Cotillion

Rating:
Summary: The best of the best
Review: "Cotillion" is on eof Heyer's finest achievements - for it is quite a complete triumph of her writing here. Those looking for something strong in the plot may look elsewhere. The plot as such is weak and the work would have fallen flat had it been authored by anyone but Miss Heyer. Heyer turns this seemingly plotless tale into one filled with wit and laughs.

Kitty is a country-bred heiress who is prepared to go to any extremes to have a time in London. She is put into a most uncomfortable spot by her guardian who insists on her marrying one of her cousins in which case only his wealth would be bequeathed to her. Else, it goes off in charity. It is in trying to make a escape from the place that she runs into one of her cousins, Freddy Standen, a self-confessed nitwit, and a dandy. But dont let that put you down - for Heyer develops Freddy into one of her best heroes. I personally love Freddy simply because he resembles the sidekicks of her other novels whome I adore (like Pel and Sir Pom in "Convenient Marriage"). Kitty is sufficient without being as captivating as Frederica or Horatia Winwood. But the tale is led on at a brisk pace filled with all fun and laughs.

So have a go at it if you are down in the dumps and need something to perk you up. Freddy, Kitty, Dolph, Meg and all the other host of splendid characters will make you smile in not too long a time.

Rating:
Summary: One of my first loves
Review: Cotillion was only the second Heyer Regency, or for that matter any type of adult romance, I read. (The also wonderful Grand Sophy was my first.) I agree with the other posters in their praise of what I believe to be her finest book. I have read it many times as it is my favorite, well along with the Grand Sophy, and Devil's Cub, and The Reluctant Widow, and Sylvester,and the Nonesuch, and oh dear! The best praise I can bestow is that it was enough to make me hopelessly and very obviously addicted to Heyer. It is well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: Is It Really Only Four Stars?
Review: Georgette Heyer fans, don't scold!
Compared to pretty much anything else, "Cotillion" would be five stars. But compared to Heyer--aha! It isn't as good as "Venetia" or "Frederica" or ....Well, pick your own favorites.
If you haven't read anything by Georgette Heyer, it's all right to start with "Cotillion." It's a lovable, humorous book. It might even turn out to be your favorite.
The story begins with pretty Kitty (a penniless orphan) and her crotchety, wealthy grandfather. This old man is determined to control the story--which immediately slips away from him. He has summoned his great-nephews--Kitty's cousins--to his estate to inform them that the man who marries Kitty will be his heir. You'd think he would know better, wouldn't you? After all, what he really wants isn't just any marriage; he wants his rakehell nephew Jack to marry Kitty. Like any self-respecting rake, Jack is determined not to be driven into marriage, not even a marriage that he's willing to enter. Eventually. The one thing the two men agree on is that Kitty doesn't need a season. Grandpapa doesn't want to spend the money; Jack thinks that Kitty will come to no harm vegetating in the country until he's finished sowing his wild oats.

Mortified, Kitty impulsively (she's seventeen, and half French) runs away from home. True, she loves Jack; he's handsome and dashing--but he doesn't want to marry her.

And at the inn where she waits for the stage she finds her cousin Freddie. Not a great deal in his cockloft, as he would quickly agree. Not a patch on Jack. He's willowy, rabbity, fearful. He's at the inn because he wants what he knows he won't get at Grandpapa's table: a good meal. This time it's Kitty's turn to plot. Will dear, good Freddie pretend to be engaged to her, and take her to London?

Yes, he would, once he gets it through his head that he isn't expected to announce the engagement or actually get married. The scene in which he "proposes" is a delight. Jack, of course, realizes that the betrothal is another way to push him toward matrimony, and won't play. Freddie takes Kitty home to mother--in London. Together mother and son set about giving Kitty a season.

As usual, Heyer sets up this situation quickly, deftly, and in this case with a good deal of humor at the expense of all four main characters. But the heart of the story is in the development of Kitty and Freddie, once they are in London. Kitty begins to grow up, and she begins to see Freddie in his element. With all his flaws, Freddie is nevertheless extremely good "ton." His taste is perfect, and he knows all the nuances of the complicated game that comprises a London season.

I suppose you have questions. Does Kitty find new suitors? Does Jack come to heel? Does her season meet Kitty's expectations? How does Heyer fill up the rest of the novel?
Well, don't ask me! Read the book for yourself. And then, when you are thinking that the idiot reviewer should have given it five stars, read more Heyer.

Rating:
Summary: Is It Really Only Four Stars?
Review: Georgette Heyer fans, don't scold!
Compared to pretty much anything else, "Cotillion" would be five stars. But compared to Heyer--aha! It isn't as good as "Venetia" or "Frederica" or ....Well, pick your own favorites.
If you haven't read anything by Georgette Heyer, it's all right to start with "Cotillion." It's a lovable, humorous book. It might even turn out to be your favorite.
The story begins with pretty Kitty (a penniless orphan) and her crotchety, wealthy grandfather. This old man is determined to control the story--which immediately slips away from him. He has summoned his great-nephews--Kitty's cousins--to his estate to inform them that the man who marries Kitty will be his heir. You'd think he would know better, wouldn't you? After all, what he really wants isn't just any marriage; he wants his rakehell nephew Jack to marry Kitty. Like any self-respecting rake, Jack is determined not to be driven into marriage, not even a marriage that he's willing to enter. Eventually. The one thing the two men agree on is that Kitty doesn't need a season. Grandpapa doesn't want to spend the money; Jack thinks that Kitty will come to no harm vegetating in the country until he's finished sowing his wild oats.

Mortified, Kitty impulsively (she's seventeen, and half French) runs away from home. True, she loves Jack; he's handsome and dashing--but he doesn't want to marry her.

And at the inn where she waits for the stage she finds her cousin Freddie. Not a great deal in his cockloft, as he would quickly agree. Not a patch on Jack. He's willowy, rabbity, fearful. He's at the inn because he wants what he knows he won't get at Grandpapa's table: a good meal. This time it's Kitty's turn to plot. Will dear, good Freddie pretend to be engaged to her, and take her to London?

Yes, he would, once he gets it through his head that he isn't expected to announce the engagement or actually get married. The scene in which he "proposes" is a delight. Jack, of course, realizes that the betrothal is another way to push him toward matrimony, and won't play. Freddie takes Kitty home to mother--in London. Together mother and son set about giving Kitty a season.

As usual, Heyer sets up this situation quickly, deftly, and in this case with a good deal of humor at the expense of all four main characters. But the heart of the story is in the development of Kitty and Freddie, once they are in London. Kitty begins to grow up, and she begins to see Freddie in his element. With all his flaws, Freddie is nevertheless extremely good "ton." His taste is perfect, and he knows all the nuances of the complicated game that comprises a London season.

I suppose you have questions. Does Kitty find new suitors? Does Jack come to heel? Does her season meet Kitty's expectations? How does Heyer fill up the rest of the novel?
Well, don't ask me! Read the book for yourself. And then, when you are thinking that the idiot reviewer should have given it five stars, read more Heyer.

Rating:
Summary: My copy is falling apart
Review: I like this book so well I've read it several times over the years. But now my copy is falling apart and I have to read a sheaf of loose pages. It is supposedly being republished in January 2005, but here it is the 25th and I don't see it yet.

Rating:
Summary: Just my favourite Heyer
Review: Like a couple of other readers here I have to say that appreciating this particular Heyer is best done after you have had a taste of the other books..but it is well worth it.

If you started reading Georgette Heyer at 13 or 14 like I did, your early favourites might be the more swashbucking tales like These Old Shades (which still remains in my top 10 favourite Heyers).

I picked up Cotillion first from a second hand pile of books while on holiday in Bath, and it has never left my book shelf ever since. The subtlety of the telling, the comedy and the characterisations let you know that you are in in the realms of art.

Anyway, will some publisher please get a reprint out very very soon, and this well-loved copy of mine is threatening to fall into a fine powder from my periodic re-readings over the years. For some reason, Cotillion seems to be a neglected masterpiece, but honestly, any fan must get a copy of this one and see for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: High Comedy
Review: Not only is this story light and frothy, it is also full of well written, funny characters. Kitty Charing is told by her step father, Mr.Pennicuik, to choose a husband from his great nephews as a condition of her inheritance of his large fortune. As she had always been kept under his close supervision, she is determined to spend some time in London, trying her wings in Society before committing to a marriage and so forces Freddy, the most affable of the nephews to take her to stay with his married sister. It's a witty,funny story with a lot of charm and good humour.

Rating:
Summary: Charming AND Funny
Review: Not only is this story light and frothy, it is also full of well written, funny characters. Kitty Charing is told by her step father, Mr.Pennicuik, to choose a husband from his great nephews as a condition of her inheritance of his large fortune. As she had always been kept under his close supervision, she is determined to spend some time in London, trying her wings in Society before committing to a marriage and so forces Freddy, the most affable of the nephews to take her to stay with his married sister. It's a witty,funny story with a lot of charm and good humour.

Rating:
Summary: The Reason Heyer is the Queen of Regency Romance
Review: The good news--Georgette Heyer is the standard by which all writers of Regency Romance are judged. The bad news--after reading any of Ms. Heyer's books, one becomes a true stickler for detail when it comes to other writers in this genre.

Like most of her novels, 'Cotillion' is a witty and elegant romp through the world of the beau monde--its foibles and its fashions.

Kitty Charing in her own right is as assertive as any modern heroine as she learns to navigate the convoluted social waters of London. Unlike those around her, she sees the good in everyone, which of course lead to some comic mishaps. Her pretend 'fiance' Freddy is wonderful as the not-quite-as-brain-dead-as-everyone-thinks-him man about town.

Like all of Ms. Heyer's novels, it does help to be rather familiar with regency cant, and there are actually fan sites out there with glossaries of regency slang used in her books.

Rating:
Summary: High Comedy
Review: This is quite possibly my favorite Heyer, which is saying something, because the competition is fierce. The author plays with the usual ingredients of her books, and reverses them (the man who appears to be the hero is actually the villian.) Everybody is slightly absurd, including the heroine. In books by numberless imitators of Ms. Heyer, the heroine is always perfect. Not here. Kitty Charing is bright and good-natured. She is also very innocent, very impulsive, a crusader, a match-maker, and the despair of her putative fiancee, Freddy Standen. Freddy himself is one of Ms. Heyer's happiest creations. The plot is tightly wound, and fits together with satisfying clicks. Great scenes: Dophinton's proposal to Kitty; Freddy's ditto; Kitty meets Freddy's family; Freddy and Kitty go sight-seeing in London; Freddy discusses the Elgin Marbles with his father; Freddy discovers why Kitty is seeing Dolphinton; Kitty and Olivia encounter Olivia elderly admirer; the masquerade; the elopement; and Jack's comeuppance at the hands of Freddy.

If you have never read this book, prepare for a treat.