Although Pride and Prejudice is by far Jane Austen's most popular novel, I found Northanger Abbey to be quite amusing. It is the tale of an imaginative girl who finds that real life is not often as ghastly as that of the imagination. I laughed out loud as I read the outlandish portrayal of some of the characters; Austin was truly a master comedian!"No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be a heroine." So begins this book, and as it continues I love how Austen jumps in and out of it, sometimes speaking in the first person about her characters, sometimes allowing us into their heads, and sometimes using language so ambiguous that we the readers are unsure whether the point of view is that of Austin or her main character. And, of course, it ends with the "felicity" of the two main characters despite misunderstandings and misrepresentations.
This is a short and quick book, in that way unlike Pride and Prejudice and Emma. It is well worth your time to read, if you enjoy subtle humor.
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