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Northanger Abbey Audiobook

Northanger Abbey Audiobook, by Jane Austen Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Wanda McCaddon Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.00 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.75 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: December 2007 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781481557979

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

31

Longest Chapter Length:

21:59 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

06:56 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

14:39 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

124

Publisher Description

Jane Austen's first major novel, a parody of the popular literature of the time, is an ironic tale of the romantic folly of men and women in pursuit of love, marriage, and money. The humorous adventures of young Catherine as she encounters "the difficulties and dangers of a six weeks' residence in Bath" lead to some of Austen's most brilliant social satire. There is Catherine's hilarious liaison with a paragon of bad manners and boastfulness, her disastrous friendship with an unforgettably crass coquette, and a whirl of cotillion dances with their timeless mortifications. A visit to ancient Northanger Abbey, the ancestral home of the novel's handsome hero, excites the irrepressible Catherine's hopes of romance amid gothic horrors. But what awaits her there is a drama of a different kind. This novel is the most youthfully exuberant and broadly comic of Jane Austen's works.

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"Not my favorite Austen, but then, it really shouldn't be compared to her other works, either, simply because it isn't meant to stand alongside them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite that Catherine is a ninny, because it's one of the rare books where a foolish heroine absolutely makes the story. I wrote a 15-pager on this one, focusing on its satire, and writing from an historical perspective--how the book was meant to be received in its day. Read it, but be aware that it's not supposed to be like Austen's other works. It's supposed to be disappointing and frustrating. And silly."

— Heather (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “About an imaginative young woman who reads too many Gothic novels, the story is Austen’s most lighthearted.”

    — Boston Globe
  • “Northanger Abbey, her most youthful and in many ways her most brillant novel…at times dares us to pay close attention to the artistic positions and processes her other novels tend to relegate to the background.”

    — Claudia L. Johnson, Murray Professor of English Literature at Princeton University
  • “[Austen] uses her rapier wit to mock not only the essential silliness of ‘horrid’ novels, but to expose the even more horrid workings of polite society…In many respects Northanger Abbey is the most lighthearted of Jane Austen’s novels, yet at its core is a serious, unsentimental commentary on love and marriage, nineteenth-century British style.”

    — Amazon.com, editorial review
  • “Combines a satire on conventional novels of polite society with one on gothic tales of terror.”

    — Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature

Northanger Abbey Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.9759450171821307 out of 53.9759450171821307 out of 53.9759450171821307 out of 53.9759450171821307 out of 53.9759450171821307 out of 5 (3.98)
5 Stars: 124
4 Stars: 70
3 Stars: 70
2 Stars: 20
1 Stars: 7
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Not my favorite Jane but very funny in sections. Her social commentary is hilarious in the first section. I just think her story waned in the second half. "

    — Jeannene, 2/20/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " No one can beat JA! "

    — Monica, 2/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Northanger Abbey was one of the better Jane Austen novels I've read. It ended kind of suddenly with almost no dialogue and just a bunch of summarizing, but the rest of the plot made it worth it. The traditional love story was complemented with a mysterious aspect of living in an Abbey, and it was generally a different approach. Austen used first person at times, and described her main character as a heroine, kind of breaking the fourth wall. It was really intriguing to read. "

    — Abby, 2/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This novel was a fun and fast read. It serves as a glimpse into history through the eyes of Jane Austen. Her social commentaries are amusing and so are her constant pangs to the genre of the time's gothic novels. "

    — Rebecca, 2/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Too much fluff for me no substance. "

    — Laurie, 2/16/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This novel is listed on my Gothic module to read this year... but I was constantly waiting for aspects that would resemble the Gothic. Fair enough it has an abbey, and the slightest amount of suspense. But basically it's a love story, that ends happily as in all Austen novels! "

    — Becky, 2/15/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Oh, Jane Austen, how brilliantly witty and hilarious you are. Oh, Henry Tilney, need I say more? "

    — Whitney, 2/15/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Better than her juvenilia and far more compelling than her epistolary work, but quite dry and long winded. It takes too long for an event to unfold - especially when that event is something as simple as a character waiting around to see another or some other mundane activity. The writung is eloquent but absolutely dull. "

    — Robert, 2/14/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Nice book but fairly typical "

    — Rmry68, 2/14/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Better than the books I have read lately. "

    — Laura, 2/13/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This amusing story is definitely Austin's best. Her heroine shines as an authentic person that can be related to no matter what the era. Though Austin's other novels have good plots, they're not always executed in the best manner ("Show us, don't tell us, Jane"), but she hits the right notes in this one. "

    — Grace, 2/13/2014

About Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775–1817) is considered by many scholars to be the first great woman novelist. Born in Steventon, England, she later moved to Bath and began to write for her own and her family’s amusement. Her novels, set in her own English countryside, depict the daily lives of provincial middle-class families with wry observation, a delicate irony, and a good-humored wit.

About Wanda McCaddon

Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.