northanger abbey

Book Re-review: Northanger Abbey

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Northanger Abbey
By Jane Austen

My Edition:
Paperback, 260 pages
2005, Barnes & Noble Classics
ISBN: 9781593082642

I wrapped up Austen Month by rereading Northanger Abbey and I’m so pleased with my choice. I thought I first read this when I was blogging, but it doesn’t look like I’ve got a review anywhere. I did rate it 2.5 stars initially and I know it wasn’t until I read the Marvel comic adaptation along with the modern novelization by Val McDermind that I understood the tone Austen was going for.

So, given the significant change in my star rating (I’d put it at 4.5 now) I thought I’d revisit my thoughts with this re-review.

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Book Review: Northanger Abbey

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Northanger Abbey
By Val McDermid

My Edition:
Paperback, 343 pages
2014, HarperCollins
ISBN: 9781443424325

Cat Morland lives in a dull little town where nothing ever happens. She craves the adventure she finds between the pages of her books.  But an opportunity to attend the Edinburgh Festival with family friends gives Cat the opportunity to spice up her life, and when she meets the boisterous Thorpe family and the mysterious Tilneys. When she’s invited to stay at historic Northanger Abbey, she finds herself immersed in a fantasy, but is it all in her head?

This book was my first completed read for Austen Month and it was so much fun.

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Judging A Book By Its Cover: Jane Austen Collection

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Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! This is my weekly post where I choose to appreciate a book for its cover art or overall design – to me, a well-designed book is like a piece of art. We all judge book covers to some extent. Personally, it’s usually a title/cover combination that pulls me in when I’m browsing in a bookstore. I can’t say that I’ve ever decided against a book with terrible cover art if I liked the sound of the plot, but I have purchased special editions of books, or multiple editions of books based on their cover art. If book covers didn’t matter, publishers (looking at you, Penguin!) wouldn’t put out so many beautiful editions!

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