So I decided to finally jump into this book club! I wasn't sure whether Jane Austen's novels were really for me, but the idea of a Gothic horror parody caught my attention. Looking forward to discussing this book with you Haley and with the rest of the community here.
I think this is the novel that makes me giggle the most. And I convinced my husband to read it for spooky season for the first time and am so excited for him
This is so fun to hear! I recently reread Emma and couldn't stop laughing at it. I'm looking forward to reading (rereading? I can't remember!) this one and being "in" on the joke.
Austen just goes so hard on the loving parody of the gothic novel/melodrama in general, the opening pages alone are a crack up. And Catherine is such a sweet but naive heroine that uniquely I think in Austen’s novels you are in the position, from the beginning, of being a bit ‘above’ her and just shaking your head at her in a very loving way. Isabella Thorpe is also a fantastically insincere and therefore hilarious to read character
I was talking about this with my teenager and we wondered what you thought about novels then being thought like computer games now . So the intellectual older characters in Austen despise them as a waste of time but actually some are masterpieces
If you haven’t read Dracula yet you absolutely must. For modern fiction Lincoln in the Bardo is very unique and ghostly/appropriate. Amy Edgar Allen Poe of course. And something about Sherlock Holmes fits the fall weather, and murder mysteries in general I think fit the spooky season. And Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a great quick read for the season.
This has always been my all-time favorite Austen novel and so far it is holding up for me. I absolutely love it! Although rereading Sense and Sensibility as an adult has moved it up in my estimation.
This is also my least favorite Austen. I think it was also my first (or second) Austen that I read. I may have read Pride and Prejudice first, I can’t remember!
So I decided to finally jump into this book club! I wasn't sure whether Jane Austen's novels were really for me, but the idea of a Gothic horror parody caught my attention. Looking forward to discussing this book with you Haley and with the rest of the community here.
Glad to have you, Thomas!
I think this is the novel that makes me giggle the most. And I convinced my husband to read it for spooky season for the first time and am so excited for him
This is so fun to hear! I recently reread Emma and couldn't stop laughing at it. I'm looking forward to reading (rereading? I can't remember!) this one and being "in" on the joke.
Austen just goes so hard on the loving parody of the gothic novel/melodrama in general, the opening pages alone are a crack up. And Catherine is such a sweet but naive heroine that uniquely I think in Austen’s novels you are in the position, from the beginning, of being a bit ‘above’ her and just shaking your head at her in a very loving way. Isabella Thorpe is also a fantastically insincere and therefore hilarious to read character
I'm so excited! I'm wrapping up Persuasion right now, just what I had on my Kindle, and then I'll get started on NA!
Persuasion is the other ‘fall’ novel of the bunch for sure. Good time to read it
I was talking about this with my teenager and we wondered what you thought about novels then being thought like computer games now . So the intellectual older characters in Austen despise them as a waste of time but actually some are masterpieces
That's an interesting thought!
YES LITERARY SPOOKY SEASON HAS ARRIVED!! So excited to read NA again - agree re the depth but I truly love the gothic parody.
What else are we all reading for spooky season?? Need some recs
If you haven’t read Dracula yet you absolutely must. For modern fiction Lincoln in the Bardo is very unique and ghostly/appropriate. Amy Edgar Allen Poe of course. And something about Sherlock Holmes fits the fall weather, and murder mysteries in general I think fit the spooky season. And Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a great quick read for the season.
Thank you!! Have read Dracula but I do think I’m due for a reread. Will add Lincoln in the bardo to my Goodreads list - love the other three as well!!
This has always been my all-time favorite Austen novel and so far it is holding up for me. I absolutely love it! Although rereading Sense and Sensibility as an adult has moved it up in my estimation.
This is also my least favorite Austen. I think it was also my first (or second) Austen that I read. I may have read Pride and Prejudice first, I can’t remember!
I am jumping back in for NA and I am looking forward to rereading with a group because I'm sure I missed a lot my first time through.