Basic Reason for Beginning: Well, I'd been hearing about Heyer across the blogosphere for a while and finally decided to buy a book. This sounded like it might be a good, fun introduction, so I bought it. And then I decided to read it as my 'Alternate with coursework' book because it sounded like a light romp of romantic fun.
Basic Reason for Finishing: It's exactly what it sounds. A light, fun read.
Texture: Silky? (I'm sorry, I read most of it over the course of last week and the week before and now that I've finally returned to it, I have a cold. I'm just glad I managed following the main line.

Full review here

Book Rereadability: You know, I'm not sure I'm a romance rereader, but... I know very little of the Regency period. It'd be fun to reread it with some more knowledge of the period in my head and see how much more I pick up.
Author Rereadability: Oh, yes. I will definitely want to read more of Heyer's works. She's one of those authors that shows me just why I want to wing out of fantasy reading some more. I'd never have encountered this otherwise.
Recommendation: Urk. And here you put me in a bind. I'd say anyone with an interested in historical romances would do well to pick this up, but they're likely the people who're already aware of the book's existence and, anyway, I don't know how well it stands up to others. I think it would make a neat introduction into the genre if you enjoy romances, though. (I can't, consciously, say it's my first brush with it, but I can say it's my first brush with historical romance set in this time period.) If that makes sense. ( )

Delightful. I loved it.

Freddy was the most unlikeliest of heroes and I loved seeing his character progress gradually throughout the book.

And Dolphinton was such a kick in the head! What a nut. ( )

******SPOILERS, but nothing unexpected for a Heyer romance***********

There is something peculiarly satisfying about this book, in which Heyer puts her usual hero types into the background and brings her usual comic-relief Tulip to the foreground as an unexpected hero.

Kind-hearted man-about-town Freddie, who agrees to fake an engagement to his cousin Kitty (previously inaccurated rendered by me as Kate) so that she can enjoy a month in London (and make the man she really loves jealous), is like Bertie Wooster transported to the Regency era. Or, at least, everyone who knows him thinks he's Woosterish, including his sardonic father and the dashing object of Kitty's affections. Both of these men are the sorts of characters Heyer more usually casts as her heroes, and it is in the subverting of the expectations of the genre that Heyer has her triumph in "Cotillion." Freddie isn't stupid. It's just that he never has much of anything to think about, so he doesn't. Think, that is. But when he has a problem to solve, he has the knowledge of his social world and the people in it to figure things out. And he is surprisingly hard to bully.

One of the pleasures of "Cotillion" is that we see exactly why Freddie begins to take his engagement to Kitty seriously, and we see exactly why she comes to appreciate him. He not only has address; he is steadfast. Papageno gets his Papagena, and the cotillion of love confirms the Shakespearian dictum that man is a giddy thing. Indeed, Heyer leads her pairs of lovers through the dance with an almost Shakespearian grace.

I will add that my favorite secondary character is Freddie's father, the most suavely sinister and hilariously unflappable parent since Justin, the Duke of Avon. I sometimes do a mental casting of Heyer's books as movies, and Freddie's father is definitely a Christopher Plummer role.

This is a difficult one to rate; the first half was so silly and so boring I almost started skimming. It reads like third-drawer Wodehouse; I love Wodehouse, but Heyer wasn't witty enough to pull it off.

Now, the second half of the book was a great improvement - the barest hints of the romance begin to manifest, and the plot takes on some urgency.

The last few chapters were marvellous, and I was entirely on their side by the last. If she could have sustained that quality through the entire book, it would be a five star rating above. If I had stopped reading halfway through, I would have given it two stars at best. ( )

I came to Cotillion with all the air of one giving an author a second chance, and so I was. I had previously tried Georgette Heyer's Lady of Quality, but didn't find it congenial. The characters seemed too modern for their setting, and I think my expectations had been too high (someone had recommended Heyer to fans of Jane Austen). Fortunately, I bumped into another Heyer fan, and asked the question that had been bothering me since I dropped Lady of Quality: Why do so many readers praise Heyer to the skies? The answer was simple; I'd started with the wrong book. This blessed fan gave me a list of good titles to start with, and Cotillion was mentioned. When I saw it on audiobook at the library, I decided to give it a try, and I'm thrilled that I did.

This is the story of Kitty Charing, the young ward of miserly old Mr. Penicuik. Mr. Penicuik has five great-nephews, and wants Kitty to marry his favorite Jack Westruther, the dashing man of the town. To ensure this, Mr. Pennycook decides to leave all his money to Kitty only on condition that she marry one of his great-nephews. Kitty, who has lived a sheltered life in the country, is in love with Jack, but Jack flouts his great-uncle's summons and leaves Kitty to receive offers from the other cousins. This simply will not serve; Lord Dolphinton is a dolt, albeit a very lovable and funny dolt. Hugh is an austere and strict rector. George is already married. Claude is in the army and can't come. And Freddie, stolid and fastidious, is like a brother to Kitty. Jack is the one she really wants, but how is he to be got?

Kitty convinces Freddie to offer for her so that she can go to London under a sham engagement. Freddie is very reluctant to do this, but Kitty's tears soon convince him. The two set off for London, where Kitty will enjoy all the delights — and complications — of her first season. From the first she gets mixed up in all kinds of little imbroglios, all in service of her friends. We get a very good picture of London society at that time, and not just the proper parts. I don't mean that Heyer indulges in Harlequin-romance style descriptions, not at all. The tone of the narrative is always proper and refined, and Kitty shows scruples that would be fitting for an Austen heroine. It's just that we learn a little of the possible fate of impoverished beauties who have no fortune or connections to recommend them for a good match.

The final chapter is, in a word, satisfying. At one point I actually clapped my hands with glee over what happens. It's just that good! I don't want to give it away, so I will be mysterious here, but I will say that the final chapter fulfilled all my hopes for the characters. As the story progressed, I began to suspect that Heyer wasn't going to end it the way I wanted, and it overjoyed me when she did. I have a theory about the title (a cotillion is a French dance) but I think it might be spoilerish, so I won't go into it. Anyhow, the last chapter is so fun that I listened to it twice.

Heyer's humor comes through brilliantly. The character names are delightfully Dickensian (Mr. Penicuik (pronounced "Pennycook"), Mr. Pluckly, Miss Plimstock, "the Fish," etc.) and add to the humorous feel of the story. The comedic aspects are truly enjoyable and reminded me sometimes of P. G. Wodehouse. Heyer is not so laugh-out-loud funny as Wodehouse, and her situations are rarely as absurd, but there is a playful amusement with imbecility and with good old British slang. I have always enjoyed British slang, and Freddie supplies that in rich measure. I love his constant, exasperated "Dash it, Kit!" The dialogue is great, and one of the more effective devices that Heyer uses is to remove the personal pronoun when certain characters are speaking. Instead of saying, "I went to find you," certain characters might say, "Went to find you." Used consistently, it gives the speaker a distinctive voice and translates fantastically to audiobook.

Phyllida Nash does an amazing job of dramatizing the story, and her character voices are superb. I was especially impressed with how she handled the male roles. I'm convinced that her reading greatly influenced my enjoyment of the story, and I thank her for helping me to enjoy Heyer properly for the first time. Overall, this is a most enjoyable story with well-written characters, wonderful humor, and an ending that will make you cheer. Highly recommended! ( )