(no subject)

[skygiants]

This cute Cotillion fic kicked off an urge in my heart to reread Cotillion, one of my all-time favorite Georgette Heyer books; the other one one of my all-time favorite Heyers is The Talisman Ring, which I reread towards the end of last year for Yuletide purposes.

Although one of these has lots of enthusiastically dramatic plot and the other has hardly any plot at all, the thing they have both got in common is that they are deeply about the joy of Being in Cahoots. In The Talisman Ring, two charming melodramatic idiots decide that they are going to THWART A VILLAIN by FINDING A LOST HIDDEN TREASURE while HIDING FROM THE COPS and have the good fortune to attract two sensible older people into their orbit who discover that actually being involved in lost hidden treasure shenanigans while hiding from the cops is a really fun time. In Cotillion, two extremely normal and ordinary idiots decide that they are going to fake an engagement in order that one of them can have an excuse to come do London tourism, and discover that by the power of teamwork, supporting each other and believing in themselves they can both operate with two brain cells and triumphantly solve everybody marital problems.

Every time I hit the end of Cotillion I'm like 'well, we have now had four hundred pages in which our lad Freddy consistently and believably evidences powerful disinterest and mild alarm at the concept of Romance capped off by two pages in which Georgette Heyer assures me that he and Kitty have in fact come to long for each other carnally; do I believe her?' and the answer that I come to every time is 'I absolutely do not care! it is a topic of complete indifference to me! what matters is that they are Absolute Best Friends and will without question have a wonderful time being married to each other and I'm extremely happy for them.' This is a fun and refreshing space that I love to be in when a book sells it and Cotillion really nails it.

In addition to thinking about Romance while reading it I also was thinking about class due to some conversations with genarti about the way it treats its lower-class second leads and how they are allocated to fates that Heyer would never consider acceptable for one of her upper-class heroines: absolutely true. Cannot argue. Heyer would never consign Kitty into marriage with a French lower-class con artist who runs a gambling den no matter how handsome and madly in love he is. On the other hand, marrying a French lower-class con artist heir to a gambling den objectively rules, so who's laughing now? Me, and that nice young kid who gets to elope with her con artist boyfriend across the channel.

Comments

[sovay]

On the other hand, marrying a French lower-class con artist heir to a gambling den objectively rules, so who's laughing now? Me, and that nice young kid who gets to elope with her con artist boyfriend across the channel.

I approve and see I will have to read Cotillion.

[lirazel]

Awww, I'm glad I could inspire you to revisit a beloved book!

deeply about the joy of Being in Cahoots

Yessssss!

I definitely read Freddy as ace spectrum, no matter what Heyer tells me, and he and Kitty are going to have the best time being married to each other!!! Good for them!!!

[littlerhymes]

I loooove Cotillion! And yes Freddy and Kitty are going to have a lovely time holding hands and having silly little adventures, bless them.

[qian]

Cotillion is my favourite Heyer of all time, and to me makes all the Heyers that are more straight-faced about the genre tropes -- you know, the ones where the douchey cousin would legit be endgame -- worthwhile. And discover that by the power of teamwork, supporting each other and believing in themselves they can both operate with two brain cells and triumphantly solve everybody marital problems is such a perfect description of why the ship is good!!

The friend who first recommended Cotillion to me said she read Freddy as gay; I think I fall more on "asexual, possibly mostly homoromantic" side of things, but I do genuinely believe he and Kitty are Meant To Be and will have an amazing time being married, as you say. Will they ever have sex?* Not convinced. Does it matter? Not at all!

* Cf. The Grand Sophy where I'm like yes these cousins definitely want to fuck.

[kate_nepveu]

hmmm! whereas The Unknown Ajax--one of my favorites, along with Cotillion--is kind of anti-cahoots, unless the cahoots are with the reader. an axis I had not thought to consider these on!

[portico]

oh, good for everyone in this book, honestly

[opusculasedfera]

Interesting! I have always thought of that as a shining example of Heyer's love of cahoots because the moment where the romance turns is the moment at the climax where the couple glance at each other and begin to lie in perfect unison in a stressful situation without needing to discuss it.

(That this would describe a lot of Heyer climaxes is part of her charm for me lol)

[kate_nepveu]

clearly I shall have to revisit, oh no, what hardship!

[nineveh_uk]

I need to read Cotillion again now. It's such a delight. I love Kitty and Freddie, and also sensible Hannah.

[ceitfianna]

I love Cotillion, its one of hers I reread the most though I'm reminded how The Talisman Ring and the Faro one are also lovely with the older ones trying to be sensible.

[jothra]

I think Cotillion is the only Heyer I've read! It was so great I kind of just dusted off my hands and decided I was Finished. Perhaps I'll circle back around and try another one eventually.

[genarti]

Cotillion and The Talisman Ring are the only two I've read, on Becca's recommendation as The Most Beth-Targeted Heyer Books. (I've been told to read The Unknown Ajax too, but haven't yet.) Anyway Cotillion is great, but The Talisman Ring is imo even better, and if you ever circle around again I definitely vote for that one!

[skygiants]

oh yes you ought, it's so charming! and Freddy is such a delightful emblem of non-traditional common-sense heroics, I think you'll really enjoy him

[skygiants]

yes, the inspiration was a delightful bonus of reading your excellent fic! :D

& yeah Freddy definitely some sort of ace spec, I could be convinced that he was demi if I cared to be convinced but really truly I don't care either way! that's their business!

[skygiants]

they SHALL go jaunting off to all the sights and they SHALL be a bit bemused about what was worth going about them (I can't believe I forgot to write in my post how lolsob funny it is when they go to the British Museum and the Elgin Marbles and are like "hm. why are these here. seems like a scam" because Heyer absolutely did not mean it as commentary, just a funny joke about Kitty and Freddy's shared two brain cells, BUT IN RETROSPECT)

[skygiants]

yes!!! it's such a fun reversal of everything that she usually does and while there are many a Heyer where I'm willing to perhaps be convinced that the douchey cousin will eventually make a fine life partner I really can't think of any (except perhaps Talisman Ring as above) where I feel so rock-solid certain that these people are going to have the absolute time of their lives spending said lives together which is frankly intensely romantic even if it's not sexual/romantic at all!

[skygiants]

I loved The Unknown Ajax when I read it fifteen years ago but have not found my way back to it since, so I was quite excited to find a dollar copy in a used bookstore recently & I think rereading it will also be next on my list! I shall Report Back With Findings.

[skygiants]

REALLY GOOD FOR ALL OF THEM, they're all absolutely nailing it

[skygiants]

Yes, Hannah is wonderful! it always takes the characters a second to blink and realize how fantastic she is but I do think that the narrative knows straight out that she's a gem and a treasure.

[skygiants]

Yeah, 'sensible older couple and madcap younger couple' is a mode that Heyer almost always succeeds at -- Sprig Muslin is charming in this mold as well.

[skygiants]

I know I told you this already but I'm telling you again! read The Talisman Ring!! (I'm so glad you already got Cotillion under your belt though and if you ARE going to read Just One it really is a great choice)

[littlerhymes]

Not the joke she intended to make AND YET still hit the mark!

[lirazel]

I could be convinced that he was demi if I cared to be convinced but really truly I don't care either way! that's their business!

Exactly!!!!

[pedanther]

'I absolutely do not care! it is a topic of complete indifference to me! what matters is that they are Absolute Best Friends and will without question have a wonderful time being married to each other and I'm extremely happy for them.' This is a fun and refreshing space that I love to be in when a book sells it

I love that too. I haven't had good luck with the one or two Heyers I've tried (The Reluctant Widow is the one whose name has stuck in my memory), but maybe I should give Cotillion a shot.