I'm trying to convince myself to reread Austen lately (at least more than P&P) and Northanger Abbey is the first in line. I remember it as my second favourite Austen, and I still think as a portrait of greed it's hard to beat. Isabella is so unpleasantly grasping, so superficial and manipulative, but she is above all so accurately, so acutely drawn that she makes the other characters almost pale in comparison, I think. Though I do enjoy Catherine, even when she's letting her imagination run away with her, and especially when she shows a steady sort of gumption after being thrown out of the Abbey. When push comes to shove, there's a deep strain of common sense and self-reliance there, and I've always liked her. (Would much rather read about Catherine than horrible Emma!)