Northanger Abbey - Softcover

McDermid, Val

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802123805 ISBN 13: 9780802123800

Publisher: Black Cat, 2015

Synopsis

"Long before our modern-day crime author draws a final, canny ace from her tartan sleeve, you'll have succumbed to the delights of Northanger à la McDermid."--The Boston Globe

Now in paperback, Val McDermid's Northanger Abbey is an updated take on Jane Austen's classic novel about a young woman whose visit to the stately home of a well-to-do acquaintance stirs her most macabre imaginings. A homeschooled minister's daughter in the quaint, sheltered Piddle Valley in Dorset, Cat Morland loses herself in novels (and, of course, her smartphone) and is sure there is a glamorous adventure awaiting her beyond the valley's narrow horizon. So imagine her delight when her neighbors, the Allens, invite her to attend the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh as their guest. Cat quickly begins to take Edinburgh by storm and is taken into the bosom of the Thorpe family, particularly by eldest daughter Bella. And then she meets handsome Henry Tilney, who lives at the beautiful and forbidding Northanger Abbey. Cat is entranced by Henry and his charming sister Eleanor, but she can't help but wonder if everything about them is as perfect as it seems. Maybe she has just been reading too many novels?

"There's an archness and precision to McDermid's prose that beautifully echoes Austen's own. . . . Engages in a witty conversation with the original . . . More than just a cover version. McDermid has taken possession of Northanger Abbey."--New York Times Book Review

"A note perfect modern reworking of Austen's classic gothic satire. . . . Breezy, vital, inventive . . . [McDermid's] obvious pleasure in the task is as contagious as Austen's wit." --The Scotsman (UK)

About this title

Review:

Praise for Northanger Abbey:

'Val McDermid’s brilliant re-working of Jane Austen’s original shows that innocent, bookish girls in thrall to the supernatural have changed surprisingly little in two centuries. Witty and shrewd, full of romance and skulduggery – I loved it.'
J.K. ROWLING

‘Brilliant... I was utterly charmed by this newfangled Austen and look forward eagerly to Alexander McCall Smith’s Emma’
John Sutherland, Financial Times

‘Funny and brilliantly written’ Jenny Colgan, Guardian

‘Northanger Abbey is funny, clever, subversive and Scottish. No bonnets – all brio’
JEANETTE WINTERSON

‘I picked up Northanger Abbey one evening and didn’t stop reading until I’d finished it. It’s an exquisitely realised tale of the uncertainty and brutality of teenage years told with the lightness of touch and humour that Val is famous for. Utter brilliance from McDermid’ SUSAN CALMAN

‘McDermid’s reworking of the original novel is intelligent, amusing and well-written... captures beautifully how it feels to be a teenager... McDermid is a subtle and witty writer and it’s hard to imagine a better evocation of the spirit of the original.’ THE TIMES

‘A fun rendering... McDermid’s Abbey, with its passageways and dark corners, is fantastic, and this novel is a lark.’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘McDermid’s great virtue is to have made Austen’s characters seem fresh in the way they would have been for her first readers... I can imagine Jane herself applauding.’ SUNDAY EXPRESS

‘note perfect... breezy, vital, inventive... Her obvious pleasure in the task is as contagious as Austen’s wit.’ THE SCOTSMAN

Praise for The Austen Project:

‘The Austen Project is a breathtaking tribute to Jane Austen. I can’t wait to read the other five “updates” while being reminded to reread, joyfully, the originals’ Washington Post

About the Author:

Val McDermid is the best-selling author of The Skeleton Road and twenty-eight previous novels, which have been translated into over forty languages. She has received numerous awards recognizing her exceptional career, including the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing and the Pioneer Award from Lambda Literary. Her individual books have won many prizes, including the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award and the CWA Gold Dagger.

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Cat
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0802123805
• ISBN 13: 9780802123800
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352