Cotillion

 

Author:  Georgette Heyer

Begun: End Feb 2025

Finished: March12th 2025

Type: Audiobook on Spotify

Narrator: Raj Ghatak

Rating: 10/10

Kitty Charing was adopted by her penny-pinching guardian, Mr. Penicuik, and raised by her poetry-addicted governess, Miss Fishguard.  She lives extremely secluded, only seeing her adopted cousins infrequently. She has fallen in love with Jack, who is the very model of what regency heroines are supposed to fall in love with.  I despised him utterly. 

Mr. Penicuik, wanting to leave all his money to Jack, his favourite, but not wanting to leave Kitty destitute, invites all the cousins to his house and announces that whoever marries Kitty will get everything, clearly hoping Jack will come and snap Kitty up.  

Jack, naturally, doesn't come as he doesn't like to be told what to do. 

Who does turn up, however is:

- Lord Biddendon, who is already married but as "head of the family" is there to support his brother...

- Hugh Rattray, who is a straight laced Reverend

- Foster, Lord Dolphinton, who is a bit "dicked in the nob" and is ruled over by the tyrannical mother, Augusta

- Freddy Standen, who I adore. He turns up late, however. 

So in comes Kitty, mad as fire at being sold off to one of her cousins.  Hugh and Foster propose and Kitty tells them to bugger off, then runs away. She runs into Freddy whom she persuades to pretend to offer for her so that she can go to London with him and try to make Jack jealous.

Shenanigans ensue.  Delightful shenanigans.  

This is Heyer's best book.  It's light and fun. The good guys win, the bad guys get punched in the nose.  Absolutely lovely.  Kitty is a kindhearted girl, and Freddy is an absolute delight.  One can't help feeling that Heyer had been working towards Freddy when she wrote Sherry in Friday's Child.  However Sherry is a mean bully whom I despise.  Freddy is thoughtful, kind, resourceful, clever, and humble.  He seems like a real person rather than a caricature.  He's also absolutely hilarious.  Some of the things he comes out with had me laughing out loud.  

Honestly, this is one of my most favourite books ever.  Just delightful. 

It took so long to listen to because you only get ten hours a month of audiobooks on Spotify, and I ran out, so I had to wait until a new month.  Very annoying.  

Raj Ghatak is an ok narrator.  Not the worst I've heard, but not the best either.  He's fine....which means I was able to continue listening, but I won't be purchasing this audiobook anytime soon.  

I love this book.  An easy 10/10.