I was given Frederica along with a message that not many men like to read Georgette Heyer. That statement piqued my curiosity, and I took to reading this novel as a challenge. A few chapters and I was bowled over, it was no more a chore, I genuinely liked the story.
Frederica is a simple romantic tale set in late Victorian England. That sounds bland, but the book is rich in terms of well fleshed out characters, evenly paced story and an attention to details of that period. The repartees between Lord Alverstoke and Frederica are absolutely sizzling. It makes you giggle when Frederica takes her dog Luffra to Lord Alverstoke's house and you can't hide a good laugh when her brother Felix badgers Lord Alverstoke into taking him to the Balloon Ascension. You will positively laugh out loud when you read about the Restorative Pork Jelly.
This book is not about moral issues or social progress. You can find issues with the book, the language is convoluted, it doesn't deal with the plight of the normal Londoners (those outside the landed gentry are summarily dealt as commoners or Genteels), etc. It is a fun read, and should be viewed as such. A delightful novel.
7 comments:
I have the impression that your tastes are artier in Tamil and more middle-brow in English... I wonder if it's true though.
Hmm, I don't write about the Tamil middle brow stuff I used to read. Like million other Tamil readers, I too reached Jeyamohan and Thi Ja through Rajeshkumar and Sujatha.
I am yet to read a lot in English. May be I am plodding through the middle brow and will reach the arty levels some time. I judge the books I read only on one criteria - whether I like it or not, irrespective of them being middle brow or arty.
i recall the times when your blogs used to be good and interesting...I used to ne regular visitor...
Hard luck chen
Thanks for the honest feedback anon.
dei evanavathu enga chenthil thappa sonnenga ..kalatii veesiduven
i liked fredrica too... one of my favs of Heyer...
Though she writes mush, they are of a different genre.. Some thing solid can be found..
And I dont think its mediocre.. Its just a different kind of writing, and its good in its category..
I think you have a mistake in your description. Georgette Heyer's books are set in the Regency period, which is the early part of the 19th century - quite a few decades removed from "late Victorian"!
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