The Indiscretion of the Duchess

by Anthony Hope

Two young men, one of French birth, the other of English, with more time than discretion and in search of amusement travel from London to Normandy to visit "the Duchess" in the absence of her jealous husband. This is the beginning of a series of misadventures and mishaps, which are often amusing and at times tragical. The duke returns unexpectedly, bringing with him an English singer and her mother; he presents his wife's diamonds to the singer, and the duchess leaves his roof. The diamonds are stolen and found again - and affairs generally come to a satisfactory conclusion.
--The Annual American Catalogue (1894)

Genres: Classics

316 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 1923

About the author

Prolific English novelist and playwright Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins especially composed adventure. People remember him best only for the book The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) and its sequel Rupert of Hentzau (1898). These works, "minor classics" of English literature, set in the contemporaneous fictional country of Ruritania, spawned the genre, known as Ruritanian romance. Zenda inspired many adaptations, most notably the Hollywood movie of 1937 of the same name.

Reviews

[Leni Iversen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nowhere near as good as The Prisoner of Zenda but still a fun adventure/romance. It has intrigue, robbery, running around the woods at night in disguise, ladies and gentlemen of dubious virtue, dueling, and such excellent lines as "I knew you were a villain, but I thought you were a gentleman!" Really, I require no more from an afternoon's entertainment.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope is a known quantity in terms of writing style. His high-water mark is undoubtedly The Prisoner of Zenda, but if you enjoy him, you'll enjoy the Duchess. A bit of swashbuckling, a bit of mannerly controversy and, as always, a couple characters who are not playing by the rules.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic story of chivalry, mystery and frightened and oppressed women and the men they encounter. A gentleman who is careless of convention and has no dislike for the intrigue, lands full into one which rouses his interest and changes his ideas.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Indiscretion of the Duchess sat unread in my eBook collection for years until, a bit over a week ago, I chose it at random as my next book to read. Having done that, I'm kind of disappointed that I left it there for so long. The plot is a little too convoluted, and the hero is wildly arrogant, but as a whole, this is a light and fun to read 19th century adventure novel with a good sense of humor and a lot of personality. Admittedly, if a book from this time involves Paris and theft, I'm inclined to give it extra points, but the real strength of this novel is the flippant first person narration. The characters are fairly well written, the story, despite its ridiculous complications, clicks together well, and the pacing is quick, but not overwhelming. The social norms presented in The Indiscretion of the Duchess are the most dated feeling thing about it, making this easy to recommend, even to people who don't usually dig through public domain eBooks.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

read on phone for free

Fun book! Started out with an instance of dubious morality, but ended on a good note...

[Melodee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar achievemebt by the author of The Prisoner of Zenda. Hope was truly a great storyteller.

[Achab_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

picked at random at the library. a nice surprise! :)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quaint. Romantic. Old-fashioned. Enjoyable.