Reviews
Three years ago I enjoyed The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer and I expected to like Arabella as well but I didn't. In fairness to Heyer, I have to point first to the copy I was reading. It's an old, cheap paperback from 1971. The pages are yellowed which mae the tiny font harder to read. Tiny, faded text combined with Heyer's lengthy paragraphs and elaborate language made for difficult reading at my usual pace. Then there's the plot. From reviews I've read Arabella is sometimes compared to Romeo & Juliet. I was reminded more of LoveHampton by Sherri Rifkin and both, if I were to pick a Shakespearian play, remind me of The Taming of the Shrew. Having so enjoyed Rifkin's novel, I just wasn't in the mood for such a similar story.
I have been wanting to read some of where this type of romance writing began. This book and author has been a great way to see where the Regency genre began and reflect upon where it is today! The story itself is cute. I do believe the leading male to be too old for the leading female. This caused a few problems for me. However, Regency era was a different time, this was originally published in the 1950's, and it is meant to be a comedy. Cute and funny. Nothing I will come back to though.
