#24 Northanger Abbey

by Jane Austen

Classics Challenge #5

This is my final book for the Winter Classics Challenge. I actually finished it on Sunday, but I haven't had a chance to write the post until now. I chose this book for a few reasons.

1. I love Jane Austen books, so it was pretty safe that I would enjoy this one as well.
2. It is short and I didn't have a lot of time until the end of the challenge.
3. My library had it checked in, so I didn't have to wait for it.
4. It was available on audio CD.

I'm really glad I chose this one, because it was interesting and fun. Not nearly as in depth as Pride & Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility, but it was also not as long as those. It's about Catherine, who is the youngest of 10 children. She goes with some family friends to Bath for vacation. She meets new friends and new beaus while she is there. She is interested in Henry Tilney, but there's always the series of happenings that get in the way.

My favorite part of the book is when Henry is driving her to Northanger Abbey, his father's home. She's going there as a personal friend of his sister's, and by invitation of his father. When Henry discovers her fascination with staying in an Abbey he teases her about how scary it might be. He says things like:

-Won't you be scared when the servant leads you to the opposite side of the house from the family rooms, down a long dark hallway, to a bedroom that hasn't been used since some relative died there 20 years ago?

-What will you think when the only light in the room is a small candle that casts an eery shadow on the old tapestries and the huge portrait of a knight over the mantle?

-How will you resist wondering what the strange old chest holds, and why does it resist every effort you employ to open it?

These aren't direct quotes, just close to what he says, as far as I can remember. To each of these questions Catherine doesn't really give an answer, but acts flushed, scared, and excited all at the same time. It made me laugh out loud because the entire dialog was delivered so well.

If you want a quick, fun read, definitely check this book out. It doesn't come close to contending for the position of my favorite Austen book, but I did enjoy it.