Cotillion

Dance and costuming have somehow taken over my every thought lately, so yesterday I rebelled against it and spent every spare moment reading. It was absolutely lovely! After reading 'The Nonesuch' almost a year ago, I fell in love with Georgette Heyer. She wrote mostly during the 1920's-1950's and published around 50 books: romances, histories, and mysteries. My favorites, though, are her historical romances. She does a pretty good job with the time period, making the dress, places, important names, and the speech of the come alive with her characters (occasionally she uses so much slang from the period that I get a little lost, like "doing it too brown" or "blue deviled" or telling "a flat from a leg", all of which I had to refer to other literature to understand fully). She writes in a catching way so although it may take a little bit to push through the initial chapter, once you're caught it's nearly impossible to put down. Some of her characters can be a little 2-dimensional, but her main characters seem real, with virtues and flaws and growth throughout the book. They show different sides of themselves as the reader moves through the pages. Now, they aren't classics, so if you pick one up don't be expecting the greatest literature of all time, but they are entertaining, transporting and charming.

The one I just finished reading was "Cotillion," a story about a young girl who desperately wants to see London and convinces her cousin to be betrothed to her so she can. Ultimately she's pining for another man's love, Jack, and is hoping to inspire jealousy to get him to propose to her. Jack isn't the best sort of person and could be best termed as a 'rake'. As Kitty moves through the turbulence of city life- it's wonders and dangers, intrigues and interests, friends and enemies- she learns about people, friendship, life, and of course about love. I read the ending several times just because it made my heart happy. If you choose to pick it up, I hope you enjoy it!