Misses Millikin

Very much in the style of Georgette Heyer with continuous conversation to carry the storyline, "The Misses Millikin" is a perfect portrayal of dysfunctional Regency family. The scrapes this family has gotten themselves into! The Millikin's are a large family composed of ten sisters and brothers (the eldest two are the oldest children of Mr. Millikin (now deceased) and his first wife). The stories to follow are: - Rosemary, a newlywed in love with her seeming cold husband and in debt has pawned her husband's family's sapphires, and then goes to a loan shark for money to redeem them. - Angelica, feels the ugly duckling and uses an assumed name to obtain a position of employment to help Rosemary with her debts. She falls under the spell of a rake, but uses the opportunity of disguise to ask all sorts of impertinent questions such as "what is an orgy!" - Fennel, a young man has gotten himself in trouble with the blackmailing mama of a young woman who he had flirted with. - Lily, in love with her "older" suitor decides he is not romantic enough and is trying to set up an elopement with someone else to end the engagement. - Then enter Marigold, the mother & stepmother, vacuous mind trying to problem solve. She has left the raising of her young children to Angelica and really doesn't want to lose her to a rake (besides wanting a man for herself!) (The five younger children play a role in this book too, but not huge) - Top this off with Valerian, eldest son and physician, who thinks the whole family is hugely amusing and hilarious. You will enjoy the conversation, the predicaments and ultimately the outcome of each convoluted story. Will Rosemary's cold husband divorce her or does he really care about her after all! Will Lily elope with the smooth "buccaneer" she met at the masquerade ball? Will Fennel be sued for breach of promise? Does Angelica find out what an orgy is? I loved Valerian, who would have visitors turned out of the house (consistently) by his housekeeper who invented cases of measles for him to attend to. Does he get his own due in the end? What a hoot when each Milliken in love describes their symptoms to Valerian -- heart palpitations, stomach ailments! This is not a light reading novel. You have to concentrate on the conversations closely to get the hilarious story - but it is well worth reading. I think there may be another book in this series about the younger siblings which I am off to find.