Northanger Abbey is my second Jane Austen novel I have read so far (Pride and Prejudice being the first one) and I enjoyed it, eventhough I had some issues with it.
What I liked: It´s a fun and lighthearted story and Catherines endeavours to open up a simple trunk or drawer are hilarious (she sees a gothic mystery in everything). I really adored the part of book that takes place at the actual abbey.
What I didn´t like: The first half of the book (the Bath-episode) is too long and nothing of interest happens. I didn´t like the Thorpe´s and Catherine´s inability to see past their demeanour grated on my nerves (I know, I have to cut her some slack. Catherine is only 17 and pretty naive).
I struggled with Jane Austen breaking the fourth wall, adressing Catherine as her heroine and talking directly to the reader. I thought this was utterly distracting from the narrative.
And The ending is just too rushed. All the drama is shoved into the last 20 pages of the story and nothing is developed properly and the the story is all of a sudden over.
I still enjoyed Northanger Abbey, despite its flaws, but this won´t be my favorite Austen novel.
10
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