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Northanger Abbey

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Northanger Abbey

By: Jane Austen
Narrated by: Nadia May
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About this listen

 Jane Austen's first major novel, a parody of the popular literature of the time, is an ironic tale of the romantic folly of men and women in pursuit of love, marriage, and money. The humorous adventures of young Catherine as she encounters "the difficulties and dangers of a six weeks' residence in Bath" lead to some of Austen's most brilliant social satire.

There is Catherine's hilarious liaison with a paragon of bad manners and boastfulness; her disastrous friendship with an unforgettably crass coquette; and a whirl of cotillion dances with their timeless mortifications. A visit to ancient Northanger Abbey, the ancestral home of the novel's handsome hero, excites the irrepressible Catherine's hopes of romance amid gothic horrors. But what awaits her there is a drama of a different kind, in this most youthfully exuberant and broadly comic of Jane Austen's works.

©1818 Public Domain (P)1995 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Funny Witty
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The most satirical and witty of all her novels.she builds a wonderful picture of a over imaginative naive seventeen year old Catherine Moreland stumbling through her first adventures in society

Most drole

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I should probably listen to this audiobook again at some point, but what frustrated me about this book is that so much energy was spent on the mannered comedy (and yes, I realise that it’s supposed to be satire) that there didn’t seem to be that much in the way of plot. Or, at least, by the time we got to any kind of plot I’d lost interest. However, the narration of this particular version is excellent, and is worth repeating for that reason alone, and I do feel I should give it another chance, because the writing is excellent, as you would expect Austen to be, and the humour is apparent from the start.

Worth listening a second time

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Where does Northanger Abbey rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This isn't Austen's most sophisticated work, but May gives a quietly spirited reading all the same. She brings out the irony without over-emphasising it and has a sympathy for the text. An enjoyable listen.

A good reading of my least favourite Austen novel

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Although an Austen fan this was not one of my favourite books, however the audio was free with the ebook, and I have to say the narration made the story so much more enjoyable. Would listen to this narrator again. She did the Thorpes very well. Good range of voices for the different characters.

Better than reading the book!

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Force fed Northanger Abbey for O-level at a time when I was wholly unable to appreciate its genius and resentful of having to reproduce explanations and rationales to suit examiners questions, I have waited far too long to revisit this book. The narration is exquisite, perfectly drawing out the irony of Austen’s writing. At 15 I viewed Catherine Moreland as a silly empty headed girl, whose fortunes I had no interest in and having no knowledge of the history of the novel approached the task of assimilating it as a boring necessity. Now I am blown away but Austen’s skill, her lightness of touch and economy of words. An absolute joy.



A Gem of a Book

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I enjoyed the story and the narrator, it was fairly obvious how the story would unfold.... But a good romp any how.

Moralistic romance

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It was good and Cathrine was a good heroine and her love story was interesting

If you like period pieces

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