Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
I’m in a bit of a conundrum, as it’s perhaps a 3-star book, but Henry Tilney is by all means a thoroughly 5-star fellow… So my 4-stars is an (unsatisfactory, no doubt, to all parties…) attempt at consolidating the two thoughts…
I read this for the Northanger Abbey Read-Along held by Amber Stokes @ Seasons of Humility, and I’m so glad I did! (Of course, I had been quite diligently reading a chapter per day, give or take; but quite failed in drawing it out over the last few days and had to finish early. ;))
My general lack of patience with (read: loathing for) Isabella, Mr. Thorpe, and at points General Tilney, coupled with poor Catherine’s being rather trodden upon in “friendship” with the poisonous lacy cupcake known as Isabella, prevented my specifically “enjoying” most of the story. I can’t really read about characters being used in that way, or about nasty people, without my blood boiling and ending up greatly disliking it. It’s just a kind of story I can’t read, personally. Definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” (Unfortunately, this accounts for most of the book?)
But every instance which involved Mr. Tilney, as well as those parts with him and Catherine and Eleanor Tilney as a trio, were a delight and well worth the reading!
Tilney must rank up there with my favorite of the Austen heroes, methinks, following after Mr. Darcy but for quite different reasons! Henry is a delightful character, I loved his lines of wit and humor, and the part where he was frightening Catherine with his fabricated tales of horror concerning her arrival to the abbey, was hilarious. XD
Henry and Catherine make a sweet pair, and adding in Eleanor, make a very delightful set of companions, whom it would be a joy to hang out with!
The bits that were rather making fun of other books, which was fun, and Tilney (and his sister), make the book worth reading, and I’m quite glad to have (at long last!) read Northanger Abbey. 🙂
Now I need to reread Pride and Prejudice sometime, and I now really hope that Amber Stokes @ Seasons of Humility will hold another readalong for Emma or Mansfield Park someday so I can finally read those too, because I really like this readalong format. 😀
I’m just going to leave you with this fabulous quote from Henry which is further proof of his awesomeness. He and I would get along splendidly. XD
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” — Henry Tilney, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
(Hey, he said it, not me. ;))
(I quite apologize if all that comes out of this attempted review is that Tilney is awesome; I’m afraid I’m shallow like that. *cough*)
Genre/Category: Historical Fiction / Romance / Classic
Age Group: YA/Adult?
Published: 1817 (Whew! Nearly 200 years old!)
Pages: 192 pages
Series?: No
When Read: March 1 – 27, 2016
Favorite Character: Henry Tilney, naturally. 😉
Source: Read in a collection of all of Jane Austen’s novels which I found at a library book sale.
Other Notes: Read for the read-along at Seasons of Humility.
Thanks for reading!
Dream away in those pages . . .
~ The Page Dreamer
The Page Dreamer (Deborah O'Carroll) 