Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
"No-spoiler Alert" For me Northanger Abbey wasn't a casual pick, but a much-awaited pick for the first-written novel of Jane Austen from my most-admired Regency Era. Naivety, lies, ignorance, innocence, parental tyranny, filial disobedience, all intricately and cleanly knitted into and around "Northanger Abbey". For me the ignorance and innocence of our naïve and pretty heroine Catherine, speaks aloud about our then young Jane Austen. Usually, the first-ever novels of writers speaks volumes about their own persona. Be it Isabelle's vivacity and proclivity towards lies , or the self-conceit of Mr. Tilney to the delicate-woven love between Catherine and Henry, it is a perfect gothic yet-not-so gothic but sheer-love mystery. Henry and Catherine are inextricable towards the end. I patiently waited to know more about Henry and his pursuits, but Jane Austen dabbled more into introducing Catherine into the gothic setup of our favorite Northanger Abbey. NB- I w...