Cotillion

So much darned fun. It was my first Georgette Heyer novel--it had been sitting unread on my shelf for a few years before I picked it up last week--and I'll be reading lots more.

It felt like Wodehouse-does-Austen, which is to say frothy and funny and fast, with a side order of optimism about humanity and romantic love.

Kitty Charing's guardian has issued an ultimatum. She will receive his wealth only if she marries one of his great-nephews, a situation Kitty finds repulsive. Particularly because Jack has not shown up to offer for her. However, when she lights on the idea of entering into a false engagement with Jack's cousin, Freddy, she's convinced she can make things turn her way during her month in London. Of course, she has as little an idea of what her way actually will turn out to be as any of the men in her life.

I've been meaning to read Georgette Heyer for years and I'm sad it took me so long to discover the delights that is this novel. Her ability to effortless evoke the Regency period is awe-inspiring and her characters and plots are full of show more charm. The novel is full of sly humour and just a dash of romance that makes the narrative worthwhile. I fell in love with Kitty as a precocious heroine and Freddy as the slang spouting, slightly dandyish accomplice in her plots. Their exploits were thoroughly enjoyable and I was charmed and amused throughout. I will definitely be reading more Heyer in the near future. show less

When her eccentric guardian offers to leave his entire fortune to whichever of his great-nephews can convince her to accept a marriage proposal, headstrong Kitty Charing decides that the only possible course of action open to her is running away to London. Reluctantly assisted by her "cousin" Freddy Standen, who agrees to enter into a sham engagement with her, Kitty loses no time in involving herself in the romantic affairs of those around her, from slow-witted "cousin" Dolph to the beautiful and innocent Miss Olivia Broughty. But will her schemes bring her the love she herself desires...?

Like many of Georgette Heyer's novels, Cotillion is a light-hearted romantic adventure, complete with all the quirky and endearing characters, witty show more dialogue, and charming coincidence that one would expect. That said, this novel makes reference to darker realities than usually seen in a Heyer creation, offering a rather sickening portrayal of the intersection of class and gender in nineteenth-century England.

The precarious position of Olivia Broughty, vis-a-vis the upper-class men who become interested in her, was really quite disturbing, and never was a character more in need of a good punch than Jack Westruther. But despite his most welcome comeuppance, and Olivia's "rescue," one never gets the feeling that Heyer really repudiates the double-standard she so ably depicts, creating an unwelcome discordant note in a novel that resembles nothing so much as a spun-sugar fairytale. show less

Cotillion was another fun historical romp by Georgette Heyer. The author switches up on her leading man with the engaging Freddie Stanton and the result was a main character to really root for. Instead of the tall, dark, handsome world wise hero, Freddie is open, sincere and kind. The young heiress, Kitty was charming and resourceful, but hands down, it was the stalwart Freddie that stole the show.

A false engagement, two separate elopements and a surprise connection kept the book flowing and fun. This may well have been the most humorous of Georgette Heyer’s books. There is a chapter when Freddie escorts Kitty to the tourist spots in London that was hilarious. Freddie may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he knows how to show more maneuver in and about London society perfectly. A cotillion is a country dance, and the title fits this book perfectly as the characters dance around each other as the plot weaves them in and out of interesting situations. Kitty and Freddie are charming but there are also a handful of other characters that raise this book to the highest level of historical romance. Told in Heyer’s creative language, Cotillion is a book that I enjoyed from cover to cover. show less

Kitty Charing has been brought up by her rich guardian, Matthew Penicuik. Out of the blue, Matthew decides to name Kitty as his heiress, but with conditions: she will only receive it if she marries one of his great-nephews. The horrid thing is the cousin she wants to marry (Jack) doesn’t even come to claim her hand, leaving her to pick from the rest of her weird cousins or be left destitute. She plans to runaway and runs into Freddy Standen another cousin who arrives unaware of his uncle's intentions. Being a favorite of hers, she begs him to fake propose and take her to finally see London under the guise of being introduced to his parents. They plan that after a month they'll quietly break it off and at least she would have seen show more London. Her real plan of course is to make Jack jealous and force him to finally propose, but what if Freddy is really the one for her?

This book was hilarious. Both Freddy and Kitty willingly put themselves in this farce, and although he knows Kitty has another plan he doesn't know it involves the rakish Jack. Kitty sounds pretty conniving, yet I wouldn't call her that in a negative way...like she's crafty in a sweet way? If that makes any sense, and I love Freddy. He is the weirdest hero for sure. He’s described as being a dandy, very much interested in clothes and the latest fashion. Look at this description of him:

"When he relinquished his coat, his hat, his cane, and his gloves into the landlord's hands, a slight look of anxiety was in his face, but as soon as a penetrating glance at the mirror had satisfied him that the high points of his shirt-collar were uncrumpled, and the intricacies of a virgin cravat no more disarranged than a touch would set to rights, the anxious look disappeared, and he was able to turn his attention to other matters."

I guess he was the Ryan Seacrest of his day or something, and he doesn't readily seem like a hero at all. I think that's what’s so cool about this book, because of his growing love for Kitty he becomes a hero doing things he would not normally do. He becomes someone she can rely on, and he goes out of his way to make sure her wishes are granted. I love the trust between the two, and how he does everything in his power to help the people she loves.

I know some people have issues about the extreme details on all aspects of regency life in Heyer novels, but it wasn't that bad. The language confused me sometimes, but I liked reading all the regency slang (dashed well making a cake of me!), and the view of fashionable London through Kitty’s eyes.

Overall
I’m not an expert on Georgette Heyer, or if this is good book to start with. I often hear that if you are new to her novels you should start with Frederica, Venetia, or The Grand Sophy, but I really enjoyed Cotillion. It was witty, and fun to see all the couples in this book end up with who they should. show less

Convinced he's near death, Matthew Penicuik determines to leave his fortune to his ward, Kitty Charing, on one condition: that she marry one of his great-nephews. Kitty has no interest in any of them except for Jack Westruther, who also happens to be his uncle's favorite despite his wild nature. When Jack doesn't show up with the rest of his cousins in answer to their uncle's summons, Kitty convinces cousin Freddy to pretend to be engaged to her. As Freddy's fiancee, Kitty will have an excuse to travel to London and make Jack jealous enough to offer for her. However, Kitty's plan soon escapes her control.

I've read several of Heyer's mysteries, but this was my first experience with the historical romances she's primarily known for. I show more found Kitty to be a charming heroine, even though her naivety occasionally annoyed me. The story doesn't read like a Jane Austen novel, yet I can see Kitty fitting comfortably into one of Austen's works. She reminds me most of Emma with her well-intentioned impulsiveness that more often than not gets her into trouble. This is a sweet, funny romance that had me alternately laughing and crying. Enthusiastically recommended. show less

If one had to be restricted to reading only one Heyer novel, this would be one of the top contenders, along with The Grand Sophy (for sheer fun) and An Infamous Army (for its integration of a first-rate handling of the Battle of Waterloo into its social plot). The characters are appealing, the plot deliberately sets up one conclusion only to veer off to another, and the social exchanges are, as usual, sparkling.

It's above all a coming-of-age story for both the primary characters rather than just one (Heyer's heroes are frequently, though not always, fully formed from their first appearance), and this allows the romance plot to proceed without severe problems from implicit inequality of agency.

Heyer pretty well defined her own subgenre show more within comedy of manners, and has never really been matched: every "successor" I have seen fails to manage the same balancing act between comedy of manners, romantic subplot, and (frequently) bildungsroman . This butterfly of a book gets a full five stars for its place within that subgenre. show less