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A review by schomj
The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer
4.0
Summary: After participating in the Jacobite rebellion on the losing side, Robin and his sister Prue disguise themselves as Kate and Peter Merriot, respectively, to evade treason charges. While traveling to London to meet their father, they rescue Letty, an heiress questioning her decision to elope with the scheming Markham, as well as Tony, sent by Letty's father to retrieve her. Hijinks ensue.
This is an early Heyer and you can tell in the sense that the writing isn't quite as smooth as her later works are. But, oh, what fun!
I loved that Prue and Robin's cross-dressing adventure is presented in a way that's believable by the other characters and by the reader. Prue, who is larger than the average woman, is a sensible woman with a good sense of humor, and when she physically fights blackmailers and street toughs, she makes a good showing of herself. Robin, who is smaller than the average man, is able to take on the characteristics of a flighty young society woman in a way that's sympathetic. There is little-to-no mugging for laughs in this part of the story; the danger of being caught out is acknowledged, but there's no question that Prue and Robin are capable of pulling off the deception.
I also love that Prue and Robin, whose respective sizes fall outside the norm, are presented as admirable heroes in a romantic adventure. And the way they're portrayed kind of reminded me of Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series (which I haven't read since the '90s and now want to start again).
I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Prue and Robin's father, who is a delightfully entertaining con-man.
I found Prue and Tony's romance more interesting than Robin and Letty's, primarily because, while Letty seemed a good match for Robin, her flightiness was a bit much for me at times.
So, this is from a passage featuring Prue and Tony:
This is an early Heyer and you can tell in the sense that the writing isn't quite as smooth as her later works are. But, oh, what fun!
I loved that Prue and Robin's cross-dressing adventure is presented in a way that's believable by the other characters and by the reader. Prue, who is larger than the average woman, is a sensible woman with a good sense of humor, and when she physically fights blackmailers and street toughs, she makes a good showing of herself. Robin, who is smaller than the average man, is able to take on the characteristics of a flighty young society woman in a way that's sympathetic. There is little-to-no mugging for laughs in this part of the story; the danger of being caught out is acknowledged, but there's no question that Prue and Robin are capable of pulling off the deception.
I also love that Prue and Robin, whose respective sizes fall outside the norm, are presented as admirable heroes in a romantic adventure. And the way they're portrayed kind of reminded me of Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series (which I haven't read since the '90s and now want to start again).
I also really enjoyed the supporting characters, especially Prue and Robin's father, who is a delightfully entertaining con-man.
I found Prue and Tony's romance more interesting than Robin and Letty's, primarily because, while Letty seemed a good match for Robin, her flightiness was a bit much for me at times.
So, this is from a passage featuring Prue and Tony:
She laughed. "You're infatuated, sir. But I'm not respectable, give you my word. In boy's clothes I've kept a gaming-house with my father; I've escaped out of windows and up chimneys; I've travelled in the tail of an army not English; I've played a dozen parts, and--well, it has been necessary for me often to carry a pistol in my pocket.
Sir Anthony's head was turned towards her. "My dear, will you never realize that I adore you?"
...
"You give me the happy ending I never thought to have," she said.
"I suppose you thought I was like to expose you in righteous wrath when I discovered the truth?"
"Something of the sort, sir," she admitted.
"You're an amazing woman, my dear," was all he said.