Cousin Kate

Rating:
Summary: Georgette Heyer Has Gone Gothic!
Review: "Cousin Kate" is a dark, gothic novel, different from most of Georgette Heyer's other works. I have nothing against dark or gothic, but there is a lack of originality in this predictable plot and the characters lack the usual "Heyer spark." I believe that the author wrote this novel while she was ill. This is apparent as her delightful verve is very much missing here.

Kate Malvern, 24, orphaned and penniless, has been fired from her job as a governess through no fault of her own. She is surprised by an invitation to stay with her father's half sister, (whom she has never met), at the sumptuous estate Staplewood. There she meets the elderly lord of the manor, her aunt's husband Sir Timothy, their strange and ailing son, Torquil, and a cast of characters right out of the Addam's Family scrapbook. Why has this distant relation made Kate an honored guest and gifted her with beautiful clothing, jewelry and almost cloying kindness? Kate thinks she has the answers....but...?

I would say that to discover the secrets behind this strange tale you will have to read the book. However, as a major Georgette Heyer fan, I don't mind reading her most mediocre novels...and there aren't many. You, on the other hand, may want to save yourself the time. There isn't very much to surprise, enlighten or horrify here. This one is not a keeper.
JANA

Rating:
Summary: Georgette Heyer Has Gone Gothic!
Review: "Cousin Kate" is a dark, gothic novel, different from most of Georgette Heyer's other works. I have nothing against dark or gothic, but there is a lack of originality in this predictable plot and the characters lack the usual "Heyer spark." I believe that the author wrote this novel while she was ill. This is apparent as her delightful verve is very much missing here.

Kate Malvern, 24, orphaned and penniless, has been fired from her job as a governess through no fault of her own. She is surprised by an invitation to stay with her father's half sister, (whom she has never met), at the sumptuous estate Staplewood. There she meets the elderly lord of the manor, her aunt's husband Sir Timothy, their strange and ailing son, Torquil, and a cast of characters right out of the Addam's Family scrapbook. Why has this distant relation made Kate an honored guest and gifted her with beautiful clothing, jewelry and almost cloying kindness? Kate thinks she has the answers....but...?

I would say that to discover the secrets behind this strange tale you will have to read the book. However, as a major Georgette Heyer fan, I don't mind reading her most mediocre novels...and there aren't many. You, on the other hand, may want to save yourself the time. There isn't very much to surprise, enlighten or horrify here. This one is not a keeper.
JANA

Rating:
Summary: The last of the truly classic Heyers
Review: .................................... Her writing style is always exquisite, and her ear for dialogue is parallelled by none. Even in a book where she was not at her utmost greatest, she is still very readable; and Cousin Kate is one of those books. It is not Heyer at her best, however. The characters are just a shade under-developed, veering dangerously towards the two-dimensional, which is very unusual for Heyer, and the story is not as elegantly plotted as we expect from Heyer. Having said this, it remains to be said that "Cousin Kate" shows Heyer at the last height of her talent. Her last historical romances after "Cousin Kate" were "Charity Girl" and "Lady of Quality", both proving a sad disappointment on the whole. So "Cousin Kate" is Heyer's last wholly successful and well-written novel. This gives the book a pathos to the Heyer fan, as does the fact that it was written during a serious illness on Heyer's part. If you read the book, you can sense the author's illness-induced depression underneath the surface comedy, and more obviously, in the dark twists and turns of the Gothic plot. However, Cousin Kate remains a classic Heyer study of character and Regency attitudes, and boasts a wonderfully warm and generous heroine who it is impossible not to dislike, and one of Heyer's most pleasant and agreeable heroes. (If you're expecting the bared teeth and masterful machoism of a Regency Buck, you will be disappointed, but if you like a man who you can talk to, who is warm and considerate and dependant, here is a book that will satisfy you as regards romance) It was written in response to the popularity of the Gothic romance as exemplified in Victoria Holt, so inevitably, such a departure from the "Heyer mould" of gentle and pleasant romance with a strongly realistic and sensible basis could disappoint some fans. But having said all this, I highly recommend the book "Cousin Kate." to anyone who wants to see how competently Heyer handled what is an essentially different type of historical novel.

Rating:
Summary: A dark and different Regency Romance
Review: A very different type of book than Georgette Heyer usually wrote, "Cousin Kate" takes us to a more "Gothic" style of romance and leads us through the dangerous paths of madness.

Kate Malvern is a likeable heroine, yet one who is strangely nieve for all her worldly experience. One starts of not knowing which characters to trust, and this book definately keeps one enthralled to the end.

A book that is not universally liked by Georgette Heyer fans, it is one that you really must read to make your own decisions about it.

Rating:
Summary: A book with a skilful blend of romance & mystery
Review: Georgette Heyer is one of my favourite authors & though this book is given only 3 stars her style of writing is unbeatable. This book feautures a pretty, but penniless heroine spirited away to a life of luxury by her kind aunt or so she thinks. The plot is skilfully woven & it is impossible to guess or be prepared for the ending. This book is not written like her other romance novels featuring a dashing hero admist balls, exclusive clubs etc but set in the countryside. Though at first it might be a little dragging, the plot thickens gradually & it's impossible to put it down. An unforgattable read!! I only wish I could say more, but that would spoil the whole effect of the story. I'm sure this book willl leave a deep impression on emotional hearts, as it did on mine.

Rating:
Summary: Pass on this one.
Review: I've just started reading Georgette Heyer and of the 8 books I have read, I've loved them all until I got to this one. The heroine is annoying and because I could not sympathize with the characters, I found the plot boring and tedious. I'm jealously guarding all my Georgette Heyers for re-reading, but with this book, I could not toss it quickly enough.

Rating:
Summary: A Dark and Depressing Tale
Review: No one can compare to Georgette Heyer. Many try to emulate her style,
but practically no one has mastered it. And in spite of her
troublesome tendency to marry off naive young girls barely out of the
schoolroom to older sophisticated men of the world; and her frequent
portrayal of the middle and merchant classes as uncultured, uncouth
and grasping, perpetually trying to curry favour with the upper
classes; she is still one of my favourite authours.

With this novel,
Heyer abandons somewhat the comedy of manners that she is so well
known for and enters the darker realm of the gothic novel. The heroine
of the piece is Kate Malvern, a penniless orphan, who has just lost
her latest job as a governess and her home. An aunt that she knows
little of offers her a home at Staplewood Manor. Her aunt, Minerva
Broome, wants Kate to act as a companion and friend to her young
cousin, Torquil, who happens to be a charming and clever young man but
who is troubled by frequent mood swings and bouts of depression. All
too soon Kate discovers that all is not well at Staplewood
Manor. There is an atmosphere of secrecy and deception. And Kate soon
finds that she doesn't know whom to trust or what to do.

In Kate
Malvern, Heyer has created a witty, courageous and gallant heroine
that engages the reader. The avid Georgette Heyer fan may miss the
lively light hearted romps she is most famous for, but I can recommend
this book as a wonderful read, especially for its gallant heroine.


Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly different from Heyer's usual Regencies
Review: When I first read Cousin Kate, many years ago, I didn't like it much. But I decided that it was time to give it another try, to see whether my tastes had changed with maturity. Not in this case, it seems.

I realise that this book is in the Gothic style, and of course even Jane Austen tried one Gothic novel - which I don't like anything like as much as the other Austens. My problem with Cousin Kate, however, wasn't its Gothic content, but the fact that much of it is extremely boring. Heyer's other works are full of witty dialogue and entertaining characters; here, the dialogue is dull, the characters uninteresting (even the hero, Philip Broome, failed to excite me), and the narration and introspection tedious. I realise that Heyer is trying, for some part of the book, to indicate Kate's boredom with her situation, but there's no need to bore the readers at the same time!

I couldn't really come to like Kate much, at the same time. She's a young woman of quality - lower-ranking aristocracy - fallen on hard times, like a number of Heyer's other heroines, but without the character or determination or resilience of those other heroines. She hasn't got an ounce of Ancilla Trent's independence and resourcefulness, for example. I found myself gritting my teeth at the way Kate takes her old nurse, Sarah Nidd, for granted: the woman left her family's employ many years earlier and is married with her own family, and yet Kate assumes that she can simply descend on Sarah any time she wants, and be waited on hand and foot - for nothing - in Sarah's own home. No wonder Sarah wrote to Kate's aunt Minerva!

However, this is clearly an aberration among Heyer's usual excellent work. And I don't agree with a previous reviewer that it marked a decline in her talent; Lady of Quality, to which that reviewer refers, is another highly enjoyable Heyer.

Rating:
Summary: Pass on this one.
Review: When Kate Malvern finds herself unable to obtain another post as a governess, her future looks bleak.As a penniless, orphaned daughter of an army officer of good family, her chances of a good marriage are negligible.Unexpectedly,she is visited by an aunt whom she has never met before and whisked off to the country.Aunt Minerva plies her with gifts and clothes,but, to her horror, realises that she's been chosen as a bride for her mad cousin Torquil.She then meets Philip, a nephew and possible heir of Sir Timothy, Torquils father, and they fall madly in love. Terrible tragedy befalls the family before the obligatory happy ending.It's a likeable quick read and quite a bit darker than Miss Heyers usual tales.