3 ½ stars. Not my favorite Heyer but enjoyable, a little above average.STORY BRIEF:Parents are dead, leaving five siblings in the care of an aunt who is frequently absent. The oldest Harry handles the finances and is elsewhere during most of the book. The second oldest is Frederica, 24 years old, who is raising and caring for the younger three. She wants Charis to have a proper London season to find a husband. Charis is a devastating beauty who is not smart, has very few skills, but is humble, generous, and caring about others. Vernon is a Marquis. He is a distant cousin by marriage to Frederica. Frederica’s family lives in the country, but they rent a house in London for the coming season. Frederica visits Vernon, meeting him for the first time. She asks if he will lend his name as a sponsor for Charis so she will be invited to various parties. He is not interested, but when he sees Charis he changes his mind. He dislikes his sister Louisa who has been badgering him to host a party for the come out of her daughter Jane. Jane is not good looking. Vernon decides to hold the party for Jane and Charis together because he knows Louisa will be horrified that Charis’ beauty will outshine Jane’s. One of the stories in the book is Charis and her various suitors.Vernon is 37, never married, and is jaded regarding women. Most things in life bore him including women. Frederica believes she will never fall in love or marry. She is content with that. She is responsible, practical, and intelligent. She is pretty but nothing like Charis. Although Frederica is not in the market for a husband, she is surprised when there is some interest in her.Most of the story is various interactions between Frederica’s family and Vernon. For example, 12-year old Felix is a budding engineer fascinated with steam engines, hydraulics, etc. He wants to visit a foundry and talks Vernon into taking him, since only someone with Vernon’s clout would be allowed inside for a private tour. Vernon and all who know him can’t believe he goes on a tour like this.REVIEWER’S OPINION:I enjoyed this book. As with most Heyer books, I loved the various personalities, their interactions, and the dialogue. There is more conversation in her books than in contemporary writing, and it’s nice for a change. This was good as an audiobook to listen to while I did other things. I don’t think I would want to read it, but it’s definitely good for listening to. Yes there is a happy romantic ending, but I wish there was more romance. There is a nice warm friendship that develops through the book, and then all of a sudden on the last page there is a revelation of love. I wish that happened earlier, so I could enjoy seeing more of the love. But this is typical Heyer.It was fun to watch Frederica’s younger brothers worm their way into Vernon’s life and see his defenses melt.There is one section with a hot air balloon, an injury, and healing that seemed too long and a bit boring.The narrator Clifford Norgate was ok but not the best. His voice is a deep bass, which sometimes confused me when he was doing female characters. Eve Matheson is my favorite narrator. She does both men and women well. I’d love to hear her do every Heyer book there is.DATA:Unabridged audiobook length: 13 hours 29 minutes. Narrator: Clifford Norgate. Swearing language: mild. Sexual content: none. Setting: 1818 England. Book Published: 1965. Genre: regency romance.CAUTION SEMI-SPOILER (as to who falls in love):My favorite quote from the book. Frederica says she doesn’t think she has ever been in love and doesn’t know what love is. Then she asks “is it being not very comfortable and cross and not quite happy when you aren’t there?” He says yes.
Whoever told me I'd love Frederica? *waits an ominous pause*WAS RIGHT. It was so my kind of book - competent heroines who don't need the heroes AT ALL, but the heroes JUST WANT TO HELP.OH GOD. When Alverstoke is all, "Oh my god, I don't love her, but I want to do everything I can to make her life easier. I JUST DON'T WANT HER TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING EVER, BUT I DON'T LOVE HER, OKAY?"I love it so much. I was explaining it all to my family and they were all, "...yeah." And didn't understand how awesome it was that he was so full of ennui and then his fake cousins showed up who wanted to pay him back.Frederica is a book about two families. One wealthy, greedy, and bored of EVERYTHING. This is Alverstoke's family.The other family is the Merrivales - Frederica's brothers and sisters. They aren't penniless, but their estate has been mortgaged to the hilt and their eldest brother doesn't show a penchant for managing it well. So, their oldest sister, Frederica has taken charge of everything, including her siblings.The cast is the Marquis of Alverstoke, who would spend the whole book like this if he could get away from the Merrivales long enough.Frederica who is, as previously noted, competent, awesome, flawed in that occasionally she is SO FED UP with being a middle aged spinster aunt at 24. (or 22, I can't remember.)Jessamy, the second son who thinks he wants to join the church and so is REALLY SAD whenever anything bad happens, and blames himself. Everyone else is like, "SHUT UP, JESSAMY. It was not your fault!" And then Jessamy makes a sad!Charlie Brown face and declares he's unfit for a life in the church. If Jessamy knew about global warming, he'd think that was his fault, too.Felix who is obsessed with steam technology and stows away aboard a steam ship and then aboard a hot air balloon and convinces Alverstoke that it's an amazing treat (for Alverstoke) to visit a foundry that uses steam technology.Charis whose angelic beauty makes Frederica think that all she needs is a season in London to land a good husband.The whole plot is essentially:Frederica and Alverstoke have flirty conversations and are interrupted by...Jessamy!Jessamy: I have done this TERRIBLE, AWFUL THING. I will pay you back when you tell me how much money it cost you.Alverstoke: It is not that terrible.Jessamy: It is the most terrible awful thing that has ever been done. Also, for real. Tell me how much money I owe you.Alverstoke: It is not that bad. And stop talking about money.Felix!Felix: You want to take me to see machines!Alverstoke: How about my secretary takes you?Felix: But it is a TREAT. FOR YOU.Alverstoke: Ugh. Fine.Felix: =) =) =) <3Charis!Charis: I am participating in Romeo and Juliet with a guy who is also my pseudo-cousin, but it is SECRET AND NO ONE KNOWS.Alverstoke: You are so boring. It's a pity you're so beautiful.Charis: I am in loooooove. And it is tragggic! Alverstoke is trying to deny our loooooove.Frederica: Everyone knows, Charis, stfu and marry someone who can support you, not our penniless pseudo-cousin, ok?Charis: You are trying to deny our looooove. You are evil! No you aren't! But you're trying to break us apart.Frederica: *facepalm*If that has not convinced you, then let me remind you WHACKY FAMILY SHENANIGANS. 'nuff said.
What do You think about Frederica (1992)?
Oi. Heyer, I love her, but I swear sometimes explaining her books is like, “the dinner was fantastic, wonderful melon gazpacho to start, just a shame about the dead slug I found in my salad course.” The slug in this metaphor being, you know, sexism.Like this one – really fun set up with the sister in charge of her colorful siblings and the selfish nobleman who becomes entangled in their mishaps and how she and they are the making of him into a better man. And it’s one of those good ones where the hero and heroine spend a lot of time making eye contact in the middle of ridiculous situations and laughing themselves sick on the inside while everyone else shrieks and runs in circles.Except that part where he becomes a better man or whatever? Yeah, that’s because he needs to. To take care of her. Like a woman needs. Which doesn't even make any sense! I mean, the thing that's most attractive to him is her self-sufficiency! I don't understand!I need to brush the taste of slug out of my mouth.
—Lightreads
The Marquis of Alverstoke is bored.He's especially bored with family and friends who try to get him to do things he doesn't want to do, like, say, put on a massive ball to launch his nieces in society. So when a distant, not-wealthy relative, Frederica Merriville, shows up, introduces herself and asks him to help introduce her beautiful younger sister into London society, he's really not inclined to help.But then Frederica's young brothers show up, and 13 year old Felix quizzes the Marquis on the latest fascinating technology, like locomotives and blast-pipes and pneumatic lifts, and after that her sweet and gorgeous (if rather airheaded) younger sister Charis appears, the epitome of all that is Regency-era loveliness, and it occurs to Alverstoke that it would be quite amusing to hold that come-out ball and launch Charis into society along with his nieces. Charis's beauty will outshine his nieces' and that will give his bossy and insistent sisters absolute fits. Hah--serves them right!The Merriville family is lively and likeable and a little bit crazy, and as they somehow get into one scrape after another and Alverstoke somehow ends up being the one who rescues them, time after time, he finds himself getting more and more attached to all of them. Particularly to Frederica herself, who is so busy trying to keep all of her younger brothers in line and rescue them from their escapades and get Charis married off to a sharp and well-off man and keep her away from the men with pockets to let (i.e., not rich), that she never notices Alverstoke is gradually getting very interested in her.Or if she does notice, he can't tell if she really likes him in a romantic way or not, or if she'll accept his suit. And suddenly the bored Marquis of Alverstoke is no longer bored.This is a delightful and charming novel. The Merriville family is the best! Some interesting history about hot air balloons and other technology of the time, brought to you courtesy of Frederica's young brother Felix. Additional fun adventures courtesy of the Baluchistan hound!4.5 stars.
—Tadiana ✩ Night Owl☽
Yes, it's excellent to read an old, very often re-read book in the original language for the first time and find it just as good as the German translation was - these books have been in print in one form or another in Germany since the 60s and there is a reason for that!This is romance, set in a rarified world - true - but all the characters live and breathe and have a life outside of the romance itself. The children are children with their own interests, they are themselves and not plot moppets
—Estara
