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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Another day, another Heyer novel. ;-)
When Arabella, a pretty vicar's daughter, is on her way to London to visit her godmother, her carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy and socially distinguished Mr. Beaumaris. Overhearing Mr. Beaumaris rudely complain to his companion about the bold females who cast themselves in his way, the impulsive Arabella devises a scheme: she will pretend to be an heiress herself! Then Mr. Beaumaris will know she isn't after him OR his money.
"'Alas!" said Arabella, 'I am fabulously wealthy! It is the greatest mortification to me! You can have no notion!'"
Of course, hilarity ensues. By the time Arabella is introduced to London society, everyone has heard she is an heiress, and courts her accordingly.
I will say, there are many similarities between this plot and other works of Heyer's, but I mean, hey, when you write 50 books, I guess some of them are bound to be similar?
And one of the best and most unique parts of this novel is Mr. Beaumaris's conversations with his dog, Ulysses. Priceless!
When Arabella, a pretty vicar's daughter, is on her way to London to visit her godmother, her carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy and socially distinguished Mr. Beaumaris. Overhearing Mr. Beaumaris rudely complain to his companion about the bold females who cast themselves in his way, the impulsive Arabella devises a scheme: she will pretend to be an heiress herself! Then Mr. Beaumaris will know she isn't after him OR his money.
"'Alas!" said Arabella, 'I am fabulously wealthy! It is the greatest mortification to me! You can have no notion!'"
Of course, hilarity ensues. By the time Arabella is introduced to London society, everyone has heard she is an heiress, and courts her accordingly.
I will say, there are many similarities between this plot and other works of Heyer's, but I mean, hey, when you write 50 books, I guess some of them are bound to be similar?
And one of the best and most unique parts of this novel is Mr. Beaumaris's conversations with his dog, Ulysses. Priceless!
There are so many scenes and moments in Arabella that had me laughing out loud. It's really a very funny book, as well as a heartwarming and romantic one. The hero, Robert Beaumaris, is swoon-worthy, and the heroine, Arabella Tallant, is a delight. Another excellent novel from the great Georgette Heyer.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I think the author could have been more brief with Bertrand's part of the story. I skipped over the parts that could be summarized as, "Bertrand gambled too much money"
I especially liked when Robert would talk to Ulysses
I especially liked when Robert would talk to Ulysses
(Note: Listened to the audiobook, June 2017)
I think Georgette Heyer will now be my go-to author for when I need something to lighten the mood. Because Arabella is absolutely delightful, and listening to the audiobook was the perfect antidote for a major, crabby funk.
Arabella has a wonderfully rom-com feel to it. Arabella overhears Mr. Beaumaris making a snide remark about girls looking for money coming up with excuses to cross paths with him, and she is so offended that she's being lumped in with fortune-hunters (when it was really a carriage mishap that brought her to his doorstep) that she impetuously declares herself to be "the" Miss Tallant -- you know, the fabulously rich Miss Tallant. Oh my.
Before she knows it, Arabella is the center of the London season, as every son of distinguished but cash-poor family seems to suddenly be in love with the dear girl. She's turning down marriage proposals left and right, and meanwhile feels increasingly guilty that her spur-of-the-moment lie has become the accepted truth. So how can she ever say yes to a proposal knowing she does so under false pretenses? And given the butterflies she's feeling over Mr. Beaumaris, how can she force herself to confess the truth to him and lose his respect and affection?
What a tangled web we weave...
The story may be a trifle predictable -- yes, we all know where this love story will end up -- but it's such fun to see how we get there. Mr. Beaumaris is the epitome of fashionable society. All the young men hoping for society standing copy his style, his manners, even his sardonic little tweaks to propriety (for example, after he wears a dandelion in his buttonhole, suddenly all the young men flood London florists with demands for dandelions). He's known in town as "the nonpareil", and his presence at any gathering automatically lends it cachet. It's entertaining to watch people fall all over themselves to interact with Mr. Beaumaris, and the reader (listener) catches on long before Arabella does that he's both fond of her and is onto her little secret.
There's a dark cloud in Arabella, as Arabella's younger brother comes to London as well and tries to live the high life. As he indulges in high fashion, parties, gambling, and gaming houses, he falls into such extreme debt that he sees either death or enlistment as his only options. This is a light-hearted novel, so obviously things work out (I won't say how), but it's touch and go for a while there, and I honestly worried about him.
I occasionally had a little twinge of discomfort about Arabella's relationship with Mr. Beaumaris. She's seventeen, and he's a very sophisticated and polished thirty. Not an unimaginable age difference, but there are times where it seems that what he loves about her most is her innocent youth and naivete, and there were a few times where it teetered on the edge of creeper-ness for me.
Now I'm making it sound weird, and it's really not. Overall, I found Arabella utterly charming, and loved the main character as well as the depictions of all the silly upper class foolery that makes up high society and the London season.
As for the audiobook, it's a wonderful listen. Narrator Phyllida Nash nails Arabella's innocence and enthusiasm, as well as Mr. Beaumaris's haughtiness and dry humor. The only two difficulties with listening to the audiobook are 1) the author uses a lot of terminology related to society matters, fashion, types of carriages, and so on, many of which I wasn't familiar with -- but it's hard to stop to figure out while listening to an audiobook (especially when said listening is happening while driving a car), and 2) at some point the pace got frustrating for me. Arabella isn't exactly a suspense novel, but as Arabella gets more and more snared by her made-up story and torn between her feelings for Mr. Beaumaris, her urgent need to help her brother, and her wish for honesty, I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next -- but I had to, since my listening time was parceled out between my drives to and from work.
Arabella would be a great point of entry for anyone considering giving Georgette Heyer a try for the first time, and it's certain to please anyone who's already enjoyed some of her books. As for me, I will definitely seek out more Georgette Heyer novels, especially when I find myself in need of a bit of cheering up.
I think Georgette Heyer will now be my go-to author for when I need something to lighten the mood. Because Arabella is absolutely delightful, and listening to the audiobook was the perfect antidote for a major, crabby funk.
Arabella has a wonderfully rom-com feel to it. Arabella overhears Mr. Beaumaris making a snide remark about girls looking for money coming up with excuses to cross paths with him, and she is so offended that she's being lumped in with fortune-hunters (when it was really a carriage mishap that brought her to his doorstep) that she impetuously declares herself to be "the" Miss Tallant -- you know, the fabulously rich Miss Tallant. Oh my.
Before she knows it, Arabella is the center of the London season, as every son of distinguished but cash-poor family seems to suddenly be in love with the dear girl. She's turning down marriage proposals left and right, and meanwhile feels increasingly guilty that her spur-of-the-moment lie has become the accepted truth. So how can she ever say yes to a proposal knowing she does so under false pretenses? And given the butterflies she's feeling over Mr. Beaumaris, how can she force herself to confess the truth to him and lose his respect and affection?
What a tangled web we weave...
The story may be a trifle predictable -- yes, we all know where this love story will end up -- but it's such fun to see how we get there. Mr. Beaumaris is the epitome of fashionable society. All the young men hoping for society standing copy his style, his manners, even his sardonic little tweaks to propriety (for example, after he wears a dandelion in his buttonhole, suddenly all the young men flood London florists with demands for dandelions). He's known in town as "the nonpareil", and his presence at any gathering automatically lends it cachet. It's entertaining to watch people fall all over themselves to interact with Mr. Beaumaris, and the reader (listener) catches on long before Arabella does that he's both fond of her and is onto her little secret.
There's a dark cloud in Arabella, as Arabella's younger brother comes to London as well and tries to live the high life. As he indulges in high fashion, parties, gambling, and gaming houses, he falls into such extreme debt that he sees either death or enlistment as his only options. This is a light-hearted novel, so obviously things work out (I won't say how), but it's touch and go for a while there, and I honestly worried about him.
I occasionally had a little twinge of discomfort about Arabella's relationship with Mr. Beaumaris. She's seventeen, and he's a very sophisticated and polished thirty. Not an unimaginable age difference, but there are times where it seems that what he loves about her most is her innocent youth and naivete, and there were a few times where it teetered on the edge of creeper-ness for me.
Now I'm making it sound weird, and it's really not. Overall, I found Arabella utterly charming, and loved the main character as well as the depictions of all the silly upper class foolery that makes up high society and the London season.
As for the audiobook, it's a wonderful listen. Narrator Phyllida Nash nails Arabella's innocence and enthusiasm, as well as Mr. Beaumaris's haughtiness and dry humor. The only two difficulties with listening to the audiobook are 1) the author uses a lot of terminology related to society matters, fashion, types of carriages, and so on, many of which I wasn't familiar with -- but it's hard to stop to figure out while listening to an audiobook (especially when said listening is happening while driving a car), and 2) at some point the pace got frustrating for me. Arabella isn't exactly a suspense novel, but as Arabella gets more and more snared by her made-up story and torn between her feelings for Mr. Beaumaris, her urgent need to help her brother, and her wish for honesty, I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next -- but I had to, since my listening time was parceled out between my drives to and from work.
Arabella would be a great point of entry for anyone considering giving Georgette Heyer a try for the first time, and it's certain to please anyone who's already enjoyed some of her books. As for me, I will definitely seek out more Georgette Heyer novels, especially when I find myself in need of a bit of cheering up.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not really my thing. The book takes far too long to get anywhere, there are subplots that take forever, the dialogue is sooo boring.
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A delightful read - possibly my favourite so far on the Georgette Heyer reading journey!
Arabella, as one of the vicar's many children, has never anticipated a sparkling and wildly successful London season. Just to GET to London, to see its sights and no longer have to only imagine its wonders would be enough. But when Arabella's Godmother invites her for the season, Mama makes it happen. Along the journey, however, Arabella crosses paths with none other than THE Nonpareil, Mr. Robert Beaumaris. A careless remark on his part and Arabella tells a fib that turns her season upside down - in ways both amazing and horrifying.
Okay. This is so very fun. I completely ignored everything else I was supposed to do for a day because I had to follow this story to its end. Arabella isn't Heyer's best heroine but she is delightful, with her passionate desire to help the wretched and her ability to stir up trouble coupled with an intense desire to do right. Mr. Beaumaris is just as romantic and witty as he should. I will say that a secondary plot with Arabella's brother wasn't quite as enthralling and I did skim a bit, but overall, this book gave me everything I need from a Georgette Heyer Regency Romance: entertainment.
Okay. This is so very fun. I completely ignored everything else I was supposed to do for a day because I had to follow this story to its end. Arabella isn't Heyer's best heroine but she is delightful, with her passionate desire to help the wretched and her ability to stir up trouble coupled with an intense desire to do right. Mr. Beaumaris is just as romantic and witty as he should. I will say that a secondary plot with Arabella's brother wasn't quite as enthralling and I did skim a bit, but overall, this book gave me everything I need from a Georgette Heyer Regency Romance: entertainment.
Everything deserves a 4, except the random worry that Arabella has that her love interest might be planning to r*pe her in the last 25 pages of the book...like, what.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault