Friday's Child

Rating:
Summary: Delightful Read
Review: I have not yet been disappointed with a Georgette Heyer novel. The conversations between her characters are brilliant. You discover almost everything by how they address each other! She also has the most uniquely named people in her books.

To see both characters in this book mature and evolve is wonderful. Sherry (Lord Sherington) calls Hero (his wife) "Kitten" and indeed he treats her like a pampered pet. But trouble brews for these newlyweds with gambling and other mischief afoot. Both main characters have a long way to go before becoming proper! The journey will keep you interested beginning to end with all the other characters just as interesting and amusing.

Superb romance with substance.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun
Review: This is a great story. It's light-hearted and full of fun, but has its serious side and some truly touching moments as well.
Sherry (Viscount Sheringham) has just has his proposal of marriage spurned by the Incomparable Isabella. Further put out of temper by his dreadful mother and uncle, he storms back to London, vowing to marry the first woman he sees. That happens to be Hero, a sixteen-year-old orphaned neighbour who has been devoted to him ever since they were children. Both are happy with his plan, Sherry because it will put him in control of his fortune and Hero because it gives her an escape from the tyranny of the cousins she lives with. But Sherry, who is both wild and irresponsible, does not find it as easy to have a wife as he thought it would be, while Hero, who was never trained for the position she now holds, finds herself falling into one disaster after another. She finds her position growing ever more difficult, especially when she comes to realise that she loves Sherry, but he does not seem to love her. When yet another social faux pas seems like the final straw for her and Sherry's marriage, she takes desperate action that might save the day . . . or will it?
Sherry and Hero are great characters, and make a lovely couple. Both are kind-hearted, irresponsible, hedonistic and hot-tempered. I also love this book for Sherry's friends. Gil is the token sensible person, Ferdy is well-mannered but thick, and George is a highly romantic figure, desperately in love with Isabella and forever trying to pick fights. The back-and-forth between Hero, Isabella, and Sherry and his friends is what really makes this book. Heyer displays her talent for comedy and for choosing exactly the right word to perfection.
Does everything turn out well in the end? Of course it does - but not in the way you might expect. Keep an eye out for the pickpocket turned groom.

Rating:
Summary: Fun jaunt with naive heroine learning London Ways
Review: This is one of Heyer's longer books and it is packed full of wonderful characters as only Heyer can write them. The Heroine is the impetuous Sherry, who when rejected by the 'love' of his life Isabella, vows to marry the first woman he sees. This happens to be his young playmate, Hero Wantage. She is a bit younger than Sherry (who is already rather young himself) and both are rather naive about life in general.

Sherry and Sherry's friends believe they can just carry with their lives as things were even though Sherry is married and Hero is quite happy for that to happen too - only as it turns out London is a lot bigger and a lot less easy for her to navigate in her usual good natured way. She gets fleeced by card sharps and has to be rescued from any number of scrapes by an increasingly worried and agitated and finally angry Sherry.

What makes this such a good read is that the humour running through it - Hero is a great character, and Sherry's friends are also fun - but underneath it is a very good story about growing up - becoming responsible and facing up to your responsibilities. It also has a complex mix of characters who keep stumbling over one anotherand interfering with each other's plans - and Heyer does this so well.

If you like Friday's Child you will probably also enjoy Cotillion and Convenient Marriage also by Heyer.