March 4, 2015
I probably enjoyed this Austen work more than any other I've ever read. While it has the typical elements (misunderstandings, back-stabbing, love that overcomes obstacles), it has a bit more. The heroine of this story is Catherine Moreland, a girl of 17 who has just come out of her restless childhood days to blossom into a pleasing young lady. Her adventures begin when she accompanies her childless neighbors, the Allens, to Bath.
Catherine is great for a couple of reasons. First off, her naïvety makes her likeable to readers, who can "see" things that she can't, as unassuming and trusting as she is. But her best trait is her overactive imagination, which really comes to life during her stay at the title location. Her imaginings of conspiracy and murder, hidden messages, and the like (sparked by her love of gothic novels) gives the story a little something extra, and makes it a standout Austen work.
I like the object of her affection, Henry Tilney, as well. He's funny, and forms an attraction to young Catherine at their first meeting. Now, I was convinced that Henry's overbearing father, General Tlney, had designs on sweet Catherine for himself. I knew that the Thorpes' shit talking is what caused him to send her away so rudely from the Abbey (where he'd enthusiastically invited her to visit), but I thought he was jealous. It would have added a dimension to his character had this been the case. But alas, he had been under the impression that Catherine's family was wealthy, and had wanted the connection between her and Henry for that reason alone.
My two issues with the book are as follows. First off, there's never any explanation for why the Thorpes (and as a result, the General) thought that the Morelands were rich. Did silly Mrs. Allen say something of her friends, to exaggerate and show off? But it seems that John Thorpe already had this idea about James Moreland, his classmate at Oxford. Did James lie himself? I didn't get much of a feel for Catherine's brother. I thought it was weird that he was so close to a douche like John, but I definitely felt bad for him when Isabella Thorpe, first accepting his engagement, humiliated him by flirting with Henry's brother publicly when she learned of his modest circumstances. The Thorpes were the main troublemakers in the novel. Jerks.
My other issue is with the very beginning and very end of the book. Austen tells a lot here and shows us nothing, while the rest of the book is so well written. I didn't get into it until the third chapter, but then I was in. Then, the ending was so rushed and abrupt. And this was one of her later works (published after her death); I felt like Pride and Prejudice, for example, flowed much better at the beginning.
Otherwise, this book was excellent. At this point, there's only one Austen novel I have not read: Mansfield Park. While there are very common themes in all of the Austen novels, it is certainly not true to say that if you've read one Austen book, you've read them all. No way.
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