NorthFanger

A Gothic Austen Mash-up

By: Jayne Bamber

Narrated by: Amanda S. Brown

What if Catherine Morland’s assumption about General Tilney had been far more generous than the whole truth? What if the old abbey holds a darker mystery than she ever imagined?

And what if Elizabeth Bennet’s knowledge of the supernatural world far outstrips what her cousin Cathy ever thought possible?

What if a crisis at Rosings tangles the two young women up with the Darcys and Tilneys in a wild gothic romp with shocking surprises at every twist and turn?

When Elizabeth Bennet and Catherine Morland travel into Kent to visit the recently married Collinses in the village of Hunsford, Lizzy is annoyed to discover Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam at Rosings, while Cathy is certain that novel-worthy romance will ensue.

Neither expect the sudden arrival of a vampire into their midst, and Mr. Darcy’s ardent admiration of Elizabeth Bennet is shaken by her expert handling of his frantic, fanged sister. The ladies at the parsonage take flight, accompanied by the outraged Colonel Fitzwilliam, his outwitted cousin Mr. Darcy, and an out-of-control fledgling vampire.

Proving herself indispensable during the undead Darcy debacle, Elizabeth becomes the heroine her cousin Catherine always knew she was - and enviously wishes to be herself - as she leads them to Bath in search of her uncle, the wily Silas Bennet, an expert in all matters vampiric.

But amidst the hunt for Uncle Silas, other predators enter the fray, all in search of one very old man and a very young vampire. In Bath, they encounter the Tilneys, the Thorpes, and an array of familiar faces and vicious villains bent on wreaking bloody havoc, leading a merry band of misfits to take shelter in a place too spooky not to hold secrets of it’s own: Northanger Abbey.

©2020 Jayne Bamber (P)2021 Jayne Bamber

Vampire P&P mashed with Northanger Abbey

Due to the time of year, I ended up reading and/or listening to several different vampire P&P variations. As I posted on another review, one of the things that I am thankful for is each of these versions or variations are unique and have their own world and are not a duplicate of others. Northanger Abbey is not one of my favorite Austen stories but this made me enjoy the characters more. Several times I felt like the story had to be pushed along but it was still a fun read/listen. A few twists and turns at the end were surprisingly good. Yes, I will read / listen again.

A Regency Romp With Fangs

A mashup of two Jane Austen novels with vampires doubled down on the supernatural fun. I’ve come to expect a good time and lots of Regency era shenanigans when I pick up a Jayne Bamber book and Northfanger was no exception.

I sunk my fangs into Northfanger right away when a sketchy drawing room situation got somewhat bloody and lethal in the first scene. Wisely, the author doesn’t pause to go into a long excursus on how vampires came to be, but chose to leave it as an assumption that there is a whole shadowy world going on behind the fans, bows, and balls of polite society. Making two Austen heroines, Elizabeth Bennet and Catherine Morland, first cousins easily brought this pair of entertaining heroines into each other’s sphere so that Cathy travels with Lizzy to Hunsford and Lizzy journeys with Cathy to Bath.

There is an assumption that readers/listeners are somewhat familiar with the earlier bits and establishing of characters of both Pride & Prejudice and also Northanger Abbey, but there is also enough background for newbies to leap into the story and enjoy it just as much as aficionados.

Georgiana Darcy has been made a vampire by the despicable vampire Wickham. Elizabeth had believed in his charm and lies against Darcy right up until then. Now, she’s reeling with the truth that she wasn’t as perceptive about people as she thought and using her secret knowledge garnered from her mysterious uncle to guide the new vampire, Darcy, and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam through the early dangerous moments after her change. Darcy is aghast, but his generous heart helps him do what he can for his sister and see Elizabeth in a heroine’s role while Fitzwilliam is more in line with hunting down Wickham and not trusting vampires.
Cathy knows something is being kept from her and her wild imagination and love for the gothic doesn’t even come close as she journeys to Bath with her cousin and the Darcys, joins in Bath society, meets two intriguing families- the Thorpes and the Tilneys, and eventually discovers there is adventure to be had for a heroine who wants it.

Northfanger is meant to be fun. This is a rollicking good vampire adventure and regency romp all in one. I was in tune with the tone of the story and had a rousing good time as a result.

Amanda S Brown was a new to me narrator, but I took to her narration and character voices right away. She brought out the fine points and made Northfanger shine. I would listen to more of her work.

All in all, this was perfect for a light spooky season listen and only added to my appreciation of the author’s work. As far as I know this is her solo shot into the paranormal, but her other Austen mashups are equally entertaining. I can recommend this one and her others to those who appreciate humor in their regency romances and a fun tossed salad of romance pairings.

Interesting tale

Very interesting story about vampires. A mix of pride and prejudice and northanger Abbey. Great Jaff

Vampires

I enjoyed the story, it was so creative. This story adds characters from Northanger Abbey, which was never one of my favorite stories, however the author made it come together so wonderfully.
The narrator was good.