Like Jane Austen, But Funnier: A Quick Book Review of The Nonesuch

For those of you unfamiliar with the author Georgette Heyer, I'd generally sum up her books as "like Jane Austen, but funnier." They are mostly romances, mostly set in Regency England, and they are historically precise, brilliantly written, and sometimes laugh out loud funny. I would unhesitatingly classify Heyer as my favorite author.

This particular novel, The Nonesuch, is Heyer at her witty best. The protagonist, charming and logical Ancilla Trent, is a lady of Quality, but her family's tightened financial circumstances mean that she has had to become a governess/companion. Her current charge is the self-centered and extremely beautiful Miss Tiffany Wield, who is firmly convinced that every man who meets her must be in love with her. 

Ancilla's life seems to be set on a mundane course of social rounds in their small Yorkshire town and trying to control Tiffany's outbursts. However, the town is set on its ears when Sir Waldo Hawkridge, otherwise known as The Nonesuch, arrives. He is there to see to an estate left to him by an elderly relative, but Tiffany quickly decides that Sir Waldo--athletic, charming, leader of London society, and obscenely wealthy--would be the perfect foil to her own beauty. Unfortunately for Tiffany's schemes, Sir Waldo has his eye on her intelligent and amusing governess instead... 

Are you a Jane Austen fan? Have you ever read Georgette Heyer?

If you like this post, you might also like: 
5 Reasons YOU Should Be Reading Georgette Heyer
The Best and Worst of Georgette Heyer


Full Disclosure: all book titles/covers are Amazon affiliate links. If you use the link to buy the book on Amazon, I will get a small referral fee.