Although this book is a bit slow, it’s mostly funny: a light enjoyable read. Before I talk about the plot, I’d like to sketch the family tree of the Darracotts, the family at the center of the novel. The old Lord Darracott is an octogenarian patriarch and a veritable tyrant of the family. His oldest son and heir drowned recently, together with his own son. The second son, Hugh, has been dead for years, but before he died, Hugh committed a misalliance: he married a Yorkshire weaver’s daughter and, as a consequence, was cut off from the family. Unfortunately, his son, Hugo junior, the weaver’s brat, is now the heir of the old Lord Darracott. The grumpy old lord bitterly resents the dictate of the law: he must leave his estate to Hugo, his unworthy upstart of a grandson. The lord’s third son, Mathew, and Mathew’s two sons, Vincent and Claud, also hate the new relative before they ever met him: if not for Hugo’s existence, they would’ve been the heirs. But Lord Darracott has no choice, so he issues a command – Hugo must present himself at his grandfather’s home to be ‘licked into shape.’ Into this welcoming family’s bosom comes the heir, a retired army officer, Major Hugo Darracott. Before Hugo arrives, the story lumbers ahead slowly, testing its boundaries, but as soon as Hugo appears, the action starts rolling. Hugo is not happy with the situation either. He didn’t even know about the Darracotts’ side of his family until recently. A big man and seemingly a doofus, he speaks with a broad Yorkshire accent, and the Darracotts’ hostility and conversational barbs appear to be lost on him. Only one member of the family doubts Hugo’s slow wit right from the start: Anthea, Lord Darracott’s granddaughter and the daughter of his fourth son, long deceased. She sees the twinkle in Hugo’s innocent blue eyes, and it makes her suspicious. Surely, he is shamming them all. Very soon, she is sure: he is not a bumbling country bumpkin he pretends to be. And he always makes her laugh.As the story progresses, Anthea can’t help but like her new cousin: big, strong and utterly dependable. The developing love affair between Hugo and Anthea is saved from being sweet and boring by a number of spicy subplots, involving smugglers, a stubborn Customs officer, Claud’s ridiculous aspirations to dandyism, and Vincent’s disdainful sarcasm. Among the cohort of colorful secondary characters, which is Heyer’s forte in all her novels, the protagonist Hugo shines. His large size perfectly camouflages his propensity for practical jokes. As the family supposes him to have grown up in a hovel, he can’t resist obliging them by playacting as a dull clod. His sharp mind, education, and ability to command come into focus gradually but irrevocably, and his kindness and people skills (although the term is modern, the concept is not) bring the family around one by one.Most of those nuances are reflected in dialog, which is often witty or downright hilarious and always spot on, as only Heyer could make it. Every single person has his / her own manner of speech, unmistakable like the shapes of their noses. I enjoyed this story, but there are a couple of aspects that made me uneasy. First – the romantic entanglement between Hugo and Anthea. They are expected to get married, but they’re first cousins. I know it’s supposed to be allowable, but such a marriage would be frowned upon in the modern world. It is too close a relationship for my taste: their fathers were full brothers. Second – there are too many POVs in the book. The author is omniscient, seeing into almost everyone’s head, which is not my favorite writing trick; although Heyer brings it off beautifully, with her customary dry humor. Other than that, a solid and laughter-inducing novel. Perhaps not the best by Heyer’s own standards but definitely better than many a modern romance. And the writing is superb. Recommended to anyone.
This is my second review in AudioGals' Month of Audio Favourites, and I've given it an A+ for narration and B+ for content.I haven’t read The Unknown Ajax in years, but it was one of the first of Ms. Heyer’s novels I purchased in audio and I remember being utterly delighted by it, thinking that the story came to life in a way I hadn’t experienced when reading the book. Daniel Philpott’s performance is nothing short of perfect and, re-listening to it in order to write this review, I couldn’t help but think what a shame it is that he hasn’t narrated more audiobooks in the genre. (He has one other Heyer title to his credit – Charity Girl.)The story is a simple one, and one that also appears in some of Ms Heyer’s other books – that of the outsider who is flung into the midst of an unsuspecting family and then proceeds to fix their problems and bring them closer together.At the beginning of The Unknown Ajax, the irascible and autocratic Lord Darracott is awaiting the arrival of his heir, a young man he has never met. Major Hugh Darracott – Hugo – has recently sold out of the army and, given his parentage – his father married a Yorkshire “weaver’s daughter” – the family expects him to be an uneducated, uncouth clodpole.Right from the start, it’s clear that Hugo is no pushover when he makes his way to Darracott Place under his own steam, ignoring the arrangements dictated by his grandfather. On his arrival – several hours later than expected – he is immediately ushered into the presence of the family: his grandfather, his aunt and her two grown children, Anthea and Richmond, who is the one member of the family upon whom their cantankerous grandsire dotes.Seeing at once that they are expecting a common-as-muck dimwit, Hugo immediately sets about living down to expectations, adopts a broad Yorkshire accent and acts like a total country bumpkin. In actuality though, Hugo was educated at Harrow, is wealthier than anyone else in the family, is very shrewd and possessed of a wicked sense of humour. Watching him pull the wool over (almost) everyone’s eyes is a delight as they are taken in by his permanently guileless expression and the impression he gives of being a brainless giant.You can read the rest of this review at AudioGals.
What do You think about The Unknown Ajax (2005)?
Things have come to a pretty pass at Darracott Place. Following the unexpected death of Lord Darracott's eldest son and grandson in 1817, the family is horrified to learn that the title and the (admittedly ill-funded and rather run-down) estate will pass to a previously unknown cousin, Hugo--a Darracott, in a manner of speaking, but also a former soldier, and the son of a Yorkshire weaver's daughter. Still, Lord Darracott hasn't given up completely. He's counting on his spinster granddaughter Anthea (she is twenty-two, after all) to teach the commoner a thing or too ... and if the low-born imbecile can be bullied into marrying her, thereby preserving some measure of the Darracott line, so much the better. But when the rather enormous Hugo (hence the Ajax reference) arrives on the scene, the family doesn't know what to make of him. He is unfailingly good-natured and amiable in the face of his cousin Vincent's cutting remarks, and he genially resists his cousin Claud's attempts to improve his fashion and eradicate his appalling Yorkshire dialect (much to the chagrin of both). But there may be more to the seemingly stolid Hugo than meets the eye. Meanwhile, the local Riding Officer is closing in on a band of smugglers, and he suspects some of the local gentry may be aiding and abetting their activities. Lord Darracott, outraged by the extortionate tax rates, is certainly sympathetic to the smugglers. But Hugo suspects that young Richmond--Anthea's brother, whose desire to join the army has been repeatedly thwarted by his grandfather--may be doing more than just sympathizing. Will the Darracott heir be able to win Anthea's heart and save the family from ruin?In other words, it's a sort of Downton Abbey redux. Except this was published in 1959, so I guess that makes Downton Abbey an Unknown Ajax redux. (The commoner-becomes-heir part, not the smuggling part.)Although there's adventure here (see above re: smuggling), this is a classic Heyer romance. There is plenty of witty banter, and nary a kiss to be seen. It is a romance of personalities, not physicalities. Which, if you're a fan of Jane Austen, should be familiar territory.The book is full of Heyer's trademark humor and liveliness (along with an outlandish escapade, just for kicks). We find out early on that Hugo isn't the clueless lug he pretends to be, but is merely living down to his family's expectations. He is, as a matter of fact, quite clever and observant (and well-educated), and is possessed of a lively sense of humor and a tendency toward levity. Which means he can't help teasing the family by deliberately infuriating them with his deplorable Yorkshire accent and slang. But he's not the only source of humor. Cousin Claud, a confirmed dandy, is a hoot, and an excellent addition to any scene he graces. Mrs. Darracott (mother of Anthea and Richmond, and daughter-in-law to Lord Darracot) is amusingly scatterbrained and rather frippery.As in all her books, Heyer clearly holds her characters in deepest affection--with the possible exception of the autocratic Lord Darracott, whose stubborn selfishness has caused grief to his family on more than a few occasions. But even he has his ridiculous moments, and anyway, his uppance is not long in coming. And other than Lord Darracott, the characters are all likable (if occasionally foolish), and reading about them is an absolute and unqualified lark. Plus, I learned quite a bit about the history of the smuggling trade along the Sussex and Kent coasts.Definitely worth reading, particularly if you're looking for a romance in the Jane Austen vein and don't mind a dash of (slightly outlandish) adventure mixed in with your period romance.
—Alexis Neal
Review taken from my blog post in August 2011 (#151), after I borrowed the book from the library.I'm not certain exactly how many times I have read this book before, but certainly 3 or 4 at a conservative estimate ... still a 4 star read though.Miles Darracott is summoned to the home of his paternal grandfather, Lord Darracott, as due to an tragic accident he is now the heir. He's never met his family as the marriage of his parents was not acknowledged .... in fact Lord Darracott refers to his grandson as that weaver's brat. It seems that the rest of the family were unaware of the existence of Mile, so the whole meeting is going to prove to be dreadful.The irascible and short-tempered Lord has not made matters any better with the family as he gives the impression that the "weaver's brat" is an uneducated clod who will bring disgrace to the name. He therefore requires his other grandsons to bring him up to snuff, and his grand-daughter Anthea to marry him to keep it in the family.The unknown offspring arrives, and indeed is is as bad as they feared, Major Miles Darracott has a strong northern accent, and no idea how to go on. Anthea makes it clear from the start she has no intention of marrying him, and everybody else leaves him in no doubt that he hasn't the wit nor breeding to live up to the Darracott name and is most unwelcome.Throw in a bit of smuggling and you've got the perfect tale .... oh and Miles ... proves them wrong on all levels and gets a full 4 stars.
—Kay Bolton
It's hard to believe that a book with so many exclamation points in the dialog can be such a pleasure to read.This one has less focus on the romance than the other Heyer novels I've read so far. And while usually the hero is haughty and disagreeable (like Mr. Darcy in the first half of Pride & Prejudice) in this story he's affable from the beginning, with a sharper sense of humor than the heroine. It's a nice variation.There's more of the servants' perspective in this book than in the others I've read. We get a glimpse of the ambitions and tribulations of valets and second footmen.The farcical scene that serves as a climax is laugh-out-loud funny.
—Jamie
