Reading: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

[samanthabryant]

 #bookeveryweek Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. 

 

I listened to this one as an Audible production, with a full cast, so that may color my opinion of the book a bit. Emma Thompson and Jane Austen were made for each other after all. It's possible I wouldn't have loved it as much if I were reading it without Emma's voice in my ear, or any of the other talented voice actors who made the production a delight. 

 

All I knew about this one going in was that it was Austen's earliest completed work, and that it poked fun at gothic novels. I was pleasantly surprised by the lively narration in the authorial voice, direct in a way that some of Austen's later work is not. Some might call that a flaw, and I do admire her subtle and dry wit in later works, but I found the direct nudge-nudge commentary hilarious. 

 

I've been reading some gothic romance myself of late. It's been a favorite escapist genre of mine from time to time across my life, and I think I might write one myself soon, so that might explain the draw for me right now. I suspect that this one would be even more biting and hilarious if I knew the Mysteries of Udolpho which was reference so much throughout, so I've added that to my soon-to-be-read pile. 

 

The machinations of our antagonists in the story were wonderful as well, though our heroine's complete and utter failure to see through the manipulations or even believe it when the evidence became overwhelming did have me a little worried. Most of Austen's heroines are smarter than that, even when they are young and inexperienced. Young Catherine was no Lizzie or Elinor, but she remained charming enough for me to continue to cheer for her and I was happy when she found her expected happily ever after. 

Comments

[johncomic]

If you could "see" how I read, you would understand why I have trouble with audiobooks. I often stop, go back and reread a sentence slower, whispering it to taste the language... not always to absorb the info but often to savour how it was conveyed. Similar to how I get along with comic books a bit better than movies -- don't drag me away from this bit when I'm not done with it yet!

[samanthabryant]

Audiobooks have been something I came to slowly. I'm in what my mother calls "the busy years" with a serious shortage of leisure time . . .and I'm cranky when I don't get enough story in my life. So, audiobooks haven't always been my go-to either. But I've come to appreciate them out of a kind of necessity.

These days, I often get the book as a kindle/audible combo, bookmark the bit that struck me in the audiobook when I'm the go and go back and read it again more slowly on the kindle later.

[johncomic]

sage nod