Charity Girl

......if you love romance novels......especially victorian english.....then read heyer novels......she is the best of the best......she takes some getting used to because she uses the language of that era......also for example she will use about eight different names for the carriages.......because that's the way her characters would describe them......this actually makes the stories much more interesting...but takes getting used to.......i have almost all of her romance stories and re-read them a lot....however........she also does some books that are more about the history than the romance....and these i do not like so much.......but if you are into history...she really did her research.....this particular book combines romance with comedy......something i really enjoy........

I really liked this Heyer. Unlike many of the silly "love at first sight" stories which are found in my least favorite Heyers (where "offers" are made within days of a couple meeting), this book is about dear friends who have a second chance to find love together. The characters are realistic and likeable-- a pleasure to spend time with. Not a fevered sort of romance, a quiet comedy of manners and real love.

While not my favorite Georgette Heyer novel (which is "Frederica), "Charity Girl" was a very enjoyable read. In this book, you have a Viscount who saves the young Charity Steane from her life of drudgery in her aunt's household. There's also Henrietta Silverdale, Viscount Desford's best friend who gets involved with protecting Charity. But is Henrietta merely his buddy, or something more? Plotwise, this book is very similar to another Heyer novel, "Sprig Muslin," in which another gentleman crosses paths with a young lady in a desperate situation, and decides to come to her rescue with the help of a female acquaintance. Between the two books, I would recommend reading "Charity Girl" over "Sprig Muslin" because I prefer Charity's calm innocence to Amanda's immature, childish antics. I usually prefer Heyer's older heroines, like Frederica and Sophy, to her more flighty, younger heroines, like Leonie from "These Old Shades." But if time allows, read both of course! You can't go wrong with a Heyer.

While I'm a fan of almost everything Heyer writes, this one was vastly amusing. It's filled with busy plot where the hero attempts to be just that: a hero to laud, all without compromising Charity or himself in the meantime. And of course, we cannot forget about prior romantic connections, the expected behavior of a gentleman, or the comedic lenghths at which the hero must travel to honor his word. The conflicts and characters all add up to great entertainment.

When Viscount Desford comes upon a young lady walking to London, he stops to ask her where she is going. Charity says she is running away to her Grandfather, so the Viscount vows to help her find her eccentric relative and ends up travelling all over England looking for them. The rather funny antics of Charity and the Viscounts difficult search make a funny story. The outcome is filled with fate, but it all ends well. It is all Georgette Heyer!