Northanger Abbey is charming and witty (as always with Austen), easy to follow, and entertaining. I liked Catherine and Mr Tilney, and I loved to hate Mr Thorpe and Isabella.

While Mr Thorpe basically tells Catherine that he likes her because ‘she’s not like other girls’, she replies, “Oh, but there are a great many people like me, I dare say, only a great deal better.” — which I love.

And Mr Tilney, instead of belittling Catherines worries or shaming her for them, tells her this: “I will not say, do not be uneasy, because I know that you are so at this moment, but be as little uneasy as you can.” Definitely a green flag.

The only real gripe I had with this story was the portrayal of England as morally superior towards the end, as opposed to other parts of Europe. As in, how could something depraved such as

a femicide

possibly happen in such a respectable household in such a formidable country? This completely glosses over England's imperialism or maybe on the contrary, shows the foundations of it.

All in all, a great Austen novel and a good one to start with, if you’ve never given Jane Austen a go.