Northanger Abbey

The more I read of Jane Austen, the more I like her.

That is the mark of a good writer, I think.

This is the fourth book of Austen's that I have read and the second this summer. In the process of reading it and Persuasion, I've spent a lot of time reading books about Austen and about Austen's work, and that can't help but enrich the entire reading experience.

The plot is simple: Catherine Morland goes with some rich patrons to Bath. She meets a group of young people who she befriends. Some of the young people turn out to be more worthy of friendship and affection than others.

This story has elements of the gothic tale that my mother loved so much, so Catherine's time at the abbey filled me with nostalgia for the books my mother shared with me as a young adult.

The book has everything I'm coming to love about Austen: complex characters, clever conversations, and witty asides.

Oh dear. I think I am becoming a Jane Austen fan.