I'm torn!
Mr. Malcolm's List by Suzanne Allain
2 or 4 stars? I'm conflicted!
If you want a romantic comedy spoof, then maybe 4 stars. If you're looking for the more genuine romance article, then 2.
That's my burning question. I was suitably underwhelmed by The List as a serious regency work. How a supposedly intelligent woman was beguiled by her one time uneasy schoolfriend to punish a potential swain for not continuing to court her friend is beyond me. And when said perceptive young woman continually falls in with her friend's plans mostly because she thinking of something or someone else and just murmurs appropriate noises of approval, well then, of course she's going to find herself in deep water. Couple that with the fact that said friend is fiendishly sure of herself (read spoiled, arrogant and used to getting her own way) with a true 'mean girls' streak, and the story becomes farcical.
(I must say though I kept flashing to scenes from 1940's black and white inane romantic comedy movies. How can that be? I'm thinking of maybe Cary Grant and Irene Dunne or Katherine Hepburn. If this is a regency romantic comedy spoof, then it's possibly a 4 star performance. If it's not, I support my 2 star designation.)
Highly eligible, wealthy and apparently dishy, the Honourable Mr. Jeremy Malcolm, second son of the Earl of Kilbourne, has a list of attributes he's looking for in a wife. Julia Thistlewaite falls short and so after a couple of outings with her he moves on. Thwarted and enraged Julia remembers that an acquaintance from school, Selina Dalton, a vicar's daughter, has written to her. Julia invites Selina to London, planning to use her to exact some sweet revenge against the top lofty Jeremy. So your veritable comic Cheltenham tragedy is about to be enacted.
Of course things go awry, and there are indeed many wryly funny moments, but in the end the story seemed to tail off, the farcical loosing it's impetus. I finished, but it was a close run thing.
There's a good meld of supporting characters. One of the best was Jeremy's mother, Lady Kilbourne. Although Julie's cousin Cassie (Lord Cassidy) adds a certain Bertie Wooster piquancy .
I did love the cover design. A mixture of millennium pink and red with silhouetted figures harken back to times past, with a dash of the modern.
I am still left with the sneaking suspicion this is a romantic comedy spoof. So I'm back to my original quandary. Was this a 4 star or 2 star performance?
I've decided to come down on this being a romantic comedy but due to the slow finish I'm settling for 3 stars.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
***
If you want a romantic comedy spoof, then maybe 4 stars. If you're looking for the more genuine romance article, then 2.
That's my burning question. I was suitably underwhelmed by The List as a serious regency work. How a supposedly intelligent woman was beguiled by her one time uneasy schoolfriend to punish a potential swain for not continuing to court her friend is beyond me. And when said perceptive young woman continually falls in with her friend's plans mostly because she thinking of something or someone else and just murmurs appropriate noises of approval, well then, of course she's going to find herself in deep water. Couple that with the fact that said friend is fiendishly sure of herself (read spoiled, arrogant and used to getting her own way) with a true 'mean girls' streak, and the story becomes farcical.
(I must say though I kept flashing to scenes from 1940's black and white inane romantic comedy movies. How can that be? I'm thinking of maybe Cary Grant and Irene Dunne or Katherine Hepburn. If this is a regency romantic comedy spoof, then it's possibly a 4 star performance. If it's not, I support my 2 star designation.)
Highly eligible, wealthy and apparently dishy, the Honourable Mr. Jeremy Malcolm, second son of the Earl of Kilbourne, has a list of attributes he's looking for in a wife. Julia Thistlewaite falls short and so after a couple of outings with her he moves on. Thwarted and enraged Julia remembers that an acquaintance from school, Selina Dalton, a vicar's daughter, has written to her. Julia invites Selina to London, planning to use her to exact some sweet revenge against the top lofty Jeremy. So your veritable comic Cheltenham tragedy is about to be enacted.
Of course things go awry, and there are indeed many wryly funny moments, but in the end the story seemed to tail off, the farcical loosing it's impetus. I finished, but it was a close run thing.
There's a good meld of supporting characters. One of the best was Jeremy's mother, Lady Kilbourne. Although Julie's cousin Cassie (Lord Cassidy) adds a certain Bertie Wooster piquancy .
I did love the cover design. A mixture of millennium pink and red with silhouetted figures harken back to times past, with a dash of the modern.
I am still left with the sneaking suspicion this is a romantic comedy spoof. So I'm back to my original quandary. Was this a 4 star or 2 star performance?
I've decided to come down on this being a romantic comedy but due to the slow finish I'm settling for 3 stars.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley
***
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