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Woodston: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey
When Catherine Morland married Henry Tilney, she was sure the seemingly cosy Woodston parsonage could not harbour any secrets such as she had imagined to lurk at Northanger Abbey. It is not long, however, before Catherine finds that there may be more skeletons in Woodston's closets than she could ever wish for to occupy her imagination.Meanwhile, determined to become a perfect wife, Catherine gets herself into one scrape after another, and it is not long before she gives up hope of ever gaining Henry's respect. When temptation visits Woodston in the form of a charismatic drawing instructor, all seems lost and Henry and Catherine seem parted forever.Will Catherine be able to uncover the secrets which haunt Woodston and save her marriage?Many of Northanger Abbey's beloved characters, including the rapacious Captain Frederick Tilney, the dour General Tilney,Henry's beloved sister Eleanor, and the despicable flirt, Isabella Thorpe, make appearances in the novel, bringing to the tale a feel of a real sequel to the stories begun in Austen's novel.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2021
About the author
Kate Westwood
14 books7 followersKate Westwood is the author's pseudonym. Kate has a background in academic writing and editing, and holds a Master's degree in English Literature. Having had a life-long dream to write novels, she finally turned her pen to regency romance after finding that there was a need for a new style of writing regency. She found that only a few contemporary regency romance novels really satisfied her thirst for authentic idiom, and a more believable, more Austen-esque, regency story. So, she took up her pen and found great delight in creating an Austen-like experience for her readers.
Kate enjoys writing and loves all things ‘Austeny’ and regency. Kate has always been a huge fan of Austen and her contemporaries, as well as Georgette Heyer, the person who turned regency romance into a THING in the 50s and 60s. Now Kate strives to recreate that same authentic regency feel for the reader, writing both original stand-alone stories, as well as Jan Austen Fan Fiction sequels.
Kate lives in the Gold Coast/Brisbane area of Australia, has three grown up sons, one feline fur-baby, a family of tame curlews, a gorgeous possum mum and joey who live in her backyard, and other assorted urban backyard wildlife!
When she is not writing, Kate loves to write blogs for her website and Facebook page, play classical piano, walk and hike in the beautiful nearby hinterland areas, swim with the fishes at the local beach, read voraciously, watch regency-period movies, and travel whenever she can. She loves to hear from readers so please email her or comment on her facebook page with your comments and questions.
Kate enjoys writing and loves all things ‘Austeny’ and regency. Kate has always been a huge fan of Austen and her contemporaries, as well as Georgette Heyer, the person who turned regency romance into a THING in the 50s and 60s. Now Kate strives to recreate that same authentic regency feel for the reader, writing both original stand-alone stories, as well as Jan Austen Fan Fiction sequels.
Kate lives in the Gold Coast/Brisbane area of Australia, has three grown up sons, one feline fur-baby, a family of tame curlews, a gorgeous possum mum and joey who live in her backyard, and other assorted urban backyard wildlife!
When she is not writing, Kate loves to write blogs for her website and Facebook page, play classical piano, walk and hike in the beautiful nearby hinterland areas, swim with the fishes at the local beach, read voraciously, watch regency-period movies, and travel whenever she can. She loves to hear from readers so please email her or comment on her facebook page with your comments and questions.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 27, 2021
Every once in a while I happen upon a book that makes me open my eyes and wonder if Jane Austen had written more than only the six novels we have from her pen. This is a rare event, and when it happens, we should stop and take note.
Woodston is one of those novels. Everything about this novel is delightful, and author Kate Westwood should be lauded for this wonderful addition to Austenesque literature.
Newlywed Catherine Tilney, the heroine from Northanger Abbey, has just arrived at Woodston with her new husband, Henry. She is young and despite the lessons learned when she first met Henry, is a bit naïve. She makes a splendid effort to be a good wife and a good mistress of her new home, but there are so many things that might not be quite as they seem. As she negotiates her new place in the world, some strange events capture her attention, leading to some rather alarming discoveries that might well fit in a Gothic novel… or would they?
Ms. Westwood has captured both Jane Austen’s style and her characters perfectly. Catherine is exactly the sweet creature Miss Austen gave us, and Henry is equally as charming but with his serious edge. And when other characters from Henry and Catherine’s past appear on the scene, they too are completely true to Austen’s originals, while never once being stale or derivative.
Likewise the plot is engaging and fresh, with just enough of an echo of Northanger Abbey to remind us of the main characters’ history, while presenting Catherine – and the readers – with new mysteries to solve. Catherine must negotiate these new discoveries and find a maturity she did not realize she possessed, and once again the author handles this with an expert and elegant hand.
I would be quite remiss not to mention the gorgeous illustrations in the novel. They are worth the price of the book on their own, but never fear! This novel is more than equal to these exquisite gems.
Five stars. Six if I could.
Woodston is one of those novels. Everything about this novel is delightful, and author Kate Westwood should be lauded for this wonderful addition to Austenesque literature.
Newlywed Catherine Tilney, the heroine from Northanger Abbey, has just arrived at Woodston with her new husband, Henry. She is young and despite the lessons learned when she first met Henry, is a bit naïve. She makes a splendid effort to be a good wife and a good mistress of her new home, but there are so many things that might not be quite as they seem. As she negotiates her new place in the world, some strange events capture her attention, leading to some rather alarming discoveries that might well fit in a Gothic novel… or would they?
Ms. Westwood has captured both Jane Austen’s style and her characters perfectly. Catherine is exactly the sweet creature Miss Austen gave us, and Henry is equally as charming but with his serious edge. And when other characters from Henry and Catherine’s past appear on the scene, they too are completely true to Austen’s originals, while never once being stale or derivative.
Likewise the plot is engaging and fresh, with just enough of an echo of Northanger Abbey to remind us of the main characters’ history, while presenting Catherine – and the readers – with new mysteries to solve. Catherine must negotiate these new discoveries and find a maturity she did not realize she possessed, and once again the author handles this with an expert and elegant hand.
I would be quite remiss not to mention the gorgeous illustrations in the novel. They are worth the price of the book on their own, but never fear! This novel is more than equal to these exquisite gems.
Five stars. Six if I could.
November 27, 2021
I just loved this gothic regency romp. I have read Kate Westwood’s other books and i just can't get enough of them. I really like her Austen sequels and I think she makes a fabulous job of keeping in character with Austen’s original characters, and the story lines are really good, believable but interesting at the same time.
Woodston is a continuation of Northanger Abbey. I really enjoyed the way the author seamlessly transitioned from the Henry and Catherine beginning married life at the end of Northanger Abbey to how she copes with her new responsibilities. it really felt like i was reading Jane Austen herself .
The main story line is that Henry and Catherine have to deal with problems that newly married couples might have, and along the way she has to grow up a bit, as does Henry. Parts of the story are quite comical, and parts you can really empathise with her! Westwood carries through the light gothic themes with Austen began in her original novel, so expect a few dark, poorly lit corridors, and some suspicious behavior from the housekeeper, as well as some mysterious goings-ons in the house, but this action is interlaced with regency life, costumes, manners and customs, which all seem to be well -researched, one of the things I like about this author. Overall a fun, enjoyable read, keep writing Kate , we want more !!!
Woodston is a continuation of Northanger Abbey. I really enjoyed the way the author seamlessly transitioned from the Henry and Catherine beginning married life at the end of Northanger Abbey to how she copes with her new responsibilities. it really felt like i was reading Jane Austen herself .
The main story line is that Henry and Catherine have to deal with problems that newly married couples might have, and along the way she has to grow up a bit, as does Henry. Parts of the story are quite comical, and parts you can really empathise with her! Westwood carries through the light gothic themes with Austen began in her original novel, so expect a few dark, poorly lit corridors, and some suspicious behavior from the housekeeper, as well as some mysterious goings-ons in the house, but this action is interlaced with regency life, costumes, manners and customs, which all seem to be well -researched, one of the things I like about this author. Overall a fun, enjoyable read, keep writing Kate , we want more !!!
December 1, 2021
Kate Westwood is totally becoming my favorite Jane Austen fan fiction author . her characters are so entertaining and her storylines so entralling, i never want the book to end except that i am so anxious to read how it all turns out .. please keep writing Kate!!!
March 30, 2025
1798 A Northanger Abbey sequel where Catherine is newly married. But seems unable to cope with being mistress of the parsonage. Will she be able to grow into her postion. Though it beggars the question why would Tilney marry such a uneducated, non-practical female.
Overall an enjoyable story
Overall an enjoyable story
February 23, 2023
How often do we read novels, both new and classic, and wonder what happened next? What comes after the Happily Ever After? Is it really all smooth sailing, or are there rougher waters ahead for the couples we’ve rooted for through the work?
In Woodston: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, author Kate Westwood tries her hand at answering this very question. This delightful novel picks up where Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey leaves off. After the trials, tribulations, and nasty surprises of Austen’s beloved spoof of the wildly popular Gothic novels of the time, heroine Catherine Morland and hero Henry Tilney finally marry. But Catherine is all of eighteen years old, and was never the most attentive to her mother’s attempts to teach her all the skills required to manage her own household.
And this is where Ms. Westwood’s story begins. Young, naïve, and very inexperienced, Catherine finds herself quite out of her depths as the new mistress of Woodston, Henry’s estate. She wishes so much to live up to her role as the parson’s wife, but her efforts seem to fail at every attempt. There is an incident with the chickens, a disaster with the laundry, a catastrophe with the soup, and the housekeeper seems to hate her.
But there is more to add to Catherine’s distress. It’s not just the overly friendly art tutor or the unwelcome discovery of Henry’s first love. No, more mysterious things might be afoot as well. What lies behind that locked door, where the housekeeper disappears every now and then? What is the meaning behind the items in the hidden chest in the cellar? And what has become of the missing heirlooms that Henry is so upset about?
Undaunted by her misadventures at Northanger Abbey a year before, Catherine cannot help but seek answers to these perplexing questions, but is she prepared for what she might discover? For there might be more amiss at Woodston than Catherine can imagine, putting her very future at risk.
Through this intricately woven plot, Ms. Westwood never abandons the essence of her characters. They are natural extensions of the Catherine and Henry from Austen’s novel, and are true to their original selves. Catherine is sweet and curious, uncertain and willing to be led, but still curious and eager to please. Henry is his original charming and flirtatious self, although now, in his home and needing to discharge his duties as a clergyman, he has a bit more gravitas. Other characters from Austen’s novel enter the narrative as well. General Tilney is as officious and grasping, his son Frederick is as unprincipled, and his daughter Eleanor is as kind and caring.
Ms. Westwood’s original characters are equally well drawn, with their quirks and foibles, some lovable, some not, and some fascinating. They interact with Austen’s characters flawlessly, and fit into the narrative as if Austen had intended them to be there all along.
Likewise, her writing style is a treat to read. She has captured Jane Austen’s style beautifully, immersing the reader in the lyrical flow of highly literate prose, while keeping the language accessible to a modern readership. Her fluid prose follows Catherine’s discoveries of both the mysteries of Woodston and her own inner strength with an elegance of which Ms. Austen would heartily approve
And, as a treat for the reader, there are interspersed throughout the novel some beautiful illustrations by Anung Prihantoko, so reminiscent of the beautiful and much-loved drawings by the likes of Hugh Thomson and Charles E. Brock. These add so much to the authentic feel of the novel, and are lovely to examine.
I have very little to complain about in Ms. Westwood’s sequel to Austen’s classic. All the elements are there: plot, character, style, and enough whimsey to enchant the reader. Perhaps, at times, the pace is a little slow, leading the reader to make another cup of tea instead of anxiously turning the page to find out what happens next. But this is a book to be sipped slowly, like a fine wine, with each word enjoyed for its own beauty as much as for how it serves the plot.
Along those lines, this is not a deep novel. Charming, yes. Vastly enjoyable, yes. The sort to make you reassess everything you thought about the world? Perhaps not. But neither, then, was Northanger Abbey. Catherine’s world changed in the one, and then the other, and we follow her growth from credulous child to a woman in control of her self and her home, but the reader’s world remains unshaken. And this is fine. Not all literature needs to invert our souls. Some books are there purely to be enjoyed, and this is one of them.
In short, if you are an Austen lover, whose interests range beyond Pride and Prejudice, and who wishes the venerable English author had written more than what we have of hers, I would recommend this novel. For lovers of Northanger Abbey, reading it is almost imperative.
*****
“Woodston: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey” by Kate Westwood receives five stars and the “Highly Recommended” award from The Historical Fiction Company
In Woodston: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, author Kate Westwood tries her hand at answering this very question. This delightful novel picks up where Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey leaves off. After the trials, tribulations, and nasty surprises of Austen’s beloved spoof of the wildly popular Gothic novels of the time, heroine Catherine Morland and hero Henry Tilney finally marry. But Catherine is all of eighteen years old, and was never the most attentive to her mother’s attempts to teach her all the skills required to manage her own household.
And this is where Ms. Westwood’s story begins. Young, naïve, and very inexperienced, Catherine finds herself quite out of her depths as the new mistress of Woodston, Henry’s estate. She wishes so much to live up to her role as the parson’s wife, but her efforts seem to fail at every attempt. There is an incident with the chickens, a disaster with the laundry, a catastrophe with the soup, and the housekeeper seems to hate her.
But there is more to add to Catherine’s distress. It’s not just the overly friendly art tutor or the unwelcome discovery of Henry’s first love. No, more mysterious things might be afoot as well. What lies behind that locked door, where the housekeeper disappears every now and then? What is the meaning behind the items in the hidden chest in the cellar? And what has become of the missing heirlooms that Henry is so upset about?
Undaunted by her misadventures at Northanger Abbey a year before, Catherine cannot help but seek answers to these perplexing questions, but is she prepared for what she might discover? For there might be more amiss at Woodston than Catherine can imagine, putting her very future at risk.
Through this intricately woven plot, Ms. Westwood never abandons the essence of her characters. They are natural extensions of the Catherine and Henry from Austen’s novel, and are true to their original selves. Catherine is sweet and curious, uncertain and willing to be led, but still curious and eager to please. Henry is his original charming and flirtatious self, although now, in his home and needing to discharge his duties as a clergyman, he has a bit more gravitas. Other characters from Austen’s novel enter the narrative as well. General Tilney is as officious and grasping, his son Frederick is as unprincipled, and his daughter Eleanor is as kind and caring.
Ms. Westwood’s original characters are equally well drawn, with their quirks and foibles, some lovable, some not, and some fascinating. They interact with Austen’s characters flawlessly, and fit into the narrative as if Austen had intended them to be there all along.
Likewise, her writing style is a treat to read. She has captured Jane Austen’s style beautifully, immersing the reader in the lyrical flow of highly literate prose, while keeping the language accessible to a modern readership. Her fluid prose follows Catherine’s discoveries of both the mysteries of Woodston and her own inner strength with an elegance of which Ms. Austen would heartily approve
And, as a treat for the reader, there are interspersed throughout the novel some beautiful illustrations by Anung Prihantoko, so reminiscent of the beautiful and much-loved drawings by the likes of Hugh Thomson and Charles E. Brock. These add so much to the authentic feel of the novel, and are lovely to examine.
I have very little to complain about in Ms. Westwood’s sequel to Austen’s classic. All the elements are there: plot, character, style, and enough whimsey to enchant the reader. Perhaps, at times, the pace is a little slow, leading the reader to make another cup of tea instead of anxiously turning the page to find out what happens next. But this is a book to be sipped slowly, like a fine wine, with each word enjoyed for its own beauty as much as for how it serves the plot.
Along those lines, this is not a deep novel. Charming, yes. Vastly enjoyable, yes. The sort to make you reassess everything you thought about the world? Perhaps not. But neither, then, was Northanger Abbey. Catherine’s world changed in the one, and then the other, and we follow her growth from credulous child to a woman in control of her self and her home, but the reader’s world remains unshaken. And this is fine. Not all literature needs to invert our souls. Some books are there purely to be enjoyed, and this is one of them.
In short, if you are an Austen lover, whose interests range beyond Pride and Prejudice, and who wishes the venerable English author had written more than what we have of hers, I would recommend this novel. For lovers of Northanger Abbey, reading it is almost imperative.
*****
“Woodston: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey” by Kate Westwood receives five stars and the “Highly Recommended” award from The Historical Fiction Company
March 20, 2022
This is a lovely novel. I am so glad to find a sequel to Northhanger Abbey. The ending of the original left me wanting to know more about Catherine and Henry. This book does not disappoint.
The writing, as always by Ms Westwood, is true to the period and so enriching to read. The plot, the characters, the storyline are all so well in keeping with conventions and drama of the period.
The characters all manage to capture your heart and you will feel the joys and the heartaches as if these are your dearest friends.
Other reviewers have gone into more detail about the story so I will simply join them in recommending that you read the book and enjoy the escape.
The writing, as always by Ms Westwood, is true to the period and so enriching to read. The plot, the characters, the storyline are all so well in keeping with conventions and drama of the period.
The characters all manage to capture your heart and you will feel the joys and the heartaches as if these are your dearest friends.
Other reviewers have gone into more detail about the story so I will simply join them in recommending that you read the book and enjoy the escape.
January 18, 2022
Excellent!
A very good story, in keeping with what one already knows of Catherine Morland’s character in Miss Austen’s original book. It really did feel as though she would have approved. Delightful.
A very good story, in keeping with what one already knows of Catherine Morland’s character in Miss Austen’s original book. It really did feel as though she would have approved. Delightful.
January 19, 2022
Another charming Austenation from Kate Westwood. Highly recommended for JAFF fans who favor the more traditional Austen/ Heyer style novels.
May 18, 2025
A fitting sequel to the wonderful original. Good to hear "what happened next".
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews