Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen

A brave few took on the dark, cold winter night and the drive to Healesville last night, for a - shall we say - spirited discussion about the merits or lack thereof of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.


All were in agreement that the main character, Catherine, was indeed a bit of a ninny. It was also felt that the book, which was one of Austen's earliest works, certainly showed evidence that the author was young and inexperienced when she wrote it, and was maybe lacking some of the more complex relationships and wit of Austen's later novels. There was some discussion as to whether the author was thumbing her nose at novel readers in general, but on the whole Northanger Abbey was not well liked by the bookclubbers (aside from Elise, who having studied it recently as part of a literature course found more to get her teeth into, and is also a dyed in the wool Janeite), and was thought to be lacking in action, frivolous and, to quote Colleen, 'drivel'.

Tahnee - juvenile. 3/10

Colleen - bland and boring. 3/10

Trilby - a simplistic plot, but did inspire her to try more Austen. 5/10

Elise - fresh and naive. 7/10