(no subject)

[skygiants]

For a Georgette Heyer book, Frederica is almost astoundingly lacking in cross-dressing, kidnappings, smugglers, elopements, swordfights, and other items of the dramatic nature that one tends to expect. And . . . I kind of loved it? It's so low-key and domestic! (Okay, except for the part with the hot-air balloon.) And absolutely chock full of awesome siblings who all have different and believable dynamics, and act like real people and not plot devices!

It starts out looking like it might be one of the more frustrating Heyers; Our Hero is a Haughty Rake who Cares For No One But Himself, Seriously People Stop Asking Him To Do Them Favors, he is so over that. The narrative also spends a hilarious amount of time discussing his tight pants and how they look like they're molded to his thighs. Our Heroine Frederica is his distant cousin, a twenty-four-year-old who considers herself destined to be an aunt and has an impossibly gorgeous younger sister that she's determined to launch into society. This seems like a setup for awkward love triangle-esque angst, but in fact pretty much no one even entertains the idea that the hero might end up with the younger sister; instead, he spends all his time kind of accidentally befriending the younger brothers and it's TOTALLY ADORABLE. The middle brother, a very earnest sixteen-year-old who wants to be a priest and keeps trying to Set A Good Example, is a ton of fun, but the littlest brother Felix kind of steals the show - he's an adorable mechanical-obsessed dork who is prone to launching into long joyous explanations of the latest technology, and keeps dragging the Viscount off to go visit elevators and hot-air balloon launches.

(VISCOUNT: Well, you know, my secretary knows all about gears, so -
SECRETARY: @_@
FELIX: But, but that wouldn't be fair to you, to miss out on the elevator! D: IT'S SO AWESOME! Seriously, let me explain how it works and then you will definitely understand -
VISCOUNT: . . . I have never experienced quite this form of puppy-dog eyes before. @_@ And I don't know how to cope!
[ONE ELEVATOR TRIP LATER]
FELIX: I told you you would enjoy it, right? :D :D :D WASN'T THAT COOL.
VISCOUNT: . . . if I tell you I didn't enjoy it you'll be crushed, won't you. OKAY. I ENJOYED IT.
FELIX: Yay! Now let's go see this super cool steam engine -
VISCOUNT: @_@)

I kept expecting drama the whole book, and there wasn't any! Well, okay, there is a star-crossed lovers plot involving Charis, but the whole thing turns out to be mostly a misunderstanding. Felix also has one moment of kind of hilarious peril that is central to the story, but that development actually turns into something that is reasonably realistic and not at all over-the-top.

And if more romance novels had the Lofty Aloof Selfish Rake showing he was in love with the girl by helping her babysit her little brothers in Time of Need and then tactfully holding off on the declarations of love in case it stressed her out, I would read more romance novels, and that is all I'm saying.

Comments

[ceitfianna]

My first thought on reading this is Sameth needs to meet this Felix for building things hijinks.

[skygiants]

*laughs* I have NO DOUBT they would get along. Everyone loves Felix! He is an adorable regency-era babygeek.

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

Frederica is one of my favorite Heyers, for many of the reasons you mentioned. All the family bonding! So cute!

[skygiants]

I love Heyer little brothers in general, but I think these may be my favorite Heyer little brothers! And I really like that Jessamy and Felix fight a lot, and Jessamy and Harry fight a lot, and Frederica and Harry butt heads some of the time and even Charis the Sweetest of Sweethearts is occasionally like "GOD, my FAMILY, PLEASE STOP TRYING TO ARRANGE MY LIFE," even though they would all clearly do anything for each other. It feels so realistic!

[areyoumymemmy.livejournal.com]

I knew you would like this one, despite the DREADFUL LACK of cross-dressing! Frederica has some of the best/most realistic family dynamics and a rake who doesn't take himself too seriously and, as you said, demonstrates his love via something other than high-handedly ordering the heroine around!

Plus, LITTLE BROTHERS.

[skygiants]

Adorable little brothers/realistic family dynamics: MY KRYPTONITE. As you know full well. *laughing*

I still maintain that cross-dressing could only have improved it, though.

[cerusee.livejournal.com]

...have you ever seen Mai-Hime? If not, you really should look into it. It's where I picked up my sick weakness for fictional adorable little brothers.

(And it also has cross-dressing, nuns, lesbians, a subversive instantiation of the catgirl fetish, ninjas, robots, octopuses, pretty, animalistic mecha, baking, archeologists, lolitas, really, really good writing, very expensive animation, a fantastic-albeit-dirty sense of humor, and what I think is basically a gravity sink of high-quality Japanese voice acting talent.)

[skygiants]

I have not, but I keep hearing about it! It's totally on my list.

(. . . moved a little higher by your list just there, I will add.)

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

Random comment! Every time I see you use that icon, I think that he's holding a hors d'oeuvre on a stick. I DON'T KNOW WHY, I JUST DO. /random comment

[skygiants]

*cracks up* It does look kind of like that, doesn't it? Oh Anthony Andrews, I love your ridiculous faces.

[izilen]

Yeeeeep, my thoughts are your thoughts. I really enjoyed the domesticity and the Rakish Hero hanging out with adorbs schoolboys. That and Frederica's own attitude towards marriage and their sincere friendship sold this to me. And of course, it's hilarious.

[skygiants]

I cracked up every time one of the schoolboys ran in to flail at the Rakish Hero! I am a total sucker for dudes who think they are all MANLY and DRAMATIC until the plot comes and deflates them with hilarious domestic hijinks and makes them look like a total dorkface. And the friendship really is super adorable.

[izilen]

I LOVE THAT TOO. I can sort of imagine them looming, wanting to look like they're so very above this, and then PUPPY EYES and of course he's going to let himself get dragged anywhere. I can imagine a modern version of this being dragged to school science fairs or "boring" museum visits.

Hahaha, honestly I cannot imagine why there were not RUMOURS. It was honestly v v obvious that, hey, puppy eyes aside, the logical explanation for this is that HE IS IN LOVE WITH THEIR SISTER.

[happydork]

I have just read this one! I loved the siblings and their squabbling and loyalty and love! Jeremy berating himself and Felix's puppy eyes! The fact that literally everyone including Harry forgot for a bit that technically, you know, Harry is in charge! Frederica the oldest of old maids, totally past it and not at all marriageable, nope, why the very idea is ridiculous. :)

Not super convinced by the romantic lead, but he won many points by holding off his proposal and also his interactions with the boys, omg, I loved every second.

[skygiants]

THE SIBLINGS ARE SO GREAT, I could read about their antics forever. The romantic lead will make a very acceptable new oldest sibling and really, that's what matters!