Customer Reviews

The Dreadful Debutante (Thorndike British Favorites)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The London marriage mart held no interest for Mira, as she had her heart set on a childhood dream. Once her diabolical sister learns of the dream, she sets out to win the hand of Lord Charles, object of Mira's dreams. Mira had many jealous temper tantrums (including pushing her sister into a fountain) and nearly ruined her own respectibility. She didn't care until the Marquess of Grantley came to the rescue... then he wished he hadn't. This book was truly a great hoot. Wish there'd been a sequel.

Many readers may have a negative reaction to any novel described as a romance, just as some literateurs snub westerns, mysteries, and sci-fi. This is unfortunate. Snubbing romances means missing all of Austen, the Brontes, much of Hawthorne, Tolstoy, Rebecca, etc. Snubbing any genre by name is a mistake; there are simply good books and bad books--in any classification.

To the point, this is a fine piece of work. The plot was interesting and moved well, although it was pretty obvious what the final result would be. The characters in English society during the Regency period were interesting and varied. London itself almost becomes a character. But the best part is the writing itself. It is witty, funny, sticking pins into the foolish ideas of the era, not that we do not have foolish ideas today.

There is an unavoidable resemblance here to Jane Austen, surely. Young women of a certain social class are seeking a suitable husband. Rather, the debutante's parents, and more specifically the mothers, are hoping to marry off a daughter to a wealthy man, and if he is titled, so much the better. Love is beside the point, in many cases, within the arrangements.

I did like this book very much. I've read other Chesney books (M.C. Beaton books) and found them all excellent, I particularly like the Hamish MacBeth series, the Agatha Raisin mysteries, and the Edwardian Mysteries. It is always good to find a writer who is intelligent and can truly write.

Marion Chesney is one of the best romantic writer in the regency romance series. A wonderful story teller and Marion, keep up the good job. I hope you can continue to write more stories in the regency romance novels.

The Dreadful Debutante is not one of Marion Chesney's best books. Her books, especially the themed series, tend to be a little over the top in their heroines and plot, but that is part of their charm. The characters in the Dreadful Debutante were more like romance novel caricatures and the plot seemed to be filled with events that are supposed to be funny and exciting, but which are not because you've already read them in ten thousand other romance novels. Neither the heroine nor the hero kept my interest. Mira was immature, a little stupid, and pretty irresponsible. We are supposed to believe that these very characteristics are why the Marquess of Grantley falls for her. I would skip it - it's not very satisfying even if you just want a fluffy romance read.