I'm honestly going to have to reread this one before rating or reviewing, because I read it while reading other things as well, and have don't really I'm honestly going to have to reread this one before rating or reviewing, because I read it while reading other things as well, and have don't really remember much. I mean, I do, I remember the plot points, but I don't remember my reaction to them; I have no real impression of the story or the writing. Which made me think it was probably fairly bland, but then it has an almost uniform slate of 5-star ratings, so maybe I was just too distracted to appreciate it. I'll likely give it another chance later in the summer, to review for Austen in August....more
I went on a little bit of an Amy D'Orazio binge earlier this year, and this was the last (and shortest) of the bunch. To be honest, I don't remember iI went on a little bit of an Amy D'Orazio binge earlier this year, and this was the last (and shortest) of the bunch. To be honest, I don't remember it too clearly, probably *because* of the fact that I'd read so many of them back to back, but my impressions of it are pleasant enough, so we'll just go with it. I'll probably reread it at a later date, so I can remember what I actually read... ...more
In another JAFF review, I talked about angst overload, but this is much closer to angst done right. There are still some really over-the-top things thIn another JAFF review, I talked about angst overload, but this is much closer to angst done right. There are still some really over-the-top things that happen to get the angst wheels a-rollin', but the pining and the hopelessness that things will come out right are there in almost appropriate levels for my tastes. I always read Reynolds P&P variations, some of which I could among my absolute favorites (and some of which are... questionable), and this feels like a return to her strengths. One I'll likely reread....more
I have a high angst tolerance. If done well, I eat that shit up. Give me mutual pining any day. But the angst in this... it's more frustrating than enI have a high angst tolerance. If done well, I eat that shit up. Give me mutual pining any day. But the angst in this... it's more frustrating than enjoyable. So many of the problems in this book could have be solved by the barest amount of communication (and I know, I know, people don't talk! They miscommunicate all the time! People are conflict averse! I get it. But this is next level.), AND ALSO, some of the conflicts in is just... ugh, they made me cringe. I think the *big reveals* (because yes, there are two of them) might shock some people, and as a result, make them think they were a good thing! Big twists! But I saw both coming, minus the nitty gritty, and just. Was not a fan. In a big way. It's still an interesting story, and there are moments where the angst and longing were aces, really liked. But it's getting a middle of the road rating, because I don't know if the good outweighed the bad, OR if the bad outweighed the good....more
3.5 I have a habit of seeking out the same Austenesque authors over and over, and am trying to branch out and try more. An Arranged Marriage was one su3.5 I have a habit of seeking out the same Austenesque authors over and over, and am trying to branch out and try more. An Arranged Marriage was one such "author trial," and it was a fairly successful one. The twist on the familiar story was a bit different from what one usually encounters with Darcy & Lizzie stories, and it started out strong and interesting. It did start to drag a bit, though, as time went on, though I don't remember ever wanting to just give up on it.
The biggest issue for me, and what is normally a deal-breaker in P&P retellings, is that it felt like Lizzie's character was wrong. I don't mind authors toying with the characters and giving us different versions of them, and I actually appreciate when it seems like the changes are well thought out and logical: "If X character were in these circumstances, and had these major life/plot changes, then they're behavior would probably reflect that in Y ways." That is good. That is insightful.
But sometimes character changes are done for plot purposes, only -- just to make certain plot points work, even if it doesn't work with who the character is at their core -- and that I do not like. This wasn't egregious, but it did stray more than I would like from being belivably Lizzie and believably Darcy.
Still, I'd try more by the author, and am not abandoning my quest to find new JAFF faves!...more
First fave book of 2021. I've been meaning to read this one forever (especially since I own further books in the series...), so when I noticed it was First fave book of 2021. I've been meaning to read this one forever (especially since I own further books in the series...), so when I noticed it was available as an audiobook on hoopla, I figured the time had finally come. And I ate it up. This is exactly what I wanted, and what I hoped it would be. It's Austenesque but its own thing, a loving fantasy-tinged homage. The audio (done by the author herself) was excellent* and made me actually want to continue the series on audio, even though I own a physical copy of the next book. This will likely be a book I reread.
*Even if I did question her accent at times...more
Temporary DNF. Got 1/2 through, thinking this was a weirder, more abrupt retelling than I was used to, only to realize that it's the 3rd book. Temporary DNF. Got 1/2 through, thinking this was a weirder, more abrupt retelling than I was used to, only to realize that it's the 3rd book. ...more
3.5, maybe 4. It is a truth universally disregarded, unfortunately, that Northanger Abbey is a criminally underrated book. It was truly a shock to me t3.5, maybe 4. It is a truth universally disregarded, unfortunately, that Northanger Abbey is a criminally underrated book. It was truly a shock to me to discover, upon finding the Janeite community, that many (if not most) readers rank NA so low as to not rank it at all. They dismiss it entirely as silly fluff. But ever the contrarian, Northanger Abbey was my favorite of Austen's novels for some years, and still ranks in my top 3. I won't launch into a full defense of it here, but suffice it to say, I've been very disappointed with the lack of retellings and continuations Northanger gets in the JAFF community.
I'm also always a little trepidatious of the few retellings that do make it to market, because they have a lot to live up to, both to my Northanger-loving heart, and in convincing all of the many P & P-exclusive readers to branch out and give little Catherine and Henry a chance.
Added to the fact that do many readers just don't show the enthusiasm for Northanger as they do for Pride & Prejudice, Northanger is just a very different book than the rest of Austen work. In it, more of her satirical, playful side comes to the fore than in any of her works other than her juvenalia. The tone and style are so different that an additional layer of challenge is added for authors who want to mimic Austen's style; yet another is added in the need to be familiar and comfortable with the gothic literature it both embraces and satirizes. For a "light, frothy, silly" book, it's not the easiest story to take on.
I was very curious to see what direction Diana Birchall would take, and how much she'd lean into the Gothic Romance of it all. . . And boy, did she ever lean in.
This book is bananas. Truly, it is bonkers. Northanger Abbey itself is a bit on the bonkers-side, and I read The Bride of Northanger in one marathon sitting, so calling it bananas-bonkers (bonkernanas?) is not the insult you may think it is. It's just that, at literally no point* in this book did I know what crazy thing was going to happen next. In this — and in the body count — it is very, very much a gothic romance. The Bride of Northanger is the type of book Catherine Morland would give herself giddy shivers with at night. It's dramatic, shocking, abrupt, and oddly, utterly enthralling. It takes Catherine's many imagined horrors and uses the actual bad behaviors Austen laid out in her text, and uses them to vindicate Catherine's "flights of fancy," turning the conceit of Northanger Abbey on its head. Catherine — now married and doing her best to be rational and mature — does her best to keep her head while all of her wildest imaginings are realized, and then some. All the worst of man and monastery are thrown her way in quick succession, and the level-headed way she handles things feels surprisingly realistic; Catherine's growth feels realistic, making her a dynamic and engaging character, whose roots still feel firmly planted in Austen.
Other characters, however, feel less realistic offshoots of Austen. Where Catherine has become rational, the rest have gone much in the opposite direction, becoming more extreme, over the top, dramatic, reactionary... In an odd way, it works, subverting the reader's expectations and bolstering Catherine and her capabilities. There is occasional effort made to capture Henry Tilney's sarcasm and wit (one of the highlights of NA for me), but I could have done with a great deal more of Tilney's humor, as well as a bit more complexity of feeling for him. He suffers loss, scandal, and terror in this continuation, but his reactions remain somewhat callous and unrealistic.
It's an interesting book to try to discuss, because while I think there are some major flaws in it, none of them really made me like it less. Though she may not have always captured Henry's voice, Birchall (mostly) nailed Austen's mechanics, and very often, her tone. It's funny on a few levels, it's surprising almost continuously, and so fully embracing the gothicness of it all feels like a fulfillment of Catherine's character, in such an unexpected way. I don't know that it'll be the book to convince JAFF readers to embrace more Northanger Abbey retellings, necessarily, but it certainly was a fun one, and unlike any other Austen retelling I've read.
*except for one crucial one, which I saw coming a mile away, and which left a really bad taste in my mouth....more