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10th out of 50 books
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296 voters
The Corinthian
THE RUNAWAY
When Sir Richard Wyndham, an accomplished Corinthian, comes across a beautiful young woman climbing out of a window in a bid to escape, he finds the ideal opportunity to realise his own escape.
Behind lovely Penelope Creed was the lavish life of a brilliant London heiress, and a proposed marriage to a man she loathed. Ahead, tantalizing, was the shimmering dream...more
When Sir Richard Wyndham, an accomplished Corinthian, comes across a beautiful young woman climbing out of a window in a bid to escape, he finds the ideal opportunity to realise his own escape.
Behind lovely Penelope Creed was the lavish life of a brilliant London heiress, and a proposed marriage to a man she loathed. Ahead, tantalizing, was the shimmering dream...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
November 23rd 2004
by Arrow
(first published 1940)
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This was a fun screwball comedy of a romance. That bumped my rating up to 4 stars. Pen and her "uncle" Richard make a great team.
I want to add that this is one of Heyer's stories where having a glossary would definitely have been a plus. The slang the thieves used went past me for the most part.
I want to add that this is one of Heyer's stories where having a glossary would definitely have been a plus. The slang the thieves used went past me for the most part.
The Corinthian, ironically, had made little and immense impact upon me when I first read it a few years ago. Whilst I didn’t rate it as one of her better novels and swiftly forgot its plot, it has this wonderful and memorable ”Let them look.” moment that I always associate with Heyer’s regency romances… Little and immense indeed!
Heyer is the only author I’ve discovered who can stand, for me, on par with the Austen classics and, whilst this isn’t one of my favourites (These Old Shades, Regency Bu...more
Heyer is the only author I’ve discovered who can stand, for me, on par with the Austen classics and, whilst this isn’t one of my favourites (These Old Shades, Regency Bu...more
This has a fun opening scene, but it's not one of the better Heyers. It's neither a touching romance nor a satisfying madcap adventure. There is some improbably successful cross-dressing, and the age difference between the hero and heroine is a little extreme. I prefer Heyer's older heroines.
One of my favorite Heyers. It involves the urbane, cultured hero-young, unconventional heroine combination, and its done very well here. Penelope Creed literally falls into Richard Wyndham's life late one night, determined to run away from an oppressive marriage to a creepy cousin to find shelter with an old friend of hers. Richard decides to run away with her, as there is a marriage of his own he would like to escape. Hijinx in the form of cross-dressing, escaped criminals, mistaken identity an...more
This is the first Georgette Heyer book I've ever picked up, surprisingly. Very fun, great dialogue, good period slang. This is a classic romp through the British countryside, with a lady in disguise as a lad, a dark sardonic lord, and various relatives, criminals, and secondary characters also haring about in pursuit of various things (jewels, lost nieces, eloping couples.) The plot is fun, the main characters are sympathetic enough, but the real reasons to read this are the witty repartee and t...more
I was pretty excited to discover this hidden gem of an author. Well maybe not hidden to others but she was to me. I had never heard of her before and she's supposedly next to Jane Austen, one of the greatest Regency novel authors! She has a lighthearted writing style infused with humor and lots of charming Regency details. Although Jane Austen was a contemporary writer, Heyer began writing about that era decades later, researching thoroughly the customs and life style of the time, which is why c...more
The Corinthian, as with The Nonesuch, and Faro's Daughter (currently reading) presents the heroine as rebellious to the accepted behavior of the time. Their choices though come out of a desire to take care of their needs, rather than an arrogance or disdain of society. It is this determined self-sufficiency that endears the men of the story to the women. The men all appear to be rich, successful bachelors in their mid 30's who have become bored with life, bored with the woman, and especially the...more
I've been really enjoying Heyer's work lately, and this one is no exception.
let me go ahead and get to the point. I loved Pen & Richard.
even when I love a book, for me it's almost easier to say what i enjoyed less.
(which is not much.) I know that Pen is only 17, and honestly the age difference did not bother me one bit, but certain scenes I thought maybe she acted too childish. Yet it went with the story I think most of the time but it bothered me when she met again her childhood best frie...more
let me go ahead and get to the point. I loved Pen & Richard.
even when I love a book, for me it's almost easier to say what i enjoyed less.
(which is not much.) I know that Pen is only 17, and honestly the age difference did not bother me one bit, but certain scenes I thought maybe she acted too childish. Yet it went with the story I think most of the time but it bothered me when she met again her childhood best frie...more
I think Georgette Heyer must have had a large tax bill to pay when she set out to write this novel, and needed some dosh in a hurry. So,we have a two-dimensional stuffed shirt of a hero on the run with a 'spirited' heroine half his age, dressed as a boy throughout the story. (Forgive me, but hasn't she done that one before?) There is the usual glut of unexplained Regency slang; and of course a contrived happy ending. Recently I read Marghanita Laski's critique of Georgette Heyer novels - that th...more
It had to happen eventually. There had to be a Heyer I did not like, and this is apparently it. It's one of her farce/romance combos, and the book didn't work as either for me. The farce element completely overshadowed the romance, and wasn't interesting enough to stand on its own. As for the two main lovebirds, there is little sign that they are actually developing a romantic connection prior to their declarations of affection. The only reason their happy ending doesn't seem to come out of left...more
Second Heyer I read, and much better then Faro's Daughter IMO. Pen was a very delightful heroine, and I felt Heyer did a much better job developing the budding romance between Pen and Richard then she did with the main characters in Faro's Daughter.
The plot was engaging and well maintained throughout the book, full of the types of adventures you'd expect to find in a regency (i.e. struggles against marriages of convenience, a bored yet lonely dandy, a girl disguised as a boy). I did have a bit o...more
The plot was engaging and well maintained throughout the book, full of the types of adventures you'd expect to find in a regency (i.e. struggles against marriages of convenience, a bored yet lonely dandy, a girl disguised as a boy). I did have a bit o...more
This review will be wholly unhelpful to anyone who is not me, FYI.
Ahhhh! I had the niggling sensation about halfway through this book that it was something I had read before, a very long time ago, when I was a little little kid, and when I had gotten about 2/3 through it I was POSITIVE I had, AND parts of this story have been appearing in my dreams for about 20 years, but I could never identify where they came from. I feel like I have to give it 5 stars at least because I am so thrilled to make...more
Ahhhh! I had the niggling sensation about halfway through this book that it was something I had read before, a very long time ago, when I was a little little kid, and when I had gotten about 2/3 through it I was POSITIVE I had, AND parts of this story have been appearing in my dreams for about 20 years, but I could never identify where they came from. I feel like I have to give it 5 stars at least because I am so thrilled to make...more
Though I wasn't initially engaged with the rather drawn-out and verbose beginning, I quickly found myself hooked into one of Heyer's most madcap adventures of those I have read (on par, or even more outrageous than The Grand Sophy). Despite the convoluted plot and rather tenuous role of chance threading its way through the novel, I enjoyed myself immensely.
The two main characters are wonderfully written, with more believable motives and character arcs than the otherwise fantastic story would see...more
The two main characters are wonderfully written, with more believable motives and character arcs than the otherwise fantastic story would see...more
Curiously, I did not enjoy this novel as much as I had expected to. I really really liked it, but I didn't get the same kind of satisfactory and awesome feeling I got after reading "The Black Moth" and "Powder and Patch" by the same author. The story, although good, seemed too unbelievable, which made the characters appear awkward as a whole, though I loved them individually. Sir Richard was a perfect, Heyer-typical hero and I thought the character of Penelope to be vastly entertaining. She was...more
This tale’s as light as a feather,
The Corinthian and the brat travel together,
He is just a trustee in the unwritten pact,
Is it true that opposites will attract?
Ok, let me not make dizzy attempts at writing a poem. A Corinthian is someone who is wealthy, very stylish, trendy and powerful. 29 year old, handsome Sir Richard Wyndham is the protagonist in this romantic comedy. He has lived a disciplined, convenient, lavish but boring life. The story starts with a hilarious scene where Richard’s mom...more
The Corinthian and the brat travel together,
He is just a trustee in the unwritten pact,
Is it true that opposites will attract?
Ok, let me not make dizzy attempts at writing a poem. A Corinthian is someone who is wealthy, very stylish, trendy and powerful. 29 year old, handsome Sir Richard Wyndham is the protagonist in this romantic comedy. He has lived a disciplined, convenient, lavish but boring life. The story starts with a hilarious scene where Richard’s mom...more
This was really not my favourite Heyer although I was entirely prepared to love it and I thought the beginning was great. As soon as they set out on the road, however, it turned into a less engaging version of SPRIG MUSLIN and I had issues with both the hero and the heroine, particularly with Pen. I genuinely liked her but she came across as far to young and immature to be entering into a relationship with Richard - I expected that she might grow up over the course of the novel but she didn't fo...more
After re-reading this, I've decided that The Corinthianis one of my top-tier favorite Georgette Heyers. Sir Richard Wyndham is one of Heyer's perfectly formed, well-bred, fashion sense-gifted, wealthy heroes who is tired of his life. Sir Richard has just resigned himself to the marriage his family is pushing him into when he runs into young Penelope Creed, a friendly, talkative heiress, who is literally running away from the marriage her own family is forcing on her. Sir Richard decides to help...more
I'm not a big fan of The Corinthian. It reminds me a great deal of The Talisman Ring, in that nearly all the action takes place at an inn and the two focal characters at the beginning of the novel are a young, foolish, romantic girl and an older, practical, seemingly unsentimental man. However, The Talisman Ring doesn't try to make us believe that these two characters could love one another. Instead, the gap between them is bridged by a humorous yet practical lady closer to the hero's age, who b...more
So I really need to pace myself when it comes to Georgette Heyer books. It really doesn't take me very long at all to read through one. I've read all of her regency romances before, so when I do read them, it's usually to revisit one I've liked in the past. I have to admit that I'd forgotten how much I liked this one. Pen Creed is such a hilarious character. She's young enough to be able to pull off innocent, yet she's enough of an individual to take the world at her own speed. Sir Richard turns...more
Penelope is being forced into marriage with a cousin that she finds absolutely repulsive. Her cousin's family is in desperate financial straights and they need her money as much as she needs to "marry for the sake of the family", or so they tell her. So to escape this fate she decides she is going to dress up as a boy and run away to her childhood home, and childhood sweetheart, whom she swore a blood oath with that she would one day marry when they were small children. On the way out the window...more
While filtering through some old books I stumbled across a 1960s copy of this 1940s book. Having heard so much about the great Georgette Heyer from readers and authors, I decided to give it a try.
I hate to say I was disappointed but I was. I felt like I was reading a Sherlock Holmes romance novel. While I enjoyed the suspense parts of the novel the romance part left much to be desired.
Penelope Creed, a seventeen year old girl, dresses as a boy and runs away from an unwanted marriage. With the h...more
I hate to say I was disappointed but I was. I felt like I was reading a Sherlock Holmes romance novel. While I enjoyed the suspense parts of the novel the romance part left much to be desired.
Penelope Creed, a seventeen year old girl, dresses as a boy and runs away from an unwanted marriage. With the h...more
Both Richard Wyndham and Penelope Creed are pressured by their relatives to find a spouse, and a chance meeting out of a window leads them to run away together. Through adventures with Bow Street Runners and stolen diamonds, the two fall in love. This is classic Heyer, complete with urbane, sarcastic hero and sprightly, empathic heroine.
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As always, I love Georgette Heyer. This is a much less audacious novel than These Old Shades and I enjoyed it less, probably because I felt like it was simpler - and the characters were somewhat more standard. That said, it's probably technically the better book of the two. Heyer truly is the mistress of the period romance novel.
Also, it's enjoyable to recognize that she definitely has a heroine type, and that her heroes are often attracted to specifically manly or boyish women. There are freque...more
Also, it's enjoyable to recognize that she definitely has a heroine type, and that her heroes are often attracted to specifically manly or boyish women. There are freque...more
Great classic Regency historical romance! Richard is almost 30, and his mother and sister have informed him that he must marry to have children to carry on the family name. Richard is a friend of Beau Brummell and a similar paragon of men's fashion and behavior. He's not happy about his family's choice of bride - an "iceberg," his brother-in-law terms her, with a family in chronic debt, which Richard is expected to assuage, albeit temporarily, no doubt.
He's out on the town in preparation for tom...more
He's out on the town in preparation for tom...more
Quite light, even for Heyer, and with only a slightly-developed romance, but a lot of fun nonetheless. There were plenty of textbook Heyer elements here: a bit of farce, numerous meddling relatives, awful marriage arrangements, someone cross-dressing, a sunny heroine and a sardonic hero, and, oh yes, a dead body. I quite liked Pen, who spun terrific lies and could come up with dashingly romantic adventures at the drop of a hat, and I also quite liked Richard, who unruffledly went along with the...more
So now this is for sure...I’m officially hooked on Georgette Heyer. The last time something like this happened I plunged head first into anything and everything Plaidy and never looked back- it’s not the same, I know; but there are certainly many some similarities. There’s just something about historical fiction writers who keep the language of the times and make the dialog seem so real as though it were actually written back then.
The details of the setting, the perceptions, the fashion, the att...more
The details of the setting, the perceptions, the fashion, the att...more
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This book was wonderful. It reminded me of the British farces my sister and I used to go see growing up. Pen's madcap "adventures" were hilarious, as were the convoluted lies she seemed willing to spew at the drop of a hat. It was great seeing her draw out Sir Richard's true character as something of an adventurer himself, and their misunderstood kiss was the perfect ending. I was so glad that Piers turned out to be such an idiot. It was also very funny to see Pen's reaction to Lydia. Her commen...more
Oh dear, and I'd begun to think Heyer couldn't write something I wouldn't enjoy. The story turns on an extremely implausible and madcap adventure when a very young girl of seventeen runs away from home and falls in with a 29-year-old man fleeing his own potential engagement. The two leads have a charming relationship rather like an uncle and an adorable little niece, which works just fine until about two-thirds through the book, when they abruptly decide they're in love with each other--and that...more
A Corinthian is another name for the Beau Brummel, dandy types, who swanned around during the Regency period.
In this one, Sir Richard is incredibly rich and extremely elligible - even though he is ancient at, gsap!, 29 - and is expected to marry into a debt riddled family with a good name to save their fortunes.
At the last minute, while extrmely drunk he meets a young lady running away from her expected marriage and much hilarity and adventures ensue which are absolutely unbelieveable but thorou...more
In this one, Sir Richard is incredibly rich and extremely elligible - even though he is ancient at, gsap!, 29 - and is expected to marry into a debt riddled family with a good name to save their fortunes.
At the last minute, while extrmely drunk he meets a young lady running away from her expected marriage and much hilarity and adventures ensue which are absolutely unbelieveable but thorou...more
In the beginning of all the chapters of Ain't She Sweet,Susan Elizabeth Phillips put excerpts from some of Georgette Heyer novels. That's how I learn the existence of The Corinthian. I really liked it. There was something theatrical about the dialogues. It's really funny and it's gonna make you smile a lot. I liked the character of Pen. There was something light and pure about her. I appreciated the character of Richard too. He played the game and did not spoil the adventure for Pen. The mix of...more
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Georgette Heyer was an amazingly prolific writer who created the Regency England genre of romance novels.
Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller 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. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more
More about Georgette Heyer...
Georgette Heyer was an intensely private person. A best-seller 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. Heyer wrote very well-researched historical fiction, fu...more
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6 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Sir Richard sighed. "Rid yourself of the notion that I cherish any villainous designs upon you person," he said. "I imagine I might well be your father. How old are you?"
"I am turned seventeen."
"Well, I am nearly thirty," said Sir Richard.
Miss Creed worked this out. "You couldn't possibly be my father!"
"I am far too drunk to solve arithmetical problems. Let is suffice that I have not the slightest intention of making love to you.”
—
26 people liked it
"I am turned seventeen."
"Well, I am nearly thirty," said Sir Richard.
Miss Creed worked this out. "You couldn't possibly be my father!"
"I am far too drunk to solve arithmetical problems. Let is suffice that I have not the slightest intention of making love to you.”
“I see now that there is a great deal in what Aunt Almeria says. She considers that there are terrible pitfalls in Society."
Sir Richard shook his head sadly. "Alas, too true!"
"And vice," said Pen awfully. "Profligacy, and extravagance, you know."
"I know."
She picked up her knife and fork again. "It must be very exciting," she said enviously.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Sir Richard shook his head sadly. "Alas, too true!"
"And vice," said Pen awfully. "Profligacy, and extravagance, you know."
"I know."
She picked up her knife and fork again. "It must be very exciting," she said enviously.”
Jul 31, 2012 02:25pm
Jul 31, 2012 04:07pm