Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid

Northanger Abbey

by Val McDermid

Jane Austen in the hands of queen of crime, Val McDermid. Get ready for a very different Northanger Abbey.

Seventeen-year-old Catherine `Cat' Morland has led a sheltered existence in rural Dorset, a life entirely bereft of the romance and excitement for which she yearns. So when Cat's wealthy neighbours, the Allens, invite her to the Edinburgh Festival, she is sure adventure beckons.

Edinburgh initially offers no such thrills: Susie Allen is obsessed by shopping, Andrew Allen by the Fringe. A Highland Dance class, though, brings Cat a new acquaintance: Henry Tilney, a pale, dark-eyed gentleman whose family home, Northanger Abbey, sounds perfectly thrilling. And an introduction to Bella Thorpe, who shares her passion for supernatural novels, provides Cat with a like-minded friend. But with Bella comes her brother John, an obnoxious banker whose vulgar behaviour seems designed to thwart Cat's growing fondness for Henry.

Happily, rescue is at hand. The rigidly formal General Tilney invites her to stay at Northanger with son Henry and daughter Eleanor. Cat's imagination runs riot: an ancient abbey, crumbling turrets, secret chambers, ghosts...and Henry! What could be more deliciously romantic?

But Cat gets far more than she bargained for in this isolated corner of the Scottish Borders. The real world outside the pages of a novel proves to be altogether more disturbing than the imagined world within...

Reviewed by Ace on

4 of 5 stars

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Originally posted: http://www.novelthoughts.org/index.php?post=northanger-abbey-val-mcdermid

Things I love: Jane Austen, Scotland, History, Vampires

Things this book has: Jane Austen, Scotland, History, Vampires

I'd heard about this series ages ago - before they were actually published I believe - but it took me awhile to get around to reading them which is a shame. This one is fast paced, sticks to the theme of Jane Austen (woman is thrown into new circumstances, meets attractive boy, meets a friend who she thinks is great, said friend has a brother who is out to ruin her, said friend turns out not who she says but woman gets happily ever after as well as the secret that nearly ruins her). I might have known exactly what was going to happen throughout the book, but it was absolutely riveting nonetheless and I kept going wanting to know what would happen, how things would happen. Done perfectly the book while keeping true to Jane Austen it was modern enough that it didn't feel like it was just rewriting the original novel.

McDermid, mixed in modern day Scotland from the Book Fair to the locations with ease.

Now that wasn't to say it was perfect in any way. There are certainly bits that annoyed me - the constant texting back and forth using netspeak? Yes they're teenagers in 2015, but I just even in my mid 20s had to take a moment and actually sit back to try and figure out what they were talking about at times. The obsession with Twilight? Sure there is a fascination with Vampires and gothic mysteries but it might have gone a bit too overboard at times to the point I was rolling my eyes while I read certain passages of the book.

General Tilney & idiot!boy (John Trollope). I wanted to smack them. Yes, that was the point but you'd think her friends and he would actually take the chance to talk things through rather than jumping to conclusions. That bit was probably one of the more, frustrating aspects of the novel.

I think I came in expecting to enjoy the book but otherwise didn't have high expectations, I wasn't expecting literary greatness. As much as I enjoy McDermid's books she isn't Austen but in fact, a crime writing and this is aimed for young adults. So overall I think it was a fairly enjoyable read.

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  • Started reading
  • 27 September, 2015: Finished reading
  • 27 September, 2015: Reviewed