Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen, Alfred Mac Adam I'd forgotten just how funny Northanger Abbey really is. Listening to it on audiobook this time around gave me plenty of opportunities to laugh out loud and the reading by Juliet Stevenson was truly superb. It is a shame that Austen didn't get to revise Northanger Abbey before her death as she had intended to. It is without doubt a weaker novel than her masterpieces: the ending is rushed and the two distinct threads of the novel don't meld together that convincingly. However, it is splendidly funny, the satire is sharp and the authorial voice witty. Austen's comments on the behaviour of immature young women, the demands of friendship and the influence of trashy novels feel fresh and relevant today. I enjoyed every moment of this wonderful book!