After almost despairing at the recent Mansfield Park with Billie Piper, it was a huge relief to see this version of Northanger Abbey. Andrew Davies is pretty reliable, I think, and the two leading characters were winningly portrayed by Felicity Jones and J J Feild.

The locations, costumes and hairstyles were all good too. It was a thoroughly entertaining piece.

Of course, reducing the book to not much more than 90 minutes means that a lot has to be sacrificed. In the case of Jane Austen this is done at a higher price than with many other authors, since a key feature of her works is their gentle pace and unhurried witty dialogue - but it was good nonetheless and can be thoroughly recommended.

I didn't think much of ITV's Persuasion or Mansfield Park, but I really liked their adaptation of Northanger Abbey, much more so than the 1980s adaptation. I did think though that the scene between Isabella and Frederick towards the end was rather jarring with the period, and the ending was rushed and abrupt.

On the other hand, as you would expect with a period piece, it does look absolutely beautiful, I'd say especially in the scenery it was the best looking of the 2007 ITV adaptations of Jane Austen's wonderful books. The music has a pleasant lilt to it with a soothing quality to it. The story moves quickly with some decent dream sequences, if a little rushed at the end and maintains the book's spirit, and the dialogue is mostly in keeping with Jane Austen's style while also being fresh and funny.

The superb cast are also to be commended. Felicity Jones plays her role of Catherine Morland with wide-eyed innocence, naivety and above all charm, and JJ Field is equally wonderful and just as charming as Henry, the fact he is very like how Austen describes Henry in the book is a good if not always important advantage. In support, Catherine Walker's dignified turn stands out, and Geraldine James as the voice of Jane Austen is suitably understated and Carey Mulligan is a surprisingly subtle Isabella.

General Tilney mayn't quite have the depth of his novelistic counterpart, making him one-dimensional at times, but Liam Cunningham does do what he can to make the character interesting at least. Speaking of the characters, of the adaptations of Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Mansfield Park, this was the only one where I actually did care for any of the characters, the characters in the other two were either underdeveloped or unconvincingly played.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this Northanger Abbey. Considering the disappointments that were Persuasion and especially Mansfield Park I was not expecting to say or think that. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

Catherine Morland (Felicity Jones) is one of ten children in a middle class family. She is a girl with an imagination for Gothic romances. She journeys to Bath with wealthy family friends, the Allens. She falls for Henry Tilney but he's gone the next day. She is befriended by social butterfly Isabella Thorpe (Carey Mulligan) who likes her older brother James. Isabella's brother and James' friend John is taken with Catherine. Henry returns with his sister Eleanor who invites her to a walk. James lies to her about the Tilneys and sweeps her off on his carriage. She catches James on his lie but he warns her about the Tilney family. She patches up with Henry and then his older brother Captain Frederick Tilney is taken with her. Her imagination and constant rumors lead to her belief that Henry's father was responsible for the mother's death.

This Jane Austen work is enlivened by two rising superstars. It's Austen's first published work turning the Gothic romance upside down. If anything, Felicity Jones is too much of a starlet to be plain Catherine Morland. Carey Mulligan's superior light compensates for some of it. It's a simple story and a nice watch even for non-costume fans.