Northpointe Chalet
by Debra White Smith
Paperback -338
pages ISBN 0736908749
Harvest House Publishers
Review by Chantel, 11 October 2005
It was reasonably good. It was interesting mostly because it was a version of Northanger Abbey.
Kathy's (=Catherine Morland) believing bad things about the elder Mr. Tilman(=Gen. Tilney) seems a little
weak. I mean, she is 24 (or 21, can't remember), she can't be that naive.
Ben Tilman (=Henry Tilney) will very much disappoint all the members of the Cult of Da Man.
I have just been converted to a fan of Da Man (I wasn't when I read Np Chalet), and now I realize
that Ben is not Henry Tilney at all. Ben is rarely teasing, barley flirting, and never witty. Come to
think of it, Kathy isn't really like Catherine either. She's treated by her parents as though she were
naive, but she isn't much. She hasn't the "teachableness" that Catherine has. Made it's hard to create a
character like Catherine in a contemporary novel, but if you're writing a contemporary version, do it right.
Written by MerryK (6/22/2006 1:51 p.m.)
The first I read was NC, a Northanger Abbey adaptation, and frankly, it was disappointing. I loved the way
she translated Catherine, but one of the main things I love about NA is Henry Tilney. His counterpart in NC
is an Edmund Bertram wannabe, without a drop of wit in him, and incredibly serious. It was an enjoyable light
read, though.
Written by Tonya (6/30/2006 11:53 p.m.)
Catherine with her bookstore was a riot. I thought Cathy was especially well done in this book. I won't
spoil the book for you in case you are interested in reading it, but I will tease a little by telling that
her favorite author is Edgar Allen Poe and she adores mysteries, especially murder mysteries. I'll let you i
magine our beloved Catherine Moreland in the 21st century with a collection like that!!! Need I say more?
Review by Linda Waldemar (5/22/2007)
This is the fourth novel in the author's Austen Series. Because Debra White Smith writes Christian fiction with
old fashioned moral codes, it ibecomes a little easier to update Jane Austen's plots to the 21st Century.
Though the characters do occasionally mention God and church-going, I do not find these stories to be overly preachy.
In this book, Catherine Moreland has become Kathy Moore, a 22 year-old who looks and sometimes acts more
like she is sixteen. Kathy has just had a streak of independence and uses her inheritance to buy a bookstore in
Northpointe, Colorado.
Unlike Mrs. Moreland, Mrs. Moore is very portective of Kathy and worries that she cannot take care of herself
so far away from their home. The Allens are replaced by Gloria and Sigmund Alred, Kathy's godparents, who come
to Northpointe for the summer.
All the Northanger Abbey characters are present here; the Tilmans, Thaines and Jay Moore. Though the plot
elements are changed slightly, all are recognizable.
While I often felt the updated language was sometimes a bit unnatural, I found this to be a quick and
pleasant read. I recommend it.