loved all the escapades and Kittie's antics, Freddie had his hands full keeping her out of trouble, That ending was ADORABLE!!! No one makes me laugh like Georgette Heyer, and this book really cracked me up, It's a silly and enjoyable scenario: previously poor orphan Kitty must choose among her male cousins to inherit a fortune! If she doesn't marry a cousin, no one gets the money.
The romantic hero is a foppish but steadily inoffensive guy, someone your parents love after the firstminutes though in those firstminutes they raise an eyebrow at his "voluminous drivingcoat, embellished with several shouldercapes", the heroine is naive but full of good sense, and all of this is backed up by a great cast of supporting characters and a hefty dose of scorn for Irish titles.
What Heyer is really good at is depicting regency society without going off the rails, as so many contemporary writers do, Her characters are conscious of the rules that govern them and Heyer subverts them in ways that make sense, Kitty can sneak out to meet with Freddy at the inn, but it's clear to them and the reader that it's not quite on the level, Her friendship with the lowborn Olivia is due to her naivete and good nature, and she's rightfully scandalized by the opera that the Broughtys take her to, It isn't a modern take, but it shows the variety of people that move in the upper circles of regency society, and that's what makes it good,
I also loved Freddy, because I find the rake/prude trope somewhat tiring and it was nice to see that upended, The idea of a hero who is competent but underestimated, and vain but selfless, is one that I fully endorse and would like to see in more romance novels in general.
I love, love, love, Freddy!!! He is one of my top if not THE top Georgette Heyer heros, Surprised that's how I feel Then let me explain, Freddy isn't your average GH hero, he is a pink, NOT a rake, NOT a nonsuch and certainly NOT 'in
the petticoat line', He is quite simply everyone's friend but no ones crush, His cousin Jack Who IS a rake, IS a nonsuch and is VERY much in the petticoat line thinks he's amusing in the way that you might find a kitten or puppy amusing.
Which effectively made me hate, hate, hate Jack for the rest of the book! Because the thing about Freddy is that he tries REALLY hard and make's things work out right.
He isn't suave, he isn't able to just swan about and fix everything effortlessly, and I loved him for it! The happy endings he managed to salvage out of horrible tangles where all the better because he'd given his all to make it happen.
And being ready to take a bashing for your girl, even when you know without a shadow of a doubt your gonna be beaten to pulp, makes a true hero.
A nonsuch would have known he was going to win, and therefore his willingness would not be as brave, Cotillion quickly moved to the top of my favorite Heyer books, It's so frustrating to see her lumped into the general romance novel section as she's so much more than that and I'm afraid that a lot of people who are snooty about reading "romance" novels are missing out on a marvelous author.
Time Magazine put it best, "With a Georgette Heyer you dont buy a book, you buy a world, If it suits you, you settle down forever, " Junereread: Yup, still good, Glad I moved his up on the reread rotation, I hadn't remembered all the shenanigans with Kitty once they hit London but found them very engaging so I'm not sure why they'd faded from my memory,
This is one of the few Georgette Heyer books I own, but haven't reread in recent years, I won't make that mistake again, I must have read it early in my Heyer days, because I'm pretty sure I didn't understand the main characters, Freddy and Kitty, very well, Freddy, in particular, undergoes more character development than is common in Heyer's heroes and is easy to writeoff in the early parts of the novel as emptyheaded, He starts out much like many supporting characters in Heyer's other novelsstylish, proper, concerned about fashion, an unquestioning bachelor, and considered by his friends to be a wellmeaning fribble.
He ends much more in the typical heyerian mode of someone who is comfortable in his world and well able to shape it to his needs and desires,
Indeed, in many ways, this book is more about the hero than the heroine, Freddy undergoes a strong metamorphosis as he begins to recognize his own ability to manage his world and put his imprint on it, That others come to appreciate, and respect, his newfound capacity for action isn't nearly so important as realizing, himself, that he is perfectly capable, and willing, to do what must be done to see to the comfort of his friends and the people he cares about.
Kitty, on the other hand, doesn't really grow or change except in relation to her understanding of, and appreciation for, Freddy, This is a reversal of the many Heyer novels where the heroine's character develops appreciably and the hero merely learns to appreciate her stellar qualities,
Catching the early hints that Freddy has much more depth than seemed at first possible made all the difference in my enjoyment of this book, It hasn't become my favorite Heyer novel, but it's certainly climbed out of my dog pile and will be happily reread on a much more regular basis, Whenever I feel low, I read Cotillion, It never fails to cheer me up, It's funny and sweet, and my favourite Heyer,
reread:
My husband overhearing the audiobook I'm listening to: Cotillion
Me:
It does say something that after reading this novel a gabizmillion times, it still makes me snortchortle and, when that last scene with Freddy and Jack happens I still feel exactly like the first time I read it:
reread
Oh is it time for Cotillion again Yes, yes it is.
I will never tire of this novel, sitelink
Just lovely! Highly recommended for teen girls and young adults looking for a fun read with some substance, As well as being an entirely pleasant story, it is altogether worthwhile to witness Heyer's characters grow through their interactions with one another, With such a light touch she educates the reader in how to fall out of love with the reckless antihero after recognising his sordid, selfish side, and how to fall in love with the generous, gentle and kindhearted hero.
Few writers are able to match the grace with which she makes common sense so attractive, And social propriety is kept in its proper place: it is there for the purpose of helping people and making them happy, not to rule and dominate them rigidly.
Delightful.
ed for sitelinkwww. GoodReadingGuide. com STARS
“I daresay Freddy might not be a great hand at slaying dragons, but you may depend upon it none of those knighterrants would be able to rescue one from a social fix, and you must own, Meg, that one has not the smallest need of a man who can kill dragons!”
Loved it.
I adored Freddie. For once the rake lost out, Poor Jack can go to the devil, LOL. And our narrator, Clare Wille did a brilliant job with all of these characters, I have listened to several of her narrations, and she really is a wonderful reader, I must look for more books she narrates!,
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Georgette Heyer