Northanger Abbey

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Flo Gibson

Clever young Catherine so desperately wishes to "improve" upon her life that she imagines the worst when she is invited to Northanger Abbey, the country home of the Tilney family. Her imagination gets the better of her when she begins to believe she has discovered in the Abbey all the trappings of a gothic novel. Jane Austen slyly parodies the potboiler genre and skewers the obsession with manners of the day.

Public Domain (P)1989 Recorded Books, Inc.

Wonderful Narration

I cannot imagine a more perfect narrator for Jane Austen's novels than Flo Gibson. She has a way of reading that has really captured the ironic humor of this story. My only complaint is that the chapter divisions of the recording do not align with the chapter divisions of the book itself.

perhaps another version...

I've never met a Jane Austen novel I didn't love. Mark Twain has nothing on her in the realm of satire. I only wish I knew more about the period, I'm sure I would find the novels even more comical. Flo Gibson is not the narrator for Jane Austen, though. Her voice is quite gravelly. This would work nicely with quite a number of novels, but does not lend itself to the smooth tones which would seem more natural for the many young women who populate and are the main characters for Austen's novels. It was often very difficult to determine which character was being voiced, a problem I have not had with other Austen narraters.

Not Bad

The sound quality was not always that great, but I always enjoy Flo Gibson's narrations. I would have to say that it is my least favorite Austen book, but not horrible. It is Austen after all.