Welcome to Litsy!

Northanger Abbey Day has officially arrived for Catherine! TBH its a little weird because the General is stressing her OUT with all his attention toward her, but at least Cath gets to travel some of the way with Henry! As they drive, he takes the piss and spins her the best Gothic tale of what the Abbey will be like, which she of course takes fully at face value. But then she arrives and is surprised and disappointed to find it all very modern. 😂

LOL, shout out to this blogger from 2103 with the most straightforward take on the matter. While I normally don't love a slut-shamer, I deeply love a hot take on an Austen novel so this one's kind of a wash. 😂 Anyway, Catherine is very concerned about Isabella and the Captain and shakes Henry down for the dirt. He reminds Cath that every couple draws their own boundaries of acceptable behavior. We know this will backfire but still - a king!

Another chapter full of Thorpe nonsense. Catherine and Isabella hang at the Pump Room and there's big news: John wants to marry Catherine! Cath is astonished and appalled to hear this (so real) and reiterates that she's never had feelings for him. Isabella doesn't believe her but rationalizes it to herself saying, "What one means one day, you know, one may not mean the next." HMMM, YOU DON'T SAY ALSO HERE COMES CAPT TILNEY TO SHAMELESSLY FLIRT. ?

Chapter 17 is short but incredible, if only because it's probably Jane's horniest, most suggestive writing (with apologies to Mary Crawford). She doesn't even veil the fact that Catherine's wild fantasies of exploration relate to both Henry and the abbey. Damp passages, indeed. To Northanger, therefore, they are to go. #PemberLittens #JaneAustenThenAndNow

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pleasant enough retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in modern day East Hampton. It was fine, although Elizabeth was more neurotic and Darcy less charming than the original. On its own this is pretty forgettable but I do love P&P, and so probably liked this more than I would have otherwise. Soft pick.

⭐️⭐️💫 I found this audiobook kind of annoying. I don‘t remember Emma very well, so I don‘t know if the back and forth of two people liking each other but not having a grown up conversation and instead assuming they know what the other is thinking, causing grief is from the original or the adaptation. Both narrators had annoying voices for the women in particular. The sex scenes were overdone and I sort of wished they‘d hurry up. Meh. 🤷‍♀️

There's a new Tilney man in town and while he may be fashionable and slightly more handsome than his brother, he's also a total dick about the fact that Henry enjoys dancing so Catherine and I both know not to trust him. Later, James writes to Isabella with the details of his living which she and her mom find underwhelming, to say the least. She makes some excuse for her low spirits but we all know the deal (even if Catherine doesn't).

"and Marianne, who had the knack of finding her way in every house to the library, however it might be avoided by the family in general, soon procured herself a book."