cimorene

The last Georgette Heyer novel I picked up for myself, to my surprise and delight, turned out to be one of my very favourites which I had forgotten. I almost cannot praise it highly enough (my one criticism of Heyer, which stands for most of her work, is that she leaves the romances not quite emotionally satisfying, but since it is a universal flaw there's no sense ascribing it particularly to this book).

Cotillion is the story in which Heyer takes that beloved secondary character, the capable and thoroughly loveable but unintentionally hilarious comic straight man, and makes him into the romantic hero - as I have so frequently rather wished someone would do, when reading other books where he crops up as a sidekick or comedic diversion.

Freddy Standen isn't all this book has to offer, though - it also boasts two strong and thoroughly amusing B-plots; several funny and rather unique antagonists; interesting period fashion and vocabulary lessons, and an informative tour of London (all woven in of course); and some classic theatre, party, and masquerade ball scenes (though not to beat the ones in April Lady).