Scan barcode
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
thelaurajay's review against another edition
1.0
Thank god I had a friend to text my incredulity to as I read this book.
freckleduck's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book but I didn’t. The characters felt ridiculous in modern day and I hated the text lingo.
jlewis's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
First, Northanger Abbey is my least favourite Jane Austen book. I’ve never felt it properly hangs together and I have always been excruciatingly embarrassed on Catherine’s behalf by her inability to separate fiction from reality. Second, the only other Austen Project book I’ve read was Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma, which was incredibly disappointing. Third, the only other Val McDermid book I’ve read was one of the Tony Hill books, which was so grim and grisly that I was left with no wish to read any more. So perhaps it’s not surprising that this book has been at the bottom of my TBR pile until it was forced on me by a reading challenge.
And I would like to say that it is a very entertaining and clever contemporary version of the original. It riffs on so many of the original details, even to Henry Tilney having an eye for dress fabric. Catherine (here known as Cat) is as excruciatingly naive and embarrassing as in the original. The Thorpes as superficial and self-absorbed. The Edinburgh summer festival setting works brilliantly as a substitute for Bath. I’m pleased to have been prompted to read it - although Northanger Abbey will still rank as a definite 6th in my list of preferred Austen. (The others take it in turns to rank first …)
And I would like to say that it is a very entertaining and clever contemporary version of the original. It riffs on so many of the original details, even to Henry Tilney having an eye for dress fabric. Catherine (here known as Cat) is as excruciatingly naive and embarrassing as in the original. The Thorpes as superficial and self-absorbed. The Edinburgh summer festival setting works brilliantly as a substitute for Bath. I’m pleased to have been prompted to read it - although Northanger Abbey will still rank as a definite 6th in my list of preferred Austen. (The others take it in turns to rank first …)
lamom77's review against another edition
5.0
Northanger Abbey is my 2nd favorite Jane Austen novel and this modern retelling did a wonderful job of updating one of my favorite stories! This author stayed true to the characters and setting.
heroineinabook's review against another edition
4.0
The Austen Project books ([b:Eligible|25852870|Eligible (The Austen Project #4)|Curtis Sittenfeld|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1460477855s/25852870.jpg|26428236] by Curtis Sittenfeld, [b:Emma|23395733|Emma|Alexander McCall Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1418764787s/23395733.jpg|26428246] by Alexander McCall Smith, [b:Sense & Sensibility|17349163|Sense & Sensibility|Joanna Trollope|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363291870s/17349163.jpg|24034602] by Joanna Trollope) have been panned so much the last two books (Mansfield Park and Persuasion) are not being published (If they are, I cannot find anything about them) with [b:Eligible|25852870|Eligible (The Austen Project #4)|Curtis Sittenfeld|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1460477855s/25852870.jpg|26428236], published this year, as the last one. (Even the website has been removed and now forwards on to a small press's website, a division of Harper Collins.)
I do not care. McCall Smith's was the weakest one of the bunch but overall, I absolutely adored them. (You'll be hard pressed to find me not loving the Austen pastiches since I'm a big fan of such things. Even [b:Manga Classics: Emma|23332879|Manga Classics Emma|Stacy King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416178949s/23332879.jpg|42885636] and the Marvel graphic novels of P+P and Emma. The exception, for me, seems to be the Darcy side / continuation / retelling so much it doesn't even remotely look like the original books. Those tend to be dreadful. After the first couple, I couldn't even hate read them.)
I'm probably a poor person to review The Austen Project books as I'll more than likely give them four or five stars as for the most part, the retelling seem to catch the spirit of the original even if the language, and in some cases canon, may not highlight Austen's voice.
With all of that being said, I adored McDermid's version of Northanger Abbey and I only have a few quibbles, with those being inserting the book into modern day. Oh, it works to the extent I could see Cat(herine) reading her Hebrides Harpies (think Twilight with mystery involved) books, curled up in the corner with a hot cup of tea by her side and texting and facebooking on the side. But Cat's mannerisms, speech, and interactions with the other characters show a well-rounded teen while her texting / social media text and tone have her come off as a half-cocked character. It's as if McDermid interviewed a few teenagers, got the gist, and attempted to emulate the youths. The difference in tone is not jarring so much as it is surprising when you come across these texts but they are few and far between so I forgive McDermid for that. The setting, Northanger Abbey is in the Borders and much of the action takes place during Edinburgh's Fringe festival, which makes sense as McDermid calls Scotland home and it would be natural to set the story there.
If you search for "The Austen Project" and the titles currently published, you'll see scathing reviews by big time websites / magazines to the occasional book bloggers, with the main gripe being it's humorless, poorly written, and leaves nothing to the imagination. (Which is funny with the poorly written as McDermid has won numerous awards for her writing.) What they seem to forget is Northanger Abby in and of itself was a parody of the gothic novels of Austen's age so yes, some of the language and characters and the settings seem a bit gruesome and over the top, but that is the whole point!
Austen's characters and story lines are universal which is why her work still speaks to us 200 years later. The foibles, struggles, happiness, and everything inbetween she brilliant encapsulated in her work is everywhere you look. Human condition is the human condition and writing about what propels us, excites us, and scares us, and critiquing the the things around us gives the opportunity for others to connect and empathize. This is all the reasons why Austen "purists" who denounce the pastiches and similar works make me want to backhand them into next week. You don't have to like those stories but to reject them for whatever reason is to reject what Austen was writing and thinking about all those centuries ago.
Long story short: Read it. Enjoy it. Don't over analyze or think it. Just remember a story is a story and what stories is to give us entertainment whether it is fictionalized or not.
(P.S. I apparently have OPINIONS about such things.)
I do not care. McCall Smith's was the weakest one of the bunch but overall, I absolutely adored them. (You'll be hard pressed to find me not loving the Austen pastiches since I'm a big fan of such things. Even [b:Manga Classics: Emma|23332879|Manga Classics Emma|Stacy King|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416178949s/23332879.jpg|42885636] and the Marvel graphic novels of P+P and Emma. The exception, for me, seems to be the Darcy side / continuation / retelling so much it doesn't even remotely look like the original books. Those tend to be dreadful. After the first couple, I couldn't even hate read them.)
I'm probably a poor person to review The Austen Project books as I'll more than likely give them four or five stars as for the most part, the retelling seem to catch the spirit of the original even if the language, and in some cases canon, may not highlight Austen's voice.
With all of that being said, I adored McDermid's version of Northanger Abbey and I only have a few quibbles, with those being inserting the book into modern day. Oh, it works to the extent I could see Cat(herine) reading her Hebrides Harpies (think Twilight with mystery involved) books, curled up in the corner with a hot cup of tea by her side and texting and facebooking on the side. But Cat's mannerisms, speech, and interactions with the other characters show a well-rounded teen while her texting / social media text and tone have her come off as a half-cocked character. It's as if McDermid interviewed a few teenagers, got the gist, and attempted to emulate the youths. The difference in tone is not jarring so much as it is surprising when you come across these texts but they are few and far between so I forgive McDermid for that. The setting, Northanger Abbey is in the Borders and much of the action takes place during Edinburgh's Fringe festival, which makes sense as McDermid calls Scotland home and it would be natural to set the story there.
If you search for "The Austen Project" and the titles currently published, you'll see scathing reviews by big time websites / magazines to the occasional book bloggers, with the main gripe being it's humorless, poorly written, and leaves nothing to the imagination. (Which is funny with the poorly written as McDermid has won numerous awards for her writing.) What they seem to forget is Northanger Abby in and of itself was a parody of the gothic novels of Austen's age so yes, some of the language and characters and the settings seem a bit gruesome and over the top, but that is the whole point!
Austen's characters and story lines are universal which is why her work still speaks to us 200 years later. The foibles, struggles, happiness, and everything inbetween she brilliant encapsulated in her work is everywhere you look. Human condition is the human condition and writing about what propels us, excites us, and scares us, and critiquing the the things around us gives the opportunity for others to connect and empathize. This is all the reasons why Austen "purists" who denounce the pastiches and similar works make me want to backhand them into next week. You don't have to like those stories but to reject them for whatever reason is to reject what Austen was writing and thinking about all those centuries ago.
Long story short: Read it. Enjoy it. Don't over analyze or think it. Just remember a story is a story and what stories is to give us entertainment whether it is fictionalized or not.
(P.S. I apparently have OPINIONS about such things.)
krobart's review against another edition
2.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/day-519-northanger-abbey/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/day-519-northanger-abbey/
ammiebelle's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't sure what to make of The Austen Project; I didn't see much of a point. I kept an open mind, welcoming in a fresh, fun take on a classic novel. I thought that I would start with Northanger Abbey as it's one of Jane Austen's novels that I am less familiar with.
The writing is fine and I think that Val McDermid does a fine job with it. My issue is that it is just too close to the original story in structure. I would have rather read a more modern take or an update that is inspired by the original. I think the fundamental problem that I have with it is that it is no longer the early 19th century. We interact differently and society has changed dramatically. Certain elements just don't work. For example, I had a really difficult time believing that Henry Tilney, a lawyer, would fall for a silly 17 year old Catherine Morland. If the central romance doesn't work in Austen, the novel doesn't work.
The writing is fine and I think that Val McDermid does a fine job with it. My issue is that it is just too close to the original story in structure. I would have rather read a more modern take or an update that is inspired by the original. I think the fundamental problem that I have with it is that it is no longer the early 19th century. We interact differently and society has changed dramatically. Certain elements just don't work. For example, I had a really difficult time believing that Henry Tilney, a lawyer, would fall for a silly 17 year old Catherine Morland. If the central romance doesn't work in Austen, the novel doesn't work.
jhaverinen's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0