Thursday 15 November 2007

"The Convenient Marriage" by Georgette Heyer

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer 1934

This book is the story of Horatia (Horry) Winwood and her "marriage of convenience" to Marcus, the Earl of Rule. The action of the book begins at the Winwood house, when we find out that the Earl of Rule is about to offer marriage to Elizabeth, the oldest of three daughters. Elizabeth is devastated by this news, as her heart is promised to Lt. Edward Heron, a kind but impoverished officer. Finding it impossible to let her sister suffer, Horry, the youngest, makes a very improper visit to the home of the Earl of Rule and offers herself to him instead. The Earl seems rather charmed by her, and accepts, making his formal offer for Horry and not Elizabeth. The rest of the story concentrates on the disaster that has become their marriage - a disaster not helped by Horry's insistence on taking up with the wrong friends and spending obscene amounts of money on gambling. Nonetheless, the Earl of Rule and Horry do have feelings for each other, and it is charming to see all the misunderstandings and dramatic irony that result from the complications of the plot.

This is a charming book, a la Jane Austen. While we are not given insight into the minds of the characters, that insight can be easily deduced through dialogue and actions. In addition to the two main characters, I found her eldest brother, Pelham Winwood, a charming character, and the villain was nasty without being one-sided. Her descriptions of fashion and surroundings added a great deal of atmosphere to the book as well. A very good book!

RATING:

FAMILY FRIENDLY RATING:

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RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Thursday 15 November 2007

"The Convenient Marriage" by Georgette Heyer

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