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A review by christinecc
April Lady by Georgette Heyer
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really really enjoyed this one. It's a tough nut and Heyer 100% cracks it.
In "April Lady," Helen, Lady Cardross (aka "Nell" to her friends & family) has been wed to the very well-born and wealthy Lord Cardross for about a year. Nell comes from a family with a lot of debt and money problems and not nearly as much social standing as Cardross. She finds Cardross absolutely charming when they first meet and (more or less) falls in love at first sight. Unfortunately, she soon learns that Cardross has a mistress and, according to her mother, is only interested in Nell so he can have a conveniently discreet and beautiful wife. This is a marriage of convenience, not a love match. And Nell should, as a polite lady of a certain class (says her mother), let Cardross have his space and not demand his attention beyond mere politeness.
So Nell, already reeling at the difficulties of managing more money than she's ever had at her disposal, and trying to fit in with a wealthier circle, has absolutely no idea that Cardross is SMITTEN with her. And, in light of his being older than Nell and essentially a stranger, he wants Nell to have her independence and space so she can get to know him (and hopefully grow to love or at least like him) at her own pace.
He has no idea that when Nell first met him, she had no idea he would propose nor how rich he was. She was just swept off her feet and went along, more sadly, with the idea of a convenient albeit loveless marriage.
The surface conflict begins when Nell, acutely aware and embarrassed of her messy spending & money management, hides a large debt from Cardross. In hiding the debt, she becomes increasingly nervous and distant, all while hijinks happen with her and her brother (who is always in debt and has creative ways of getting money in weird circumstances). Cardross, already insecure at his wife's heretofore distant behavior, begins to really believe she has only married him out of convenience and has not feeling for him whatsoever. It's a horrible situation where Nell realizes why Cardross is so upset but can't exactly fix it when she's badly in debt and will not, under any circumstances, ask for more money while professing her love.
All in all, it's a very interesting exploration of two people who do love each other but do not want to show their feelings lest they be deemed pushy. Not so much a fear of rejection as a fear of imposing oneself on the other, and then feeling the rejection all the more acutely before the actual rejection happens.
Recommended as a very angsty and also hilarious Heyer romance, accessible to anyone who likes historical fiction and character-driven conflict.
In "April Lady," Helen, Lady Cardross (aka "Nell" to her friends & family) has been wed to the very well-born and wealthy Lord Cardross for about a year. Nell comes from a family with a lot of debt and money problems and not nearly as much social standing as Cardross. She finds Cardross absolutely charming when they first meet and (more or less) falls in love at first sight. Unfortunately, she soon learns that Cardross has a mistress and, according to her mother, is only interested in Nell so he can have a conveniently discreet and beautiful wife. This is a marriage of convenience, not a love match. And Nell should, as a polite lady of a certain class (says her mother), let Cardross have his space and not demand his attention beyond mere politeness.
So Nell, already reeling at the difficulties of managing more money than she's ever had at her disposal, and trying to fit in with a wealthier circle, has absolutely no idea that Cardross is SMITTEN with her. And, in light of his being older than Nell and essentially a stranger, he wants Nell to have her independence and space so she can get to know him (and hopefully grow to love or at least like him) at her own pace.
He has no idea that when Nell first met him, she had no idea he would propose nor how rich he was. She was just swept off her feet and went along, more sadly, with the idea of a convenient albeit loveless marriage.
The surface conflict begins when Nell, acutely aware and embarrassed of her messy spending & money management, hides a large debt from Cardross. In hiding the debt, she becomes increasingly nervous and distant, all while hijinks happen with her and her brother (who is always in debt and has creative ways of getting money in weird circumstances). Cardross, already insecure at his wife's heretofore distant behavior, begins to really believe she has only married him out of convenience and has not feeling for him whatsoever. It's a horrible situation where Nell realizes why Cardross is so upset but can't exactly fix it when she's badly in debt and will not, under any circumstances, ask for more money while professing her love.
All in all, it's a very interesting exploration of two people who do love each other but do not want to show their feelings lest they be deemed pushy. Not so much a fear of rejection as a fear of imposing oneself on the other, and then feeling the rejection all the more acutely before the actual rejection happens.
Recommended as a very angsty and also hilarious Heyer romance, accessible to anyone who likes historical fiction and character-driven conflict.