Arabella: Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency roman

I liked everything about the book; the hero and heroine are among the best that Heyer ever wrote.

Don't miss this one! Just wonderful. Several reviews called it a Cinderella story, and it is, but it's so much more - scenes came back into my mind for days after. The romance is heartfelt, the characters sharp, the dialog very funny. Fans and reviewers often compare Heyer to Jane Austen, and though I don't always agree, this is probably her most Austen-esque book. And yes, the book would be Pride and Prejudice. But only in the outline of the story. She takes things in her own direction.It opens in Yorkshire with the four daughters of the Reverend Henry Tallant - he's got as many sons, as well. Arabella is the eldest, quite pretty, as are all the children. Her mother has decided to spend her savings to stake her daughter on a Season in London. The parents are interesting. Henry Tallant could have had more from life than being a vicar, and his wife could have had more than a minister for a husband. They're happy because they both got what they wanted. The warmth and charm of the Tallant family could be saccharine in the hands of a lesser writer, but Heyer obviously loves these characters, and in her hands they're genuine and three-dimensional. When the Vicar reluctantly agrees to the great adventure, he advises his daughter not to be taken in by vanity or false pride. Unfortunately, false pride rears its head before she even arrives in London.Arabella is going in borrowed finery, her uncle's grand old traveling coach. Which drops an axle and nearly overturns. It's raining and cold, and she does what she would do in Yorkshire, which is seek shelter in the nearest house. The nearest being the hunting box of Robert Beaumaris, holed up with his friend Lord Fleetwood. Beaumaris is really more of a Beau Brummell with cash than a Mr. Darcy, but he's very arrogant, and he's bored. Fleetwood is delighted when the lovely Arabella appears, while Beaumaris is more than a little sour. Arabella can't understand why, until she retires to get ready for dinner, and on returning overhears him make the unbelievably smug remark that she probably wrecked her carriage in front of his house deliberately. It seems money-hungry marriageable ladies have stalked him, accidentally swooning when he's standing near, or accidentally twisting their ankle just outside his townhouse door. Arabella tries to deliver a set-down, saying she's one of THE Yorkshire Tallants, and wishes to be incognito in London since she's tired of young men in Yorkshire who pursue her for her fortune. It's only a joke, but it blimps up, and morphs into some very funny directions that caught me napping.Robert Beaumaris decides, for his own amusement, to make Miss Tallant the rage, and at first Arabella is as dazzled by London as her father feared. But when she sees another London beneath the surface, unlike the hard-shelled ton, she refuses to look the other way. Nothing passes under her radar, from a horse being cruelly whipped by a cart driver to stray dogs and abused chimney boys. Heyer cleverly uses what would soon become the social causes of the era. And the first time Robert Beaumaris sees one of her epic eruptions, which is very clearly not played for him, he's hooked. He knows his elegant life has just taken a drastic turn, and he's going to spend the rest of it saddled with the strays Arabella collects. To his credit, despite being so fastidious, he's looking forward to it.Beaumaris' Brummell-like status is mined for serious laughs. When Arabella saddles him with a scroungy mutt, the reactions are great, including a wonderful scene in which Robert's junk-yard dog takes on the prissy carriage-dog of the infamous dandy Poodle Byng. She also mines history for great secondary characters, including Arabella's equally likable brother. Remarkable, considering that this book is pretty lean. When I started researching the Regency five years ago, the first book I read was The Profligate Son by Nicola Phillips. It tells the true story, in about 300 well-researched pages, of the downfall of a young Regency wannabe caught in the dangerous coils of London. It's a testament to Heyer that, decades before it was written, she tells the same story in about two chapters, with the character of the brother. Who, of course, comes out happily. But one scene in particular, in a fashionable gambling hell, is just fantastic, reminiscent of a similar scene in Devil's Cub. Even more tense because she so thoroughly understands the complex games of chance that obsessed Londoners in this period.All in all, a great love story with charm, warmth, surprises, and even ethics! How can you miss?

Je suis fan des auteurs actuels de HR tels Laura Kinsale, Lisa Kleypas ou Eloisa James et j'ai découvert Georgette Heyer par le biais d'un commentaire client... Je n'ai pas regretté mon achat, bien au contraire.L'époque et l'histoire d'amour sont bien là mais dans un esprit différent. L'écriture surprend lorsque l'on sort tout juste d'un roman écrit par les auteurs actuels que j'ai cités plus haut. C'est plus soft (pas de scène de sexe torride), plus lent et plus détaillé. Je lis ces ouvrages en anglais et le style de Georgette Heyer étant plus élaboré, certaines tournures de phrases ou expressions demandent réflexion et dictionnaire ! .Cela m'a fait penser à du Jane Austen, mais en plus moderne et plus léger. Georgette Heyer créée des personnages féminins remarquables.En résumé, j'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre et je le relirai certainement. Tout comme "The Grand Sophy", une autre belle réussite de Heyer.

Ya había leído esta novela.Como todas las obras de Heyer,, se lee de un tirón..La combinación de lo romántico y lo cómico resulta muy agradable de leer.Debería haber más títulos de esta escritora en el idioma original. Gracias.

A charming witty story. I think Heyer writes great novels which have endured for decades. A great read