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A review by jamgrl
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What starts out as a bi rom com in a historic setting pivots into maritime adventure with high stakes and a dash of fantasy and I loved it. Monty is a ridiculously fun character and the trio of him, Percy, and Felicity make an excellent adventuring team to follow with the right combination of sense, silliness, and chemistry. The book balances serious moments of reflection about identity and society and family (and abuse) with classic pining + miscommunication and an actual adventure plot surprisingly well. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole book.
This book is vaguely set in the 1700s and it is clear it is not trying to fit a particular time period perfectly- the main characters have a lot of modern ideas, but they are expressed in ways that <i>feel</i> appropriate- I am not a historian, but the author studied history, so I feel in good hands with this. It is having fun with history, which make anachronisms not feel jarring the way they sometimes do in historical fiction for me.
(About the characters below; possibly a bit spoilery.)
Monty is pompous, vain, stubborn, and a bit too dumb of ass to know what is going on around him half the time, and he also has a massive heart and is coping best he can with his life. Warning for parental abuse and substance addiction. I can see how somebody might not enjoy Monty, but I fully adore him.
Percy is wonderfully lovable and that is it, I don’t know how anyone could disagree. He is the mixed race son of a gentleman raised by an aunt and uncle, so with him, the book gets to explore race and privilege and what that could look like in the vague 1700s. We also see him deal with (spoiler!) ableism, and that is just really nice to see.
Felicity is a surprising delight of a side character, the highly practical and almost clinical of the group. She also gets a meaningful moment or two with Monty.
I read this is going to be adapted for HBO and I am thrilled.
This book is vaguely set in the 1700s and it is clear it is not trying to fit a particular time period perfectly- the main characters have a lot of modern ideas, but they are expressed in ways that <i>feel</i> appropriate- I am not a historian, but the author studied history, so I feel in good hands with this. It is having fun with history, which make anachronisms not feel jarring the way they sometimes do in historical fiction for me.
(About the characters below; possibly a bit spoilery.)
Monty is pompous, vain, stubborn, and a bit too dumb of ass to know what is going on around him half the time, and he also has a massive heart and is coping best he can with his life. Warning for parental abuse and substance addiction. I can see how somebody might not enjoy Monty, but I fully adore him.
Percy is wonderfully lovable and that is it, I don’t know how anyone could disagree. He is the mixed race son of a gentleman raised by an aunt and uncle, so with him, the book gets to explore race and privilege and what that could look like in the vague 1700s. We also see him deal with (spoiler!) ableism, and that is just really nice to see.
Felicity is a surprising delight of a side character, the highly practical and almost clinical of the group. She also gets a meaningful moment or two with Monty.
I read this is going to be adapted for HBO and I am thrilled.