Henry Tilney’s Diary by Amanda Grange

Henry Tilney’s Diary by Amanda Grange

Publisher: Robert Hale (June 2014)

192 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $7.99)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Sensuality: White Heart

This is Northanger Abbey from Henry Tilney’s point-of-view. The diary is divided into three parts: the first being Henry at sixteen as the family is going through the loss of the mother, the second part is the year preceding the events of Northanger Abbey, and the third and largest part follows Henry’s view of the events from the book Northanger Abbey. One of the things I liked best about this interpretation is the way Frederick is portrayed and his reasons for pursuing Isabella Thorpe directly under her fiancé’s nose. Of all of Austen’s heroines, I probably have always liked Catherine least (too naive, almost to the point of being stupid) and could never understand Tilney’s fascination with her, but I rather liked the idea that given all the artful flirts both Tilney brothers must have been exposed to over the years, that the marked contrast in Catherine would make a huge impression. I believe you could read this book without ever having read Northanger Abbey and still fully enjoy it (it contains many extensive passages from the book verbatim, in fact, I could have done with a little less). Very entertaining take on a great classic!