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This Jane Austen blog brings Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency Period alive through food, dress, social customs, and other 19th C. historical details related to this topic.

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« Regency Wedding Dresses and Later Developments in Bridal Fashions
Seen Over the Ether: Two Guys Read Jane Austen »

Cotillion: A Review of a Georgette Heyer Novel

November 18, 2008 by Vic

It’s been years since I’ve run across the word “clodpole”, which Georgette Heyer uses to great effect in Cotillion, one of the splendid Regency romance novels that Sourcebooks had brought out and is available for order, including as an E-book, in this link. Half the fun of reading Ms. Heyer’s books is discovering which of her stereotypical characters will court or insult each other in that ironic British upper class way we Heyer fans have come to love.

cotillion

In Cotillion we meet a veritable bevy of the typical Heyer characters:

  • Eccentric, old and tight-fisted uncle? Check.
  • Young and pretty heiress? Check.
  • Silly spinster chaperone? Check.
  • Buffoonish impoverished earl? Check.
  • Darkly handsome rake? Check.
  • Foppish Pink of the Ton? Check.
  • Long-suffering but pleasantly surprised father? Check.
  • Beautiful but vapid beauty in distress? Check.

The list of Heyer archetypes goes on and on, but we don’t care. We WANT the familiarity of Georgette Heyer’s typical characters, for they play off each other so well. Like an audience at a concert that has been performed in other music halls, we are interested in how this new orchestration of a well-known arrangement will compare to the others. In Cotillion, Heyer’s particular brand of Regency music reaches the heights of perfection. The rich uncle hopes that by bequeathing his entire estate to his orphaned ward, Kitty, he will force his favorite nephew, Jack, to vie for her hand in marriage. For the sake of equality,  Jack must propose alongside his other male cousins so that all may have an equal chance. But Jack won’t be manipulated and forced to court Kitty. An inveterate gambler,  he bets that Kitty and the considerable fortune she stands to inherit will always be available to him, for she has had an unhidden crush on him since the schoolroom. Jack didn’t count on the one variable that would put a spoke in his plans: Kitty’s anger at his absence and her stubborn determination to teach him a lesson.

Enter the Honourable Frederick Standen. The reader first meets this Exquisite in typical Heyer style:

The young gentleman who alighted from the chaise must have been recognized at sight by the discerning as a Pink of the Ton, for although his judgment, which, in all matters of Fashion, was extremely nice, had forbidden him to travel into the country arrayed in the long-tailed coat of blue superfine, the pantaloons of delicate yellow, and the tasselled Hessian boots which marked him in the Metroplolis as a veritable Tulip, or Bond Street Beau, none but a regular Dash, patronizing the most exclusive of tailors, could have presented himself in so exquisitely moulded a riding-coat, such peerless breeches, or such effulgent top-boots.

Freddy, though fond of Kitty, is not in love with her, and he is out of his depth when it comes to countering her will. Before he knows it he is engaged to her and has promised her a month in London before she must return to her uncle’s stuffy old mansion. Ms. Heyer takes her time setting up this fun plot, but knowing the particulars will be important, for when she sets events in motion they roll along seemingly of their own accord and with some unexpected twists that are sure to delight.

Can Frederick successfully introduce his faux Intended to his family and Society without having to submit to the Shackles of Marriage?

Will Jack be able to forgive Kitty for (unsuccessfully) trying to make him jealous?

Will Kitty, a total Innocent when it comes to London Society, be able to stay out of trouble?

As the plot thickens, we are treated to one priceless scene after another, including those of Kitty dragging Freddy to all the Sights of London. Our fastidious Freddy is aghast when forced to enter the musty rooms of the Egyptian Hall, and feels downright incensed when viewing the Elgin Marbles. “Why, they have no heads!” he expostulates, feeling very put upon at having to escort Kitty to places that he’d never intended to see or ever see again. He’d have much preferred to take her to Astley’s Amphitheatre or the Royal Circus, but both edifices did not open until Easter Monday.

Freddy’s family adds spice to this hugely enjoyable novel. His sister Meg, whose taste in Fashion is questionable; his mother, who spends most of the novel tending to her sick children; and his father, whose encounters with his son are all too brief and rare, add to the deliciousness of this convoluted plot. The title of the book hints at plot developments that are not so obvious at first, for when dancing the Cotillion, partners must switch and change within the dance formations.  If you are looking for a book to read during the Thanksgiving holidays, I cannot recommend Cotillion enough, for its conclusion is as satisfying as its very promising beginning.

  • Egyptian Hall: Georgian Index
  • Cotillion on Georgette Heyer.com
  • William Bullock’s Museum
  • The Real Story of the Elgin Marbles
  • Elginism: An Act of Cultural Vandalism

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Posted in Book review, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Popular culture, Regency Life, Regency World | Tagged Cotillion, Egyptian Hall, Elgin Marbles, Georgette Heyer, Georgette Heyer Book Reviews, SourceBooks | 27 Comments

27 Responses

  1. on November 18, 2008 at 12:11 Georgette Heyer « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  2. on November 18, 2008 at 14:20 asperia

    very very satisfying :-))


  3. on November 19, 2008 at 22:30 Laurel Ann

    Ok, I’m hooked, totally sold. Great review.

    Cheers, Laurel Ann


    • on October 9, 2009 at 04:14 Dips

      Yup! Great review! I like the links you provided.


  4. on November 22, 2008 at 03:55 Elizabeth

    I absolutely love this book it is one of the funniest I have read in a while.


  5. on November 24, 2008 at 00:56 Book Review ~ “Faro’s Daughter” by Georgette Heyer « Jane Austen in Vermont

    […] Austen’s World on Lady of Quality and most recently Cotillion (where Ms. Place outlines some of the heyer archetypes), as well as her page on Heyer with links […]


  6. on November 26, 2008 at 01:07 Simon the Coldheart, by Georgette Heyer: A Book Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion: A Review of a Georgette Heyer Novel […]


  7. on December 1, 2008 at 13:44 Faro’s Daughter, by Georgette Heyer: A Book Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  8. on December 15, 2008 at 10:18 The Conqueror, by Georgette Heyer: A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  9. on January 7, 2009 at 15:51 Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer, A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  10. on January 23, 2009 at 00:48 Frederica by Georgette Heyer, A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  11. on February 12, 2009 at 05:00 Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer, A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  12. on May 1, 2009 at 10:03 The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer, A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  13. on May 12, 2009 at 01:49 Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer, A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  14. on May 28, 2009 at 01:57 victoria novak

    Just finished reading “Cotillion”. What a fun story!


    • on October 9, 2009 at 04:15 Dips

      Did you guess who gets the girl? I didnt!


  15. on May 30, 2009 at 12:39 The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer: A Conversational Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  16. on June 12, 2009 at 00:02 The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer, A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  17. on June 26, 2009 at 08:07 My Lord John by Georgette Heyer, by Georgette Heyer « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  18. on June 26, 2009 at 08:11 My Lord John by Georgette Heyer: A Review « Jane Austen’s World

    […] Cotillion […]


  19. on December 9, 2009 at 12:03 These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer: A review « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]


  20. on February 2, 2010 at 01:25 The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer: A Review « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]


  21. on August 1, 2010 at 00:03 Georgette Heyer’s Regency World by Jennifer Kloester: A Review « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]


  22. on August 16, 2010 at 09:41 Happy Birthday, Georgette Heyer « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]


  23. on July 10, 2011 at 13:21 Review of The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]


  24. on August 7, 2011 at 01:56 Review: Venetia by Georgette Heyer « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]


  25. on August 16, 2012 at 10:35 Happy 110th Birthday, Georgette Heyer! « Jane Austen's World

    […] Cotillion […]



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