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A review by lenorayoder
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
funny
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
What a fun time! Catherine and Henry hit it off right away with some cute flirting and banter that shows how compatible they are. Henry’s sarcastic and teasing nature complements Catherine’s straightforward naïveté and helps her wise up to the fact that not everyone is as genuine and to-the-point as her family. I love how they talk about books together, and that every time we get dialogue from them it shows us what a good match they are.
I was surprised to see how well Austen captured a certain family dynamic in the Tilneys. The way the siblings all interact with each other and their father feels so real and relevant. Passive aggressive controlling parents still act just like this! The lecture Catherine gets from her clueless mother towards the end of the book also feels familiar - it’s so interesting to see how these kinds of relationships have barely changed in 100+ years!
I love the obvious humor and parody Austen narrates this book with, it feels so youthful and fun compared to her other works. There are follies aplenty, but no misunderstanding lasts too long. You’re never left feeling anxious or angsty for more than a few chapters (in most cases, pages), unlike the book-long misunderstandings that occur in some of her other works.
One of the focuses of this book is how much people don’t say what they mean. Austen is sure to include many hilarious examples of characters directly contradicting what they’ve just said, both in action and words. This is only made more effective by contrasting their behavior with Catherine’s, who doesn’t even notice this happening most of the time because she’s too busy taking everyone at their word and saying exactly what she means.
I would definitely recommend! This is also a book that’s easy to put down and pick back up later if you need to - the details and characters are easy to keep track of and the reader is rarely left in a lot of suspense.
I was surprised to see how well Austen captured a certain family dynamic in the Tilneys. The way the siblings all interact with each other and their father feels so real and relevant. Passive aggressive controlling parents still act just like this! The lecture Catherine gets from her clueless mother towards the end of the book also feels familiar - it’s so interesting to see how these kinds of relationships have barely changed in 100+ years!
I love the obvious humor and parody Austen narrates this book with, it feels so youthful and fun compared to her other works. There are follies aplenty, but no misunderstanding lasts too long. You’re never left feeling anxious or angsty for more than a few chapters (in most cases, pages), unlike the book-long misunderstandings that occur in some of her other works.
One of the focuses of this book is how much people don’t say what they mean. Austen is sure to include many hilarious examples of characters directly contradicting what they’ve just said, both in action and words. This is only made more effective by contrasting their behavior with Catherine’s, who doesn’t even notice this happening most of the time because she’s too busy taking everyone at their word and saying exactly what she means.
I would definitely recommend! This is also a book that’s easy to put down and pick back up later if you need to - the details and characters are easy to keep track of and the reader is rarely left in a lot of suspense.