Arabella: Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance

What elegance and eloquence! The writing is so beautifully done that I could almost swear this was classic literature from the Regency Era itself! It is a heavy read in that there were a good many words I had to look up but the telling is so well done! The details and knowledge of the time it is written about is phenomenal! The story arc is also quite diverting!!!! The build up of the characters and drama kept me hooked to the very end and it has so much within the pages. A beautiful era with humor, silliness, high fashion, familial bonds, drama, a little bit of suspense, and of course my favorite…romance! It is similar to Pride and Prejudice in that it. Dwells on certain faults of character but through the story, you see the characters grow through it and lessons being learned. It is a delightful read that’s so colorful and vibrant you feel as if you’re really there! The speech and way it is written is styled similar to the work of Jane Austen’s who really was alive at that time. It’s impressive! Well done and a good read!

I loved this book so much that I ended up reading ahead which I've never done before. Georgette Heyer is a true master of regency romances. Her storytelling remains unparalleled with its witty banters, humourous dialogue, entertaining plot, and amazing characters. It is hard to believe this book wasn't written during the Regency period, it is so well-researched. Is this the year I fall in love with Georgette Heyer's romances? I think so. I can't wait to reread this book over and over again. Highly recommended for those looking for a lighthearted sweet tender romance.

I enjoy this book but it's not one of Heyer's that I can read over and over again. The premise of the book is based on a lie told by the heroine, which makes it an uncomfortable read for me. And then her brother ends up in the soup, and his situation is extremely uncomfortable. The hero of course saves the day, rescues her brother, Arabella confesses all to Robert and they live happily ever after. The ending is delightful, I laughed at several scenes in the book and will occasionally re-read this, but it's not like Venetia, Frederica, Friday's Child, These Old Shades or some of Heyer's other books which I read every year.I own this in hard copy, kindle and audio. The audiobook is read by Phyllida Nash (Emma Thompson's mother) and is very enjoyable to listen to. She has a crisp, smooth British accent and creates a variety of voices to bring each character to life. Her narration is excellent, reading with perfect expression and pacing.

Have loved this book and author for years! Have read most of her books and enjoyed reading this one again.

Don't miss this one! Just wonderful. Several reviews called it a Cinderella story, and it is, but it's so much more - scenes came back into my mind for days after. The romance is heartfelt, the characters sharp, the dialog very funny. Fans and reviewers often compare Heyer to Jane Austen, and though I don't always agree, this is probably her most Austen-esque book. And yes, the book would be Pride and Prejudice. But only in the outline of the story. She takes things in her own direction.It opens in Yorkshire with the four daughters of the Reverend Henry Tallant - he's got as many sons, as well. Arabella is the eldest, quite pretty, as are all the children. Her mother has decided to spend her savings to stake her daughter on a Season in London. The parents are interesting. Henry Tallant could have had more from life than being a vicar, and his wife could have had more than a minister for a husband. They're happy because they both got what they wanted. The warmth and charm of the Tallant family could be saccharine in the hands of a lesser writer, but Heyer obviously loves these characters, and in her hands they're genuine and three-dimensional. When the Vicar reluctantly agrees to the great adventure, he advises his daughter not to be taken in by vanity or false pride. Unfortunately, false pride rears its head before she even arrives in London.Arabella is going in borrowed finery, her uncle's grand old traveling coach. Which drops an axle and nearly overturns. It's raining and cold, and she does what she would do in Yorkshire, which is seek shelter in the nearest house. The nearest being the hunting box of Robert Beaumaris, holed up with his friend Lord Fleetwood. Beaumaris is really more of a Beau Brummell with cash than a Mr. Darcy, but he's very arrogant, and he's bored. Fleetwood is delighted when the lovely Arabella appears, while Beaumaris is more than a little sour. Arabella can't understand why, until she retires to get ready for dinner, and on returning overhears him make the unbelievably smug remark that she probably wrecked her carriage in front of his house deliberately. It seems money-hungry marriageable ladies have stalked him, accidentally swooning when he's standing near, or accidentally twisting their ankle just outside his townhouse door. Arabella tries to deliver a set-down, saying she's one of THE Yorkshire Tallants, and wishes to be incognito in London since she's tired of young men in Yorkshire who pursue her for her fortune. It's only a joke, but it blimps up, and morphs into some very funny directions that caught me napping.Robert Beaumaris decides, for his own amusement, to make Miss Tallant the rage, and at first Arabella is as dazzled by London as her father feared. But when she sees another London beneath the surface, unlike the hard-shelled ton, she refuses to look the other way. Nothing passes under her radar, from a horse being cruelly whipped by a cart driver to stray dogs and abused chimney boys. Heyer cleverly uses what would soon become the social causes of the era. And the first time Robert Beaumaris sees one of her epic eruptions, which is very clearly not played for him, he's hooked. He knows his elegant life has just taken a drastic turn, and he's going to spend the rest of it saddled with the strays Arabella collects. To his credit, despite being so fastidious, he's looking forward to it.Beaumaris' Brummell-like status is mined for serious laughs. When Arabella saddles him with a scroungy mutt, the reactions are great, including a wonderful scene in which Robert's junk-yard dog takes on the prissy carriage-dog of the infamous dandy Poodle Byng. She also mines history for great secondary characters, including Arabella's equally likable brother. Remarkable, considering that this book is pretty lean. When I started researching the Regency five years ago, the first book I read was The Profligate Son by Nicola Phillips. It tells the true story, in about 300 well-researched pages, of the downfall of a young Regency wannabe caught in the dangerous coils of London. It's a testament to Heyer that, decades before it was written, she tells the same story in about two chapters, with the character of the brother. Who, of course, comes out happily. But one scene in particular, in a fashionable gambling hell, is just fantastic, reminiscent of a similar scene in Devil's Cub. Even more tense because she so thoroughly understands the complex games of chance that obsessed Londoners in this period.All in all, a great love story with charm, warmth, surprises, and even ethics! How can you miss?

So, so good. Beaumaris is such a loveable hero, and Arabella so real and adorable. Wonderful characterization. The plot draws you in without being unbelievable. This is Heyer at her best. Utterly satisfying!!

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I liked everything about the book; the hero and heroine are among the best that Heyer ever wrote.

This Regency romance follows the conventional path of beautiful girl/rich man with some invented impediment to their becoming betrothed. It is set after the end of the Napoleonic Wars so some time after 1815.There are similarities to the Lizzy/Darcy story with some social conscience thrown in. The ills of Regency London are lavishly enumerated and described but, alas, the heroine’s few kind attempts to do good would barely skim the surface and any significant change would take at least a hundred and fifty years and many Acts of Parliament, but Arabella’s kindnesses do give a superficial sense of reassurance so far as they go.The gentleman in Arabella, however, is not socially challenged as was Darcy, but seriously urbane with an easy manner after being initially described as stiff and Arabella is leaning towards the ditsy, not very like the together Elizabeth Bennet.The real value of Georgette Heyer’s novels lies not in the plots but the excellent writing and huge amount of detail of the times.Despite the transparencies of the plot, I much enjoyed the book hence the five stars.

Love Arabella. Love the dialogue(Georgette Heyer wrote the best repartee), love the storyline and love the characters. Couldnt tell you how many times I have reread this, and all the other Heyer novels. I probably know most of them by heart but every so often I get a yen to read them again. I enjoy ValMcDermid, Michael Robotham, and gruesome murders but I never feel the urge to reread any of those and the dialogue never just pops up in my thoughts to make me smile as Heyer’s novels do.

Je suis fan des auteurs actuels de HR tels Laura Kinsale, Lisa Kleypas ou Eloisa James et j'ai découvert Georgette Heyer par le biais d'un commentaire client... Je n'ai pas regretté mon achat, bien au contraire.L'époque et l'histoire d'amour sont bien là mais dans un esprit différent. L'écriture surprend lorsque l'on sort tout juste d'un roman écrit par les auteurs actuels que j'ai cités plus haut. C'est plus soft (pas de scène de sexe torride), plus lent et plus détaillé. Je lis ces ouvrages en anglais et le style de Georgette Heyer étant plus élaboré, certaines tournures de phrases ou expressions demandent réflexion et dictionnaire ! .Cela m'a fait penser à du Jane Austen, mais en plus moderne et plus léger. Georgette Heyer créée des personnages féminins remarquables.En résumé, j'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre et je le relirai certainement. Tout comme "The Grand Sophy", une autre belle réussite de Heyer.