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Two Classic Romances in One Volume: Arabella / The Corinthian
233 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Georgette Heyer
238 books5,790 followersGeorgette Heyer was a prolific historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth.
In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.
Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.
Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.
Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.
In 1925 she married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer. Rougier later became a barrister and he often provided basic plot outlines for her thrillers. Beginning in 1932, Heyer released one romance novel and one thriller each year.
Heyer was an intensely private person who remained a best selling author all her life without the aid of publicity. She made no appearances, never gave an interview and only answered fan letters herself if they made an interesting historical point. She wrote one novel using the pseudonym Stella Martin.
Her Georgian and Regencies romances were inspired by Jane Austen. While some critics thought her novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset.
Heyer remains a popular and much-loved author, known for essentially establishing the historical romance genre and its subgenre Regency romance.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 2, 2021
Georgette Heyer's characters are varied, credible, and many grow and mature as the plot unfolds. What Georgette Heyer does have in common with Jane Austen is her wit, her lightness of touch, her gift for period detail, her ability to create credible, multi-dimensional characters whom feel you'd recognise if you saw them on the street, her ability to set the scene so that you feel you are there, her genius for witty but everyday dialogue. She is such a brilliant writer.
Georgette did intend her historical romances to be light reading and I prefer her Regency romances where she paid loving attention to period detail including historical events, facts, slang and real people such as Beau Brummell, the Regent, the Duke of Wellington.
Georgette did intend her historical romances to be light reading and I prefer her Regency romances where she paid loving attention to period detail including historical events, facts, slang and real people such as Beau Brummell, the Regent, the Duke of Wellington.
August 15, 2026
Two Classic Romances in One Volume: Arabella / The Corinthian is a total of 513 pages not 233 as shown here.
Arabella (280 pages) (4.5 stars)
Arabella reminded me of Frederica although, given the dates of publishing, it should be said the other way round.
The most enjoyable part of this novel for me was reading the helpless objections of almost everyone when Arabella decides to go to the rescue of a badly treated person or animal and reading about the consequent troubles visited upon Robert Beaumaris when he finds himself unable to resist her requests for his help. The least enjoyable parts relate to the exploits of brother Bertram and this is the reason for the reduction to 4.5 stars. As the reduction relates to my own intolerance and impatience with gambling (especially gambling to try and deal with debt), I felt I should give it a 5 star rating on Goodreads rather than 4.
I thought Arabella was a bit daft trying to pay back Beaumaris the way she did. I would just have used a heavy dose of sarcasm in order to tell him how arrogant I thought he was. But then, I was not raised by a clergyman nor am I of her class and era.
I would love to have read a scene between Arabella and Robert Beaumaris's grandmother. I have some sympathy with her when it comes to having little time for a younger 'mealy-mouthed generation'.
(my 15th GH)
The Corinthian (233 pages) (5 stars)
Again, slightly reminiscent of another of GH's novels - The Foundling. Although the heroes and heroines are very different, the situation for Sir Richard Wyndham is similar to that of the Duke of Sale. They both want to escape from family and/or old retainers. Sale escapes deliberately and Richard Wyndham accidentally. In each case, one of the main characters travels incognito and there is in both novels a lot of running around the country creating some havoc and a lot of farcical situations.
The Corinthian has some 'wonderful' characters "poor George", Lady Wyndham, Major Daubenay and Lydia Daubenay. This is another enjoyable romp.
(my 16th GH)
Arabella (280 pages) (4.5 stars)
Arabella reminded me of Frederica although, given the dates of publishing, it should be said the other way round.
The most enjoyable part of this novel for me was reading the helpless objections of almost everyone when Arabella decides to go to the rescue of a badly treated person or animal and reading about the consequent troubles visited upon Robert Beaumaris when he finds himself unable to resist her requests for his help. The least enjoyable parts relate to the exploits of brother Bertram and this is the reason for the reduction to 4.5 stars. As the reduction relates to my own intolerance and impatience with gambling (especially gambling to try and deal with debt), I felt I should give it a 5 star rating on Goodreads rather than 4.
I thought Arabella was a bit daft trying to pay back Beaumaris the way she did. I would just have used a heavy dose of sarcasm in order to tell him how arrogant I thought he was. But then, I was not raised by a clergyman nor am I of her class and era.
I would love to have read a scene between Arabella and Robert Beaumaris's grandmother. I have some sympathy with her when it comes to having little time for a younger 'mealy-mouthed generation'.
(my 15th GH)
The Corinthian (233 pages) (5 stars)
Again, slightly reminiscent of another of GH's novels - The Foundling. Although the heroes and heroines are very different, the situation for Sir Richard Wyndham is similar to that of the Duke of Sale. They both want to escape from family and/or old retainers. Sale escapes deliberately and Richard Wyndham accidentally. In each case, one of the main characters travels incognito and there is in both novels a lot of running around the country creating some havoc and a lot of farcical situations.
The Corinthian has some 'wonderful' characters "poor George", Lady Wyndham, Major Daubenay and Lydia Daubenay. This is another enjoyable romp.
(my 16th GH)
February 19, 2014
Amazing wonderful reads for anyone who loves Regency romances with clean fun humor and lovable characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews