My favorite Jane Austen novel (and favorite novel in general) is Pride and Prejudice, but Northanger Abbey is a very close second. Briefly, the novel follows Catherine, a huge fan of Gothic literature, who finds herself staying in an old country house. Needless to say, her imagination runs wild, and every little incident is infused with Gothic importance. Much of the entertainment in this novel comes from Austen's good-natured jabs at the fun, but certainly ridiculous world of Gothic literature. To truly appreciate this novel, you should read it after reading something by Ann Radcliffe (or a similar Gothic author), and I guarantee that it will make the experience that much more enjoyable. Catherine is a great heroine: smart and brave, even if she is a little prone to flights of fancy. Mr. Tilney is also a great love interest and by far the most humorous leading man in any of the Austen novels.

I really enjoyed this book, until the ending. I felt it was thrown together and finished without enough explanation .

Delightful read, exploring imagination and maturing young minds. Social comment on contemporary phase of gothic romances.

Although some might consider Northanger Abbey a slighter or lighter part of the Jane Austen library, I think it compresses an accomplished lot in a slim volume. It's as great a cast of characters, with all their charms and foibles, and as diverting a comedy of manners and intrigues as any of Austen's works. It's also a great takeoff on Gothic novels, and even incorporates some incisive observations on the writing and consuming of novels in general.