Cotillion: Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance - Softcover

Heyer, Georgette

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099474379 ISBN 13: 9780099474371

Publisher: Arrow, 2005

Synopsis

The three great-nephews of cantankerous Mr Penicuik know better than to ignore his summons, especially when it concerns the bestowal of his fortune -- the wily old gentleman has hatched a typically freakish plan for his stepdaughter's future and his own amusement: his fortune will be Kitty's dowry. But while the beaux are scrambling for her hand, Kitty counters with her own inventive, if daring, scheme: a sham engagement which should keep wedlock at bay ...

Cotillion shows what made Georgette Heyer the undisputed queen of historical romance - one of the most popular novelists of her day, she is still adored by a huge readership.

About this title

Review:

Young Kitty Charing stands to inherit a vast fortune from her irascible great-uncle Matthew--provided she marries one of her cousins. Kitty is not wholly adverse to the plan, if the right nephew proposes. Unfortunately, Kitty has set her heart on Jack Westruther, a confirmed rake, who seems to have no inclination to marry her anytime soon. In an effort to make Jack jealous, and to see a little more of the world than her isolated life on her great-uncle's estate has afforded her, Kitty devises a plan. She convinces yet another of her cousins, the honourable Freddy Standen, to pretend to be engaged to her. Her plan would bring her to London on a visit to Freddy's family and (hopefully) render the elusive Mr Westruther madly jealous. Thus begins Cotillion, arguably the funniest, most charming of Georgette Heyer's many delightful Regency romances.

No sooner does Kitty arrive in London than she becomes embroiled in the romantic difficulties of several new acquaintances. Kitty's French cousin, Camille, a professional gambler, has won the heart of her new friend, Olivia--who also happens to be the object of Jack Westruther's dishonourable intentions. Meanwhile, Kitty's doltish cousin Lord Dolphinton has fallen in love with a merchant's daughter who is embattled with his mother and needs his help. Finally, there is Kitty herself, who begins to wonder if the dandified Freddy might not be the man for her after all. As in all of Georgette Heyer's books, Cotillion transcends genre--it is, quite simply, wonderful literature. Historically accurate down to the finest details of dress, deportment and speech, Heyer was also a master at creating unforgettable, comic characters; and Kitty Charing and Freddy Standen stand out as one of her most charming romantic duos ever. --Amazon.com

Review:

"A writer of great wit and style ... I've read her books to ragged shreds" (Kate Fenton Daily Telegraph)

"Georgette Heyer is unbeatable" (India Knight)

"Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to" (Katie Fforde)

"Charming and comic with plenty of romance" (Kati Nicholl Daily Express)

"Georgette Heyer deserves the recognition implicit in her inclusion in the Naxos Classic Fiction list, and Cotillion is an excellent first choice. Her funniest book, it is a plucky-innocent-reforms-rake parody, written in her prime in 1953 ... Heyer immersed herself in 18th-century literature" (Christina Hardyment The Times)

About this edition

• Publisher: Arrow
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0099474379
• ISBN 13: 9780099474371
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336