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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this was pretty cute!! i can def see why people don't consider northanger abbey to be jane austen's masterpiece or anything but I think it is underrated for how funny and entertaining it was <33 there are so many small subtleties that are done really well, and I really love how it spends an entire page in the middle just going on about the values of reading fictional novels lmao, like jane you are preaching to the choir but yes <33 fully agree <33
I think my main issue with it was that the title is just straight-up misleading T_T the book spends maybe a quarter of its time actually in northanger abbey... the rest is in bath, which isn't all that interesting?? there's a lot of funny moments and dynamics with catherine and the various annoying thorpes, and the early stages of henry flirting with her are very cute, but overall I was waiting for the book to move on and finally take us to the abbey because that's what I wanted to see the most, and it took foreverrrr T_T
I also think catherine & henry's romance is a little on the weird side T_T like I do see it and I thought they were cute overall but he just comes off as too mature for her, and there isn't that much time spent on developing them together... but again I get the appeal from both sides and I'm glad it ends so happily <33 but I'm ngl when he first showed up I thought he was a distraction from the inevitable main love interest lmao, he seemed like he was going to be the wickham-esque red herring T_T
anyway, all of that aside I had a good time with the book overall, and it's really made me want to read more austen!! the language was much easier to get through than I thought it would be and her humor is delightful just like you'd expect <33 I really want to read emma next, it has to be so many people's favorite for a reason T_T but the only other one I own as of rn is persuasion, so maybe I'll get to that soon??
I also think catherine & henry's romance is a little on the weird side T_T like I do see it and I thought they were cute overall but he just comes off as too mature for her, and there isn't that much time spent on developing them together... but again I get the appeal from both sides and I'm glad it ends so happily <33 but I'm ngl when he first showed up I thought he was a distraction from the inevitable main love interest lmao, he seemed like he was going to be the wickham-esque red herring T_T
anyway, all of that aside I had a good time with the book overall, and it's really made me want to read more austen!! the language was much easier to get through than I thought it would be and her humor is delightful just like you'd expect <33 I really want to read emma next, it has to be so many people's favorite for a reason T_T but the only other one I own as of rn is persuasion, so maybe I'll get to that soon??
I found Northanger Abbey both more comedic and shallower (which do not necessarily go hand in hand) than the other Austen novels I've read, but nevertheless quite enjoyable.
Treating Jane Austen as a comforting read is the way to go for me. This was comforting, just emotional enough to keep me wanting to come back to it, and beautifully written. But the way Austen ends her novels is getting annoying, which doesn't really matter, but I'm annoyed!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Jane Austen, but this is my least favourite book by her. I guess it's because it basically is about a teenager and those days have gone. Also find Catherine a bit annoying when she doesnt speak up for herself, but those days have gone too
Not my favorite Jane Austen but enjoyable none the less. A bit more tongue and cheek than I expected, which was actually quite nice.
Narration is great.
Narration is great.
This book wasn't bad, Jane Austen is wonderful, I just happen to be in a reading slump so I currently prefer something more fast paced and plot driven. I'll revisit this again sometime else.
Unlike Lady Susan and Persuasion (the only other Austen works I’ve read so far) which where steadily pleasant but a little boring reads for me, I absolutely hated Northanger Abbey at the beginning yet started loving it later on. It was probably for the better that I gave it a rest for a few months and then came back to it without the irritation and frustration I felt reading the first 50-70 pages, because I might’ve missed out on most of this novel which pleasantly surprised me.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated