The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer

Originally Published 1940

Copyright 2009

Sourcebooks - Regency Historical Romance

261 pages

"I don't wish to say rude things about your friends, Richard, but it seems to me very wrong of him--most improper.

"Most," he agreed.

"Even dastardly!"

"I think we might call it dastardly."

"Well, that is what it seems to me. I see now that there is a great deal in what Aunt Almeria says. She considers that there are terrible pitfalls in Society."

Sir Richard shook his head sadly. "Alas, too true!"

"And vice," said Pen awfully. "Profligacy, and extravagance, you know."

"I know."

She picked up her knife and fork again. "It must be very exciting," she said enviously.

Sir Richard Wyndham has known for many years that eventually he would be expected to offer his hand in marriage to Melissa Brandon if he found no other woman who suited his fancy. The Brandons, including father Lord Saar, are friends but the entire family is spiraling into ruin. Wyndham is expected to rescue them and provide a decent husband for Melissa. Sir Richard dutifully traipses to her home and finds her attitude appalling. Her brother even tells him to run while he can. So, Sir Richard goes to his club and gets drunk. He feels as if he has no choice in the matter; and, though he'd prefer to find someone he loves and who has a sense of humor, he's already in his thirties. Women all seem oddly alike and stupendously dull. He might as well do the proper thing. At this point, the reader wants to shout at him to run, run while he can. Emotionally involving? Oh, yes.

Whilst walking home, Sir Richard comes across an interesting scene. Someone is climbing down a rope made from sheets. It appears to be a young boy, but when Richard comes to "his" aid and catches the boy, as his rope is too short, the truth becomes obvious. He has rescued a young lady in disguise. Penelope, nicknamed "Pen", is determined to escape the certain proposal of her cousin, who looks like a fish. Pen, a wealthy orphan, has decided that her best hope is to run to Somerset, where she will locate her childhood friend and marry him. They haven't spoken for five years, but they made a blood commitment to marry, someday.

Sir Richard sees an opportunity to escape marriage to a practical but humorless woman. He's drunk but cognisant enough to realize that the young girl needs a companion to see her to her destination. Thus begins a journey, with Pen in disguise as a young boy and Sir Richard posing as either uncle or tutor, depending on the moment. A disastrous ride by post, the robbery of a diamond necklace, a murder, and a charming friendship make for a fast-paced, delightful read.

Of course, with Georgette Heyer, you know from the outset who will fall in love and you're rooting for them, but she takes you on quite a wild ride in order to arrive at the expected happy ending. The characters are a well-rounded batch -- charming, effervescent young Pen, reliable and kind-hearted Sir Richard, a thief with an aversion to violence, a young couple having a clandestine meeting, the dissipated would-be brothers-in-law and a violent rogue.

4.5/5 - Sometimes-predictable, yet surprising; rolicking fun in the form of a Regency-style road trip with romance and intrigue, terrific characters and witty dialogue.

When I read my first Georgette Heyer novel, a couple of years ago, I thought the Regency lingo was going to kill me. Heyer did have a tendency to go overboard on the vernacular, in my humble opinion. You're left with a choice of attempting to learn the language with some sort of dictionary, trying to translate via context or just ignoring half the words in the book. I've been unable to locate a print Regency dictionary, but there are some excellent online resources:

Good Ton - A resource for readers of Regency romance novels and

The World of Georgette Heyer are both very helpful.

The Corinthian is really quite tame when compared to the other Heyer novels I've read, although there were a few decision-making moments. Get up to look up the lingo online? Stay in the comfy reading spot and figure it out? This time around, the vernacular was minimal enough that I decided to duke it out and remain propped against the pillows. There are even some very humorous scenes in which the thief translates his own lingo for young Pen, who can't make heads or tails of his speech but is too friendly not to speak to him at all.

Coming up:

An updated sidebar, I hope. But, I have some reading to do, first.

Photo-wise:

I'm currently unable to load fresh photos to Picasa, but I hope to amend that soon. I'd love to share some of the photos I took at the Memphis Zoo. It was hotter than hell, but we had a terrific time; and, I'm particularly fond of the polar bear and meerkat shots. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some of them, soon. In the meantime, you get a flower from Costa Rica because I don't believe I can tolerate another post without a photo. There. Have a flower.

Happy Canada Day to the Canadians!!