cleverly woven into the book, closely enough that conversations are the same in direction and content, though this does leave the current author's voice absent. But if this considered a piece of fan fiction it's very well done.
I think I caught an authorial 'dig' or two though, a short rant against poets: "the more obscure their verse, the more praise they appear to garner" as well as other snippets of her own thoughts popping out. Enjoyed those.
Where McDermid changes something vital for me is in making Austen's subtlety vanish - telling us explicitly things we can infer, telling us what Cat hasn't noticed. Not letting us spot these things ourselves. Didn't like that aspect. It's part of Austen's dig at characters' flaws that I really like.
I also wasn't happy with the reason for Cat's sudden departure from one location (no spoilers here!) - while I can see that a change had to be made to the original to make sense today, this change shocked me somewhat and felt wrong. See if you agree with me.
The contemporary references to wi-fi, 'selfies' and Twitter will help readers feel at home in this story. Harry Potter, Julia Donaldson and Jane Austen herself are all referenced. Some readers won't understand the joke about Mrs Danvers though. She's made it feel very current.
All-in-all, I loved it. Very well constructed out of the bones of Austen's original. Faithful to the tone, character and message. For students studying Northanger Abbey, reading this alongside it will bring up a wealth of discussion points on modernising classics and the differences in society that have taken place. For those of us reading for pure pleasure, you'll find a lot of that here, and I hope if you've never tried Austen that Val encourages you to do so.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
kassidyreads's review against another edition
DNF @ 6%
This book was given to me by a friend but I new within 20 pages that it was not for me.
This book was given to me by a friend but I new within 20 pages that it was not for me.
Honestly, contemporary books aren't really my thing. If nobody's in danger of getting murdered than I don't care! For me to enjoy a contemporary book it has to at least be funny and/or have likeable characters which this book had neither.
Also, something felt off about the writing. It seemed overly wordy at certain points. Apparently, the author is a crime writer so it's strange to me that she would write a YA romance.
char931's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
wanderingmole's review against another edition
3.0
Fun book. Part of the "Austen Project" (4 contemporary authors tasked with writing a book of the same name as one of Austen's). Not something I'd want to read a lot of, but enjoyable.
kberry513's review against another edition
5.0
After having been a bit...disappointed... by the other two Austen Project books I read recently (moreso the P&P one rather than the S&S one), I was hesitant about this one. I felt the S&S retelling stuck a little too closely to the story, although I still enjoyed it quite a bit. The P&P I hate-read. I really loved Northanger Abbey (the original) and so it was with more than a little trepidation that I started this one. I LOVED it; I feel like it kept the spirit of the original quite well and updated it in a way that made it feel modern without removing the silliness and feel of each of the characters. I also thought it was very clever to say the way someone did or might act was what peopled would do "hundreds of years ago", like the way the General ruled his family or the way the Calmans would never hide evidence of a murder because servants that loyal are no longer a thing.
My favorite twist was
My favorite twist was
Spoiler
that the General wanted Cat to leave not because he found out her family had no money, but because Johnny told him she was a lesbian (because she spurned his advances). Considering the type of man Johnny is, this is exactly the kind of thing modern guys like him do and it makes a lot of sense that an old-school sort like the General would be so horrified by that notion that he would chuck Cat out in the middle of the night.melanie_books's review against another edition
4.0
"It was a source of constant disappointment to Catherine Morland that her life did not more closely resemble her books."
In this excellent retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, our heroine Cat is thrown into a new world of excitement and mystery in Edinburgh when she accompanies the Allens to the Fringe Festival. No one she meets is who they say they are...or are they?
This is how retellings should be done. Val McDermid 100% captured the whimsy and silliness of Catherine Morland and her story while still making the story fresh and entertaining. She not only got the essence and the characters right but she paid homage to the original by bringing out some of the best quotes as well! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to fans of the orignial.
In this excellent retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, our heroine Cat is thrown into a new world of excitement and mystery in Edinburgh when she accompanies the Allens to the Fringe Festival. No one she meets is who they say they are...or are they?
This is how retellings should be done. Val McDermid 100% captured the whimsy and silliness of Catherine Morland and her story while still making the story fresh and entertaining. She not only got the essence and the characters right but she paid homage to the original by bringing out some of the best quotes as well! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to fans of the orignial.
arnoldad1's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75