Customer Reviews

Powder And Patch

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my favourites, in spite of the fact that it is an early work (circa 1930) and as such lacks some of the polish and more rounded character portrayals we have all come to love and expect from Georgette Heyer. It is also a much shorter novel and is told in a very straightforward manner. However Ms Heyer's effervescent wit and obvious ability to tell a good and humourous story is already evident, thus making "Powder and Patch" an enjoyable and worthwhile read.

Much to the chagrin of his father, Maurice Jettan, and his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful Cleone Charteris, Philip Jettan, is perfectly happy being a man of the country. Not for him the perfumed manners of the London drawing rooms! Unfortunately for Philip, Cleone has spent some time in London, where her beauty and grace had been much feted, and in a much more elegant and witty manner than Philip's unvarnished and from the heart declarations. Cleone would like Philip to acquire some city polish. And in this her desires are matched by Philip's father, Maurice. And so together the pair conspire; and the upshot of which is that Philip takes off for Paris in a fit of rage. Have Cleone and Maurice done the right thing? Is a more polished Philip what they really want? Cleone is beginning to wonder if she may have made the mistake of her life in scorning Philip's honest and unvarnished outpourings of love...

I'll admit the first time I read this novel, I kept hoping that Philip would meet some nice and sensible young lady in Paris who would make him forget Cleone Charteris. Part of the problem was that I found myself unable to understand exactly what Cleone and Maurice found so wanting in Philip. Philip Jettan was sincere and true, unlike a great many romance heroes who (by comparison) come across as insincere women-haters. Years later I understood that "Powder and Patch" was actually a comedy of manners, written very much in the style of an 18th century play. Understanding this allowed me appreciate Cleone more. The joy to be gleaned from this novel is from "watching" Philip blossom and become more polished, watching him trying to teach Cleone a much needed lesson or two, and watching quick tempered Cleone react to everything that's unfolding before her eyes. So that the happily-ever-after few pages when it (finally) came was tender and satisfyingly well worth the wait. Witty and lighthearted, "Powder and Patch" is a read not to be missed.

This book is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer romances (you simply can't pick one favorite!). Phillip Jettan is a man who disdains the current fashion for powdered wigs and light-hearted flirtation, but he adores his childhood friend Cleone who has tasted the elegance of a London season and isn't content with her crude lover. With the help of his frivolous Uncle Tom he sets off for Paris, and is transformed into "le petit Philippe" who becomes the darling of French society - much to the dismay of Cleone! This story sparkles with witty dialogue, and wonderful descriptions of costumes and festivities of the 1700's. I re-read it at least once a year and I enjoy it as much as the first time, again and again!

This is pleasant piece of fluff as unsubstantial as a sweet meringue. Cleone, beautiful as only a Heyer heroine can be, has been loved by her neighbour Philip since childhood and is piqued to find herself taken for granted by this very decent but unpolished young man. She advises him to take himself off to gain a bit of charm and polish, but when he returns, painted, powdered and mincing in satins and lace and affecting a languid air, she realises that she prefers the honest young man to the fop that he seems to be. Of course it's all an act and true love wins out in the end.

There is nothing quite like Georgette Heyer before bed. Even in this early novel, Heyer's writing skills and mastery of story telling are evident. I can understand why people might view Powder and Patch as a short, frivolous story. It is short, of course, but I found that it had a lot more depth to it than some of her later stories. I particularly liked the portrayal of Philip. While the way in which he was sent off to Paris to become refined was admittedly a little cruel, he was not perfect to begin with, and I can understand Cleone's dislike of his crude possessiveness. Even when Philip was transformed with paint, powder and patch, there is a solid depth of character under his frivolous - and I thought cynical - behaviour. His love for Cleone is unwavering, even when he is angry with her. His character is refined, but he does not turn into a painted puppet. He lives for a time behind a mask, as I am sure all of us do for at least some part of our lives. As for Cleone, she was perhaps a little shallow, though this seemed to arise from naivety rather than anything else. Just as with Philip her character is refined in this comedy of manners and she begins to mature. I liked the genuinely affectionate father-daughterish relationship she had with Sir Maurice. So yes, I do like Cleone. And oh, how I like Philip! He began an honest man, and ended an honest gentleman. The secondary characters are amusing, but the main story woven around Philip and Cleone was truly beautiful.

I've only begun reading Heyer's books as of late last year and can honestly say that so far every single one has been a source of pure delight. No surprise- Powder and Patch followed suit in keeping me well entertained. This book, sweet, short, hilarious, with its oh-so-French flair was completed in one sitting.

The book is about Philip Jettan, son to the extravagant Maurice and nephew of Tom. The latter are both highly fashionable men, who are well known in high society; whereas the good-natured, but somewhat simpleton and rough-on-the-edges Philip, leaves much to be desired.

Philip is, however, the loving flame of Cleone, a neighborhood friend and great beauty. Cleone, along with the rest of Philip's small family, all agree that the young man should get a make-over to improve his style, fashion sense, etiquette and social skills. Philip is not too keen on this and believes he should be loved for who he is. He makes a strong point- Except that things change dramatically when a certain Bancroft comes to town...
Bankroft is handsome, well-mannered, sophisticated, well-versed, and ever so fashionable. He also has a way with the ladies, and Cleone notices him immediately. She is seemingly swooned by Bancroft who pays gracious attention to her every need. Philip notices this but believes that Cleone is his sweetheart and that no one can ever come between them. Cleone admits that she loves Philip but will not take him as he is...he definitely needs refining. She would love him to be more romantic and worldly.

The decision is taken by both father and uncle- Philip is to go to France to become more civilized and worldly. Philip, enflamed by jealousy, finally agrees, and off he goes to Paris. There, a huge transformation takes place. Elegance to the max, Philip is the center of all attention- no party is worth going if he's not present. He's got style, class, fashion...and, a way with words that makes every woman want to be with him.

When he comes back to England, he is a changed man. But Philip wants to know if Cleone really loves the man, or the powder. It is a struggle of wits, suitors for Cleone, love games, jealous rants and more. Cleone is not used to this man who is no longer simple...intriguing to the max, she cannot resist him, yet she will not succumb. What will happen? Do they end up together or will Cleone marry another?

I loved this sweet story filled with old French sayings that I hadn't heard in years (Salipopette!) the details in fashion and Phillip's mundane experiences were totally amusing. The characters are also perfectly suited to the story. Heyer brings in Louis XV, la Pompadour and other figures of the times to further immerse us into a world of glamour, extravagance and fun- all precisely intended to highten Phillips magnificent make-over. The setting, the language, the story; everything about this book makes it an extremely enjoyable read.

When I initially read this book many years ago...I think I did not care for it because I don't remember rereading and it is much briefer and less polished than her later Regency romances.

Recently, I reread this novel for the 1st time. Despite being a short novel, it start out very slow and the plot does not move along until about one quarter of the way though the novel. In the beginning Philip is happy to be just a country farmer, running his father's estate Tom's Pride. He has been born a gentleman but he does not have the manners of a gentleman. He has always been in love with Cleone Charteris, a neighbor's daughter but he does not woo her. He really takes his relationship with her for granted. Cleone is beautiful but childish and shallow, perhaps because this is a very early effort by Ms. Heyer who has not yet learned to create more complex and interesting heroines.

After a humiliating short sword fight over Cleone with Henry Bancroft, another neighbor's foppish and disagreeable son (Henry is rusticating from London), rejection from Cleone, and pressure from his father Sir Maurice, Philip is determined to become the height of the fashionable 18th century gentleman to prove to Cleone and his father that he was more worthy as a country gentleman than as a shallow painted puppy. Philip disappears with his uncle to Paris to be trained by the uncle's aristocratic French friends. Philip is a very fast learner and rapidly becomes the delight of Paris for his exquisite taste in clothing and his sweet, humorous, refreshingly energetic personality. The ladies and gentlemen of Paris are enchanted with le petit Philippe; no party is dull when Philippe attends. Though other reviewers seem to prefer the pre-Paris Philip, I most definitely prefer the light-hearted Paris transformed Philip over the too serious country gentleman farmer. As Philip's uncle in London tells Sir Maurice (before Sir Maurice has met his transformed son), the new Philip is pure joy. Underneath his powder and patch, the old Philip is still there, but now he has acquired creative ways to express himself and no longer takes himself too seriously. Philip really is much more fun. I think a sense of humor is a very attractive trait in a man and Philip's sense humor is definitely improved by his stay in Paris.

This novel reads more like a comedic play by Sheridan than a later Heyer Regency romance (which resemble Jane Austen novels).

I am a really big fan of Georgette Heyer's work, but this book was a disappointment. Originally entitled "The Transformation of Phillip Jettan" the story is about a young man who is in love with his neighbour Cleone Charteris but she wants someone a little more exciting. When a newcomer arrives in their locality and shows Cleone all the areas in which Phillip is wanting she rejects Phillip.

And then the book became disappointing. Phillip went to France to learn to be a painted dandy - and thus to become the opposite of what he was before. There are various interesting events like him fighting a duel and then his reacquaintance with Cleone but overall this didn't work for me. The misunderstandings between the young couple were irritating.

Probably part of the reason I didn't like this book is that Phillip turned himself from a traditional Heyer hero into a painted fop, the traditional Heyer butt of jokes. I found myself disliking Phillip and finding Cleone stupid, shallow and annoying.

The book receives 3 stars from me as it's written with the usual Heyer excellence but there are a score of better books by this author.

Georgette Heyer is in a class all her own with her quirky and witty `romance' novels. Nothing like today's books of the genre, which are over-sexed and rarely authentic, the antiquated cadences and dialect simply cannot be matched by contemporary writers. In Powder and Patch, you will find on the first page the following phrase:

Page 1 "...glaring white erection, stark-naked and blatant..."

This refers to a building, and I do not think for a moment that it was written with sexual innuendos. It's really very interesting to see the turns of phrase used, even if they sound a little silly to us now. This is perhaps my favorite part of Heyer's writing style, though I enjoy her characters and their unpredictable escapades as well.

Page 15 "By God sir, you are a damned dull dog!"

Powder and Patch is set in early Georgian England, rather than the Regency era, but the mannerisms are nearly the same, though the dress is slightly different. Our protagonist is a country gentleman named Philip Jettan, who is very anti-dandy. He is in love with one of his neighbors, Miss Cleone and she likes him well enough, but longs for a lover who pays attention to the latest fashions and posses fine French manners. In desperation to win her affection he departs to meet his uncle in London, where they decide to travel to Paris to help Philip gain the very qualities that he himself deplores.

"A while back I spoke of three gentlemen...to the tune of one whole chapter."

The narration is unique - like the author is sitting by the fire reading aloud and suddenly looks up and inserts comments about her book. I find this style just as charming and entertaining as the lively characters.

Because I so enjoyed Powder and Patch (finishing it in one day, nearly one sitting), I have ordered several of Heyer's Regency romances to give much needed breaks between my heftier historical reads. I can't wait to be amused by them!

Granted, I've only read three Heyer books so far. I am eager to read more, and have four waiting for me! That said, I enjoyed this book but was annoyed at the premise of the heroine "loving" the main character but not quite accepting him the way he is. Once I got past that, I was able to enjoy the book. I do think that The Black Moth and (especially) Regency Buck were more cleverly done. However, I might be prejudiced simply because of the premise of Powder and Patch! Hard to say for sure. . .

Yes, this is an earlier work. And it is shorter than some later works.
But, it has a beautiful and steady dry wit from beginning to end and some of the best scenes in any of Heyer's works, such as Jettan's duel outside of Paris, and his first meeting with Cleone on his return from France. A piece of a candy and a one-sitting read. This is a comedy of manners and does require some knowledge of regency behavior and prejudices.