Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons by Vera Nazarian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book Info: Genre: Classical Literary Parody Reading Level: Adult
Disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this text from the author through the LibraryThing Members Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Gothic horrors collide with high satire in this elegant, hilarious, witty, insane, and unexpectedly romantic supernatural parody of Jane Austen's classic novel.
My Thoughts: I will start out by saying that, despite having been an English major, I have never read Northanger Abbey, the book being parodied. I am not sure if that will affect my understanding and appreciation of this text or not.
I had a fun time reading this book – while I have no idea how it held to the original plot and text, I found the writing style to be amusing and full of humor, and there is nothing I like more than to laugh. And laugh I did – a LOT – through about the first 40 percent of the book. Then it slowed down – there were still amusing moments, but not as many that made me laugh out loud as in the earlier parts. But it was still a fine story, beautifully written in the style of the time, with many amusing footnotes, asides and appendices.
Interestingly enough, the author in this text has also provided illustrations, just as in the last book I read, although these are much more life-like. I’m always impressed by the multiple talents that some people have – apparently they hog up all the talents and leave the rest of us with none ☺ I was also interested to learn that Ms. Nazarian immigrated to the US from the former USSR, which my husband also did, although he is from St. Petersburg whilst she is from Moscow.
All in all, an entertaining read, and one I highly recommend to those who enjoy parody and satire. Lots of fun!
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