It took me a good 4 month to get through this monster. Well, you can tell by the photos - I have my little Christmas branch in there. I took the photos back when I started reading this novel and I thought I'd be done soon (it's only 180-ish pages) but boy, was I wrong!

Having only read 'Pride and Prejudice' beforehand, I expected a cute love story with quirky characters who fight against the expectations placed upon them. And, thinking back on it, I did get that but it just didn't work here. Catherine Morland is quirky and does love reading and is in search of adventure but I found her inferior to Elizabeth Bennet. Likewise, Henry Tilney is not comparable to Darcy. He also has some opinions about women that grate on my nerves. His sister, Eleanor, tells Catherine that he does not truly mean it but... He is also a bit condescending while talking to Cathy about... well, anything. He says he reads books too, and loves them, but whenever he talks to Catherine about them it feels as if he's mocking her. I don't know.

The Thorpes and the other two Tilneys - the father and the elder son, are despicable. I had hoped for something bad to happen to them, but no, they shall live to see another day and torment other souls. Alas. 

I don't know what else to say. I was disappointed but read this just because I didn't want to waste the money. I couldn't stand having a book I bought but never finished reading. The book was also always there, sitting on my desk and mocking me, not allowing me to reach for another. Now that the path is cleared I hope I get to go through the rest of my TBR list a lot more quickly. I am a quick reader, especially when I like the book, so this was a very rare exception. I think my dislike of it is only increased by the fact that it put me into such a reading slum.

But, it is over and read, and onto new adventures I go.