Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey is one of Austen's earliest written works and it shows. Sometimes things happen a little conveniently, sometimes the pacing is a little off. But even at this young age, Austen's characteristic spark and wit shines through brilliantly. Even in this early work, we already see her astute observations about the foibles of humanity and the sharp delivery that accompanies them. Because this is written at a young age, we also see a playfulness in Austen's writing here that diminishes as she gets older. She doesn't take herself too seriously in this one, sometimes even calling out her own flaws, or those in her characters. I reread this one because I recently read The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe and wondered if it might give me any deeper insight into this book - it didn't, so I wouldn't at all call it recommended reading. Nevertheless, Northanger Abbey is still a delightful comfort read at any time.