What do You think about A Little Folly (2013)?
I spent the first several chapters of this book thinking "What's the point of reading this when I could be reading Jane Austen?"Then something clicked. Perhaps it was Morgan's clever turns of phrase:"She would not allow praises to go to her head:--but they might be allowed to reach as far as her eyes, which, when she saw herself reflected in the hall mirror as they left, certainly seemed uncommonly bright.""...he lounged away in a cloud of pomade and exclamation marks."Or perhaps his clear-eyed description of trivial human failings;"Sophie and Tom treated her with great fondness and indulgence, reassuring themselves that she had not suffered a moment's loneliness without them, commiserating her small ailments, loading her with presents they had bought at Lyme, and generally according her every sort of attention, compatible with not really taking any notice of her."Or his sharp tongue:"Is he not entrancing? I could study him for hours. It is not just the stupidity--it is the thoroughness with which it is kept up. To remember all that slang, and not deviate into normal language here and there: to never say anything remotely interesting or thoughtful, even by accidental lapse--this requires a special kind of talent. I can only look on in fascination. I think the high point of the evening was when he called me a 'ninnyhammer.'"Or his metaphoric wisdom:"But she suspected that in many regards grown men, and women, did not grow up--that the fresh susceptibility of youth still sent its green shoots through the hard stones of experience."Anyway, I'm hooked. Pure Regency Fun.
—Krista
‘Sir Clement Carnell’s ruling passion, until the very last moment of his life, was his passion for ruling.’Louisa and Valentine Carnell have lived their constrained lives dominated by their strict father, Sir Clement Carnell. His death provides a sense of release, and they embrace their newfound freedom with enthusiasm. Valentine throws open their Devonshire estate of Pennacombe to their fashionable London-based cousins, and their mysterious friend Lady Harriet Eversholt, while Louisa feels free to reject Pearce Lynley, the man chosen by her father as her prospective husband.The temptations of Regency London beckon, and while Louisa enjoys her newfound freedom and searches for a new suitor, Valentine overindulges in gambling, and then falls in love with the beautiful, scandalous and very married Lady Harriet Eversholt.The follies of the Carnells could lead to disaster, but with the help of their good friend James Tresilian, the siblings come to realise what - and who – is important to them.‘She is a guest, Mr Lynley, not a governess.’I enjoyed this novel, and would agree with those who see similarities to the observational wit of Jane Austen and the dashing romance of Georgette Heyer. It is light entertainment for sure, but not frivolous.Jennifer Cameron-Smith
—Jennifer (JC-S)
Louisa Carnell and her brother Valentine are having a whirlwind of a time in London with their spontaneous and fashionable cousins. Trying to shake off a lifetime of seclusion inflicted upon them by their unrelenting and tyrannical father (who has just recently passed away), Louisa and Valentine decide that it's time for them to live. While in London, Louisa tries to rid herself of the man her father had chosen for her husband and Valentine falls in with a woman surrounded in scandal. Large dinner parties, dances and jaunts about town fill this book where both Louisa and Valentine partake in their own follies, and both, fearing they'll sound too much like their dead father, refuse to acknowledge the transgressions in each other. The refusal to acknowlege these follies could lead to disaster - disgrace in the social circles they have so recently entered, debt, etc. Ah, another Regency read from Jude Morgan. I knew the plot within the first few chapters, but I'm such a sucker for anything Regency that I kept reading. If you are at all familiar with Austen (especially Emma), you will no doubt recognize some of the characterizations, storylines, even the customs/activities, and potential pitfalls of the time that the Austen novels centered around. And though Morgan has written another Regency gem, it's not his best. It's really good and it's fun and the dialog (especially that of James Tresilian) is, as always, sparkling - but it's far from Morgan's best work. And though it's not his best, it's nothing to be disappointed with. A quick, fun read that I'd recommend to other Regency-era nuts.
—Danelle
