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Arabella

Arabella

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It does not get better than this
Review: This is the best Cinderella-type regency that I have EVER read. Heyer has a wonderful gift and a unique sense of humor that is unequalled.

Arabella is the eldest daughter of a poor vicar and his wife who has pinned all her hopes on her eldest, most beautiful offspring marrying a rich man in order to help the family. The mother engineers a season in London for Arabella and while she was on the way, Arabella meets the wealthy, handsome Mr. Robert Beaumaris. They clash, he is entranced, she is in love and Arabella's season is unlike any other you'll ever read.

Mongrel dogs, chimney sweeps and limping prostitutes, not to mention gin-drinking babies are but a taste of what you might encounter in this wonderful romantic tale of love winning against all the odds.

Prepare to laugh out loud and long many times throughout the book!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Watch out! This book will trap you into loving Heyer.
Review: This was the first Heyer book I read. It was given to me by my aunt who suggested it to me as similar to Pride and Prejudice, one of my very favorites. It is the best type of charming, lighthearted, and entertaining novel one could ever want to read. Its endearing characters won't let you stop till you have read it to its end. Being a girl, I naturally focus on the male lead and this one is incredible. His appeal is so obvious and yet Heyer, even in her most devestating heros, stays cleanly away from degrading sexual banter. The humor in this book made me laugh out loud...Heyer has a talent for instilling in her characters a dry and ready wit that makes for the most entertaining dialogues. Arabella, the lead female is clever, coniving, sweet, endearing, and a bit of a rascle. Pleanty of fire and spice in all the right places. Really an excellent read, especially for ladies, young and old who long for romance yet don't want to fill their minds with trash.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very impressed with Georgette's work
Review: What do you call a Regency Era-based romance novel about a woman's white lie going too far? Brilliant. At least when Georgette Heyer writes it. Her intelligent writing, tangible descriptions, and witty dialogue all contribute to the success of what most people say makes this "the best Cinderella story yet to date". Occasional flips through a dictionary are needed as this author likes to use difficult words in her sentences that most people don't ever use in their whole lifetime. But don't let a few references to a big red book scare you away from this must-read.

Being that this book is over four-hundred pages long, it did have some slow moving parts. So sluggish that I found myself counting the remaining pages of the chapter to see how much longer I had to go. But I do believe if I had been able to have read this book at a more leisurely pace (due date on the book review), I would have been able to appreciate Georgette's descriptions more so than I did.

Throughout this whole book I could not help but detect the similarities it had with Jane Austen's novels. (I am an immense fan of Austen's, so I basically memorized Pride and Prejudice.) Such as lines like "shocking lack of..." and scenarios such as a woman overhearing an arrogant man saying something disagreeable about her comes right out of "Pride and Prejudice". Heyer must really think highly of Austen enough to have stolen some of her literary situations. The exact reason why I am nit-picking at this book right now is the exact reason why I loved it so much. It's practically identical to Jane Austen.

But enough of the finicky criticism; let me explain to you why I enjoyed this novel. I can not give too much away because I know if I do, this website will not let me post my review because it contains "spoilers". But the whole message of this story is great. Loving someone not because of their status but because of their genuine character is truly beautiful.

My discovery of the gracefully articulate Georgette Heyer provided me with remarkable reading material and additional insight into the Era that I find so fascinating. To be comparable to Jane Austen is certainly an honor and Heyer has surely achieved that in my opinion. Now that I have taken the journey into the world of Heyer, I am looking forward to reading some of her other books over the summer.

If this book sounds appealing to you, you owe it to yourself to read it. You won't regret it!


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