The Charm School

The Calhoun Chronicles #1

by Susan Wiggs

An awkward misfit in an accomplished, Boston family, Isadora Peabody yearns to escape her social isolation and sneaks aboard the Silver Swan, bound for Rio, leaving it all behind.

Ryan Calhoun, too, had a good family name. But he'd purposely walked away from everything it afforded him. Driven by his quest to right an old wrong, the fiery, temperamental sea captain barely registers the meek, young woman who comes aboard his ship.

To the Swan's motley crew, the tides of attraction clearly flow between the two. Teaching her the charms of a lady, they hope to build the confidence she needs to attract not only their lonely captain's attention, but his heart, as well. For everyone knows the greatest charms are not those of the formal lady, but rather the possibilities of a new world built on love.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adult, Adventure

391 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The classic ugly duckling story - of course she has to lose weight to be beautiful! Of course she has to lose her glasses to be beautiful! Of course she has to smoke weed by a waterfall to be ... wait. What?

[MelissaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Charm School was a good book about an ugly duckling heroine who finds new life when she travels aboard a ship to Rio. The hero is a bit of a rakish daredevil who slowly falls for the heroine over the long ship journey. The story had a lot of great detail about life on a ship and really brought the setting and characters to life. The heroine's transformation from a plain, plump spinster who was too smart and horrible at social situations to a confident woman who believed in herself was the main part of the book. The romance was a little too off to the side for me, I would have liked to see the leads together more and a nice epilogue. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the fun setting of the ship and Rio. I really liked the heroine and wanted a better life for her. I liked the fun-loving hero but would have liked to see him with the heroine more often. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting an exotic location and people who enjoy ugly duckling stories.

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isadora Peabody is a shy, pasty duckling who can't get no man. Ryan Calhoun is a brassy redheaded Captain who is a bad man. They end up on a sea voyage and Isadora gets hot and Ryan also gets hot and then they get hot together before the devastating realization of feelings.

1. Uninspired 'ugly duckling' story: Isadora wears glasses and is plump and is pale and has allergies and is educated omg. Then she goes on a Voyage of Discovery and no longer needs glasses! And loses weight! And gets tan! And, somehow, loses her allergies entirely! And gets BOLD to better hide her education!

I don't care for it. I don't like the message that women who are any or all of the things that Isadora is at the start of the book are somehow unworthy or undeserving of love. And while I don't think the real message of this book is that to be truly confident you have to change everything about you, that is...exactly what happens to the heroine.

Which is underlined and made worse by the very After-School-Special tone the book takes in its fourth and final act, when Isadora triumphantly returns to Boston society and takes them by storm. Suddenly it's piles of paragraphs going on and on about how "hollow" her popularity was and how foolish she was for wanting it in the first place. Which—OK, sure. I bet there is some important messaging there about being ~true to yourself or whatever but it's mired in this sensation that popular people are all fools for their place in society. IDK.

2. Ryan is kind of a shell of a hero. He is bad! Because he's....selfish! And he can't offer love because he has other promises to fulfill! But because he won't talk about any of this with Isadora, it's a much bigger problem then it needs to be.

ALSO I cannot go on without addressing the relationship between Ryan and Journey. Ryan is Virginian (they plant seeds in the ground) and the child of a plantation owner. Journey was his personal slave until the age of ~18 or so when Ryan went to Harvard and freed Journey once across the Mason-Dixon line. This is complicated by the fact that Journey has a wife and children still living in slavery in Virginia that he can now no longer see / visit / etc. because there's a very real chance he would be re-enslaved, or worse. Complicating things EVEN MORE is the weird/gross fetishization of Ryan's feelings towards and for Journey and Journey's estranged family. The text sometimes veers into strange ... highlighting of how Journey's experiences impact Ryan without ever actually giving Journey the voice or agency to own those experiences.

It bothered me, and it also bothered me because both Ryan and Isadora are portrayed as being "in the right" even though I'm not sure they really were....

3. The romance is: basic.

4. They do have sex while HIGH AF ON MARIJUANA THO! FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING.

5. Even with my myriad of complaints, this was engaging and fundamentally well-written. Absolutely there are problematic beats which I did not enjoy, but I never got the urge to fling the book into the ocean dramatically, GOB-style.

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reissue of a 1999 release.

What a wonderful story about love and transformation Susan Wiggs has penned in “The Charm School”. It combines the lure of “Pygmalion” with the fairy tale of “The Ugly Duckling” and even throws in a dash of anti-slavery activism. And it all comes together beautifully in a story that validates hopes and dreams of love and freedom.

Isadora is the ugly duckling. In her family of slim, pale blondes, she’s a full-figured, tall brunette; and in 1850s Boston high-society she was the fish out of water. Too well-educated, unwilling to merely smile and keep silent, Dora spent her teen years folding in on herself like an old accordion. Humiliation and embarrassment finally drive her to escape the only way she can…she decides to hire herself out as a linguist on a family friend’s trading ship.

Ryan, on the other hand, is beautiful, sexy, and full of charm. He grew up the privileged son of a southern plantation owner. It wasn’t until his childhood friend, Journey, was forced to live apart from his wife and children that Ryan came face-to-face with the true ugliness of slavery. In that moment, his life changed. His purpose became to free Journey and his family, whatever the cost. Now he’s only one voyage away from his goal.

Although not a fan of American pre-Civil War novels, I did enjoy this well-written novel. Ms Wiggs’ skillfully included many sailing and historical facts that I found very interesting. She balanced the seriousness of her subjects with bouts of humor; the hero and heroine first make love while under the influence of marijuana!! I’m pretty sure I can honestly say it’s the first time I’ve seen pot used as a plot device!

The author’s writing is vivid and descriptive. I easily imagined myself caged with the heroine in Boston and learning freedom onboard the ship and exploring Rio de Janeiro. The passion between the lead characters was believable and paced realistically. While I may never become a rabid fan of novels from this era, Susan Wiggs “The Charm School” has certainly made me a fan of this author.

[ChloeLeeNH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. I liked the whole Ugly Duckling premise. He wasn't too much of a rogue and the scenes that put him in that light were bearable. If anyone has any other Ugly Duckling suggestions please let me know!!

I got this one from the library but I think I will make it a keeper soon!

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the early 1850's, a motley crew of men managed a ship captained by Virginian Ryan Calhoun. They have returned to Boston in record time for their employer, Able Easterbrook, to earn a sizable amount of money. Before heading to Brazil on another mission, Ryan met the withdrawn and frumpy Isadora Dudley Peabody. Aware of her prestigious family, he sensed there was more to Miss Peabody than meets the eye. He was kind to her.

Preparing for the voyage, he found out that Isadora had been hired on by Mr. Easterbrook as his translator. Angry with her- he already told her she couldn't go- he intended on making her regret the upcoming trip. Except things never worked out as he planned.

They verbally spar and snap at each other. Then they make a pact to ignore one another. In the meantime, Isadora finds herself in her element. She enjoyed the crew members teaching her new ideas. She found herself fond of the sea. She was unafraid to do manual work. Everything seemed to backfire on Ryan. And the worst thing was that he missed her attention. She was changing before his eyes and he wanted her.

Covering the span of months, this light romance blends the opposites-attract theme with a serious secondary story concerning slavery. At times a little choppy, I didn't envy the author trying to fuse the somber subject of enslavement and the funny moments of the romance itself. But I enjoyed Ms. Wiggs' style of writing, enough to consider looking for other stories by this author.

[Tina | readinginbliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Nov 2012:

✨️ 5 stars ✨️

This historical romance book, The Charm School by Susan Wiggs, is about an ugly duckling, Isadora Peabody, who travels aboard Silver Swan to escape society. A temperamental sea captain, Ryan Calhoun, is driven by a request to “right an old wrong.” Sparks slowly fly when Ryan's crew helps Isadora charm into Ryan's heart.

I read this a long time ago, and remember it being a cute read. It flowed quickly and nicely together. H/h relationship meshed well together — with a little guidance and confidence, Isadora became a beautiful swan. 5 stars.

A quote from the book:

“It was a wonder, after so many years of trying to press herself into society’s mold, to suddenly suspect that the problem was with the mold, not with her.”

[Livros A Go-Go ~Joyci ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu achei esse livro impecável.

Isadora não se encaixa na família linda e perfeita que possui. Inteligente e versátil, logo que surge a oportunidade de se afastar e tentar ser ela mesma sem se preocupar em agradar a todos o tempo todo, ela agarra-a. Ela parte como membro do navio Cisne Prateado, que possui como capitão Ryan, um homem que possui ideias abolicionistas e também carrega uma bagagem familiar complicada .
Entre o caminho de Boston até o Rio de Janeiro Isadora descobrirá que ser ela mesma é o que a embeleza, enquanto que Ryan encontrará na sua companheira de viagem o seu mais valioso tesouro.

Em The Charm School a autora estabeleceu uma relação com a famosa história do patinho feio, fazendo uma reflexão sobre as cobranças da sociedade e a eterna luta dos indivíduos, que cedem e submetem-se aos padrões impostos para que sejam aceitos.

Um fato interessante é que o livro aborda a escravidão através de personagens secundários e de uma forma respeitosa e muito realista. Foi impossível não lembrar das recentes notícias sobre o livro brasileiro que usará esse fato histórico tão triste como enfeite para conduzir um enredo de maneira irresponsável.

Agora resta eu aprender a diferença entre romance histórico e romance de época, não sei como definir. hahaha

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Was the quintessential romance.. with the usual formulas put to good use
1. Ugly duckling turning into a beautiful Swan
2. This change brought about by a man
3. This man being the proverbial Rake
4. Not only a rake, but also a handsome, blacksheep of the family who have women swooning over sort of rake
5. Initial antipathy between the two opposites
6. The principles of opposites attack being put to good use
7. The realization at the end
8. A catastrophe which prompted that realization.

Not so common formula

1. strife between the sophisticated Southerner and uncouth Northerners
2. Slaves and their abuse/misuse

Thing I liked
1. Descriptive sea voyage
2. There was no much nasty description of physical anatomy and sound effects when they finally "did" it. Thankfully the reader was spared yucky details.
3. Last but never the least: the beginning of each chapter was dedicated with a poem or a ditty.... one which I found the most appealing was towards the end of the book


I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

II
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttjr4...


Plot:
Ugly duckling of a prominent Northern family meets the blacksheep of a Southern family, who is a sea ship captain by choice. She embarks on the voyage as part of the "crew" - her job being the translator between the English only Southerner and the Latin and SPanish foreign sea port traders. Finally they reach Rio. Spent a few weeks there. Come back to Boston. Things happen towards the end of the return journey and thereafter.

[ReadToBreathe]

DNF at 50%
What kind of an idiot woman would let a man kiss her after a few hours of him sleeping with another. The book was boring from the first page but I had enough with it at this point.

[Miranda Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a corker of a tale! Set in Boston 1850's, the open sea and Brazil.
Isadora Peabody, an intelligent, uptight, recessive spinster ugly duckling in a gilded Beacon Hill Boston family escapes the constraints of her life and blossoms at sea on a voyage she finagles with the shipper, another eminent Bostonian.

The ship's captain is a southerner with secret plans involving his childhood companion and freed slave, Journey. He's talked his way into captaining a ship to Brazil with a cargo of ice and a return trip laden with other valuables all to finance purchasing Journey's wife and children from slavery. He's a charming scoundrel who's annoyed she's been foisted on him, along with his own mother for the southbound trip; she's as tightly wound up as her busk and horrified by his easy-sleasy ways right off the bat.

But he and the crew and the sun and the salt air all have their effects on her. At the same time, she sheds her inhibitions about herself, embraces the wonders she experiences every day on board and slowly but surely comes into her own befriending all the crew and needling the captain. The teasing antagonism cum attraction is well-played and their conversations delightful. Bith have their reasons for resisting the pull of the other but succumb anyway. Great chemistry.

If the author's photo didn't show a nice, landlocked woman, I'd have sworn she was a lifelong sailor, or she came across as such to my landlubber's ears. The descriptions of the bark, the activities of the crew, sailing protocols, the dangers and challenges faced all felt real, accurate and urgent. I was swept up in the story at every level. The characters were wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Everyone leapt off the page, the tittering snots at a Beacon Hill engagement party for Isadora's younger sister, the ship's owner, the crew, the captain and his mother and her sister in Rio. It was an enchanting two days of reading, and I even felt a bit seasick during the storm, the descriptions were so vivid and the tension so palpable.

Loved this. Very involving from start to finish.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very touching and unique! I loved the characters of this story and I liked watching their journey. The ships crew and their adventures, as well as their mission of freedom... very beautiful.

I did want a bit more of the romance. And there was no epilogue which made me sad. But on to the next one!

4 stars
1.5 on the spice scale

[VaultOfBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

By Susan Wiggs. Grade: B
I read the back blurb and was immediately excited because it showed a lot of promise. Historicals almost always have the same recurring theme – you guessed it, reformed rakes – and I thought this change was refreshing.
Isadora Peabody is an awkward misfit in her beautiful and accomplished family. Shunned by those she yearns to befriend, she gives her heart to a man who doesn’t even know she exists. With nothing to lose, she seizes the chance to journey to a wondrous new world in search of a dream.
In a society where men are judged by their family name and position, Ryan Calhoun is considered to be reckless for walking away from his. Driven by his quest to right an old wrong, the fiery, temperamental sea captain doesn’t have time to look after the meek young woman who comes aboard his ship.
What Isadora discovers on the voyage is more adventure than she could have imagined. The crew of motley sailors becomes her own personal charm school, teaching her to be a lady. And giving her the confidence to believe in a startling new love.

Isadora Peabody is the black sheep in her family, socially inept and dark where the rest of her family is charming and golden. Everything changes when she finds out that Ryan Calhoun, a sea captain, is in need of an interpreter for his next voyage. Ryan is against a female interpreter but Isadora is persistent and with a little blackmail manages to get on the ship. And this starts are journey of transformation and love.
I have never read a story with an ugly heroine. That was another aspect I looked forward to. Ugly, mind you, not plain. Plain means that at some point in the novel there will be a paragraph in which the hero realizes that the heroine is actually beautiful. Her pert nose suddenly becomes incredibly adorable. Or the poor shabby librarian may take off her thick, thick lenses to reveal gorgeous eyes underneath.
So, that was interesting. Also, Isadora was lovable and it was delightful to see her transform into a confident woman. She was a genuinely admirable heroine, as she made things happen for herself. She took initiative to turn her life around, and fell in love in the process.
But, I wish there had been more interaction between Isadora and Ryan. We get a lot of glossing over prose through which weeks of shipboard life elapse. I also didn’t agree with the way the physical aspect of this book played out. First, I was screaming on the inside when they docked in Rio and Ryan engaged a dock whore DESPITE being attracted to Isadora.
Second, it wasn’t one of those novels that you just can’t put down. And when I got to the hemp smoking episode that ruined the book for me. No spoilers, but those who have already read this book will know what I mean.
For various reasons I felt somewhat disconnected to the characters. Because of this, I didnt feel that the physical descriptions of the characters were thorough enough, especially in the case of Ryan. I never felt any chemistry and thought that there was always more “telling” than “showing”. Their love seemed to be based on attraction due to the difference between the two. What about ten years later when they know each other too well for there to be any mystery? I also had a hard time feeling their love..it almost felt forced a bit.
Ryan was garish and very unpleasant, yet showed sputters of charm. I never warmed up to his character, but I did come close. I didn’t understand why he was this way. Whenever it seemed like the two characters were growing in character, they would revert back to old habits.
Since the author often refers to the main character as the Ugly Duckling, I was expecting a more descriptive story of how she developed from an Ugly Duckling into a Beautiful Swan. She was described as gauche, pale, with having somewhat of wiry hair and a plumped figure. Though I don’t recall the story ever explaining how she lost weight and her hair becoming soft and shiny, as well as her becoming attractive. I was also hoping that her physical beauty would become more visible once the glasses were thrown overboard. Eh, I don’t know… I thought it was an insult to people who are not beautiful? Can’t anyone fall in love with them?
This was my first Susan Wiggs book, and will probably be my last.
Here is an interesting link on the author’s website where she has posted an image of Isadora.


Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm cautiously...CAUTIOUSLY...giving this book 2.5-3 stars, which is really bifurcated between 3.5-4 for the writing, atmosphere, setting, and plot and 2 for the romance.

3.5-4 = The author does a nice job of weaving magical descriptions of exotic Rio and earthy shipboard life. I learned a lot of nautical terminology after searching Google while reading. The characters were pretty well drawn, even though I didn't necessarily like them (if that makes sense?). Isadora's life in Boston was miserable, and her awkwardness and self-pity were hard to read. The transformation on board the ship is surprising and pretty gratifying to witness. It takes a while to get there, though, as they don't leave Boston until ~30% into the book. There is a subplot that involves slavery, too, which was interesting and revealing. (American historicals are not my usual reading fare.) Basically, in terms of substance, I think this book does an admirable job of setting the stage and drawing the reader into the story.

2 = That said, in terms of the romance, I wish there had been more interaction between Isadora and Ryan. We get a lot of glossing over prose through which weeks of shipboard life elapse. I also didn't agree with the way the physical aspect of this book played out. First, I was screaming on the inside (not in a good way) when they docked in Rio and Ryan did what he did, even after we learn of his recognizing an attraction of sorts to Isadora. He docks in Rio and avails himself of the services of a dockside whore. And then lets Isadora know. And this becomes a point of discussion a couple of times. *smacks forehead* I also disagree with the speed of the physical development of their first physical coupling intensely because I don't think they were thinking rationally at all. They go from a couple of kisses to skinny-dipping in the rainforest and making love while high on hemp cigars.

Overall, I'd say this was a decent book for the ability to transport the reader to the time period and the exotic locations and showing us the main character's transformation. However, as a romance, I feel it falls short.

P.S. Hero is a redhead, for anyone who cares about that stuff.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

**plot spoilers**
You know when the book’s compared to the ugly duckling you’re in for a treat.

I don’t go for that whole ugly duckling story anyway, and in here it just didn’t work.

Her very name bothered me. Isadora Peabody. Could the author have possibly thought up a more loser-y name? I guess it’s fitting for the character though, because boy she was a loser.

This girl was stupid. She was well-read and knew something that would come in handy on a ship, I can’t remember what though, and she was smart when women weren’t supposed to be. I’m all for that in a character, but not if she’s gotta be compared to the ugly duckling and pirates (yes, middle aged men on Ryan’s ship) have to help her be more womanly. It was pathetic.

If I’m not mistaken, because it’s been a while since I’ve read this, the first time we meet ‘ol Ryan is when there’s a whore on his lap and his mom comes on deck. He’s a real winner.

The first time she meets him she’s really pushy and tries to convince him that he needs her on board his ship, because she sees it as her chance of escape and all. But I didn’t care for it all. She was just getting on my nerves,

It was unforgiveable to me that even after he’d ventured with her on the sea he goes and sees a whore when he makes port. To make us feel better though, he didn’t feel what he usually did. He came out unsatisfied. Yeah, I feel loads better. Isadora isn’t naïve, she knows what he was doing but she doesn’t seem to care much.

Then there was the whole thing of her scratching and sweating down the front of her bodice which was annoying. Also, if my memory serves correct she didn’t know how to swim and I can’t stand that. It’s just annoying.

All in all, this wasn’t a good book. I can’t remember one thing that I liked about.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Seriously, this book needs an epilogue. I want to know what happens to Ryan and Isadora. Do they go sailing the seas? Do they live in Boston? WHAT HAPPENS!!!
I loved that this story was a kind of Ugly Duckling retelling. Though a highborn lady, Isadora was too ungraceful, intelligent, and not pretty enough to fit in with Boston high society. Therefore, she manipulated her way onto the ship the hero, Ryan, was captaining. She knew some foreign languages, and as they were going to Brazil, he needed that. This story followed Isadora through her time aboard ship, where she learned to be more confident in herself, and to love who she was. Ryan helped her out with this, by showing her that fitting in and being the most popular weren't the most important things in life. Sometimes he was a bit thoughtless, but he recognized that. Besides, he made up for being a jerk by freeing his best friend Journey, who used to be a slave, and doing whatever it took to reunite Journey with his lost family. That included lying his way into a captaincy.
This is really all over the place, but honestly, the book is now one of my favorite historical romances. I loved the ship, the crew, the setting, and all the themes. It was just brilliantly done.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“She had always been good at dreaming, but what she had never done before was believe a dream could actually come true. She believed now. The wonder of setting sail created possibilities she had never considered before.”
― Susan Wiggs, The Charm School



Fun frothy historical adventure at sea! Predictable but fun. And I liked the main character.

This is sort of a coming of age.romance./sea adventure. Book given to me by a friend. Fun reading and quick. 3.5 stars.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I am in love with Isadora. What a woman. She works right along side her man. She learns what is important in life and what is trivial. Great adventures.

[Nisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this era in history. It's hard to find stories that specialize in American life (considering there is an excess of westerns from this time period). Considering that most of the book too place on a ship, there was ample interaction between the H/h and allowed the heroine to grow. Isadora has a cool name, but she was a pretty pitiable creature during the beginning of this story. Smart, but socially awkward and a bit of a coward. Ryan (also love this name) is really a great guy, despite the fact that he fails at nearly everything he does. In this book, the heroine is actually more academically competent (though not so much socially) than the hero. He is also a bit of a hedonist and we find him with a whore during his first scene. Not exactly a very conventional way to see a hero, but he does get better by the end. He's definitely not Mr Perfect, but lovable none the less.

This is definitely worth the read. True, there are no pirates, which is what I read when I get desperate to read about this setting, but it is much less dumb compared to the numerous pirate romance I've read. The premise has enough delinquency, that makes up for the lack of piracy.

[Susan (susayq ~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a a great book. What I liked most about it was that we got to see Ryan fall in love with Isadora. Usually in romance books, we get more of the female perspective and get to see her fall in love. Don't get me wrong, we saw Isadora go from an ugly duckling who didn't quite fit in anywhere to a confident woman who learned to not be scared of being noticed and who could speak her mind (and all it took was six months at sea with a ship full of misfit sailors to help her do it ;0) ) as she fell in love with Ryan.

The secondary story of Journey and Delilah killed me. When Delilah was reunited with Journey, I cried right along with them

Another great book by Susan Wiggs :)

[Suzy Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Charm School by Susan Wiggs (1999) is an absolute treasure! Loved it! Why? I found this book to be full of splendid characters .., an ugly duckling heroine, Isadora and a reckless ship captain hero who a drank, slept around, a grand sea adventure to Rio and a slow burn swoon worthy romance.

The writing is superb.. bits of sharp humor and interesting character arcs. At times I was reminded of LaVyrle Spencer and Maggie Osborne’s books. I’ve read other Wigg’s HRs .., for me this one and The Lightkeeper are my favorites. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Charm School
2 Stars

Socially inept and isolated, Isadora Peabody is an ugly duckling in a family of peacocks. Deciding to make a change, Isadora finagles her way on to The Silver Swan bound for Rio and ends up charming the pants off the surly captain, Ryan Calhoun, and his eccentric crew.

To begin with, the book synopsis bears very little resemblance to the actual storyline. Isadora doesn't "sneak aboard"; she is hired as a translator. Ryan doesn't "barely register" Isadora; he is smitten virtually from the start. The crew doesn't "teach her the charms of a lady"; she befriends them and they treat her as an equal.

***Spoilers Ahead***

The basic premise of the story has potential, yet there are several elements that grate on the nerves. To begin with, the "hero" has sex with several prostitutes throughout his acquaintance with the heroine. Technically, they aren't together yet, but it is annoying.

In addition, Ryan and Isadora's first time together occurs when she is stoned out of her mind. Can we say "dubious consent"?

Isadora is supposedly an intelligent and well-read young woman, yet she believes herself in love with a superficial and vapid moron simply because he is handsome and popular? She has several TSTL moments that risk her life and constantly accuses Ryan of abusing her when it is obvious that he is trying to ensure her safety on board.

Ryan is supposedly a charming rogue but actually comes across as a self-indulgent, foppish playboy and womanizer who is determined to rescue the family of his childhood friend (whom Ryan owned and set free) from slavery. While this appears to be laudable, it is undermined by the fact that the focus is on how this quest is Ryan's responsibility, and the affect it has on his life. Journey has no agency of his own, which is paternalistic and condescending.

Overall, a disappointing read and I'm not interested enough in Ryan's down on his luck half-brother to continue with the series.

[GigiReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pragmatic, homely on-the-shelf wallflower Isadora is tired of being the ugly duckling in a family of swans. She's secretly pining for a certain man but knows that in her future lies spinsterhood. So she decides she wants one grand adventure before she is left to gather dust on the shelf. She finagles her way into a ship bound for Rio and meets a delightful crew of motley sailors and the "hero". On this voyage, the little ugly duckling blossoms into a swan with the help of the crew. She becomes fearless and does all the things including losing her virginity in a waterfall while high as a kite 🤣 I loved her 🤧

This book was a fun high seas enemies to lovers romp and clearly destined for the keeper shelf. Until it turned into a putrid pile of dog excrement.

What does He Who Shall Not Be Named (the "hero") do when he and Isadora arrive in Brazil? He trots off to a BROTHEL! And then fresh from dipping his quill in another ink well he goes to Isadora and KISSES HER. He kisses my precious with his slutty lips 😑 She knows what he has been up to and is okay with it? Excuse me! His excuse is that of course he's a man and had a long voyage and therefore could not keep it in his pants.

Lasers shot out of my eyes and incinerated this book at this point.

I only finished it because it was a book club read. But after this, I was done and barely paid any attention to the rest. The audio was okay, the plot was good, and the heroine was amazing and deserved better than a douche with an uncontrollable peen.

One star for my precious Isadora.
⭐/5
🔥/5

[Darbella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isadora and Ryan's love story. It is the hero that is different than a lot of historical hero's. He has red hair and loves to wear garish cloths. More than once he had on lime green bits of clothing.
About 50 percent through the story on my kindle the hero and the heroine have their first kiss. The weird thing is the first kiss is really not that sweet because earlier in the day the hero had visited a brothel and the brothel's lady cheap perfume as still stinking up the hero. Even worse, the immature hero just has to tell Isadora that having sex with the random person was all about his needs after being at sea, but it did not mean anything. grrrr!
So when, after smoking, a hemp green cigar they have sex. Our hero immediately tells Isadora that he had made a mistake and was sort of a jerk to her. So, for me, their love story did not work and again shows Ryan as a selfish person.
What did work was the parts of the story when they were on the ship. Isadora is more interesting there.
For the diversity theme: the hero is best friends with an ex slave from his fathers plantation. That Ryan freed with proper paper work by taking him north with him so Ryan could attend college. Getting his best friend wife and kids back to his friend was a side story. Journey and his wife's love story was the romantic love story in this book. One could feel how strong his love was for his wife and his sadness from being away from them. Also, his hope for them all getting back together.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, charming, delightful. A coming-of-age for a Boston ugly duckling who has adventure in her heart but can't match the beauty and glamour and confidence of her Boston Brahmin family. She's smart, with a hidden beauty that only needs the right partner to let her blossom.

That's our cranky, flashy-dressing, handsome sea captain of a hero who reluctantly sails his commercial ship to Brazil with his mother and our heroine in tow. I have no answer as to why I hadn't read this book until 2017. And I call myself an avid reader.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Vibrantly written, with a charming scoundrel hero, a repressed, uptight heroine, and a vivid cast of well-drawn supporting characters. The author brings the world of the story -- from stuffy Boston society, to a ship sailing the high seas, to sultry Rio de Janeiro -- to life, and does a good job showing the hero and heroine growing to care about each other as their sparring turns to friendship and love. Funny, sexy, romantic - a great read from beginning to end.

[Tabetha Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and I still remember the bluestocking who comes out of her shell.

[Yvette Villarreal Escobedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute read.

[Marie S HR Reader ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly pleasant read. I absolutely loved the settings: ships, tropics, and Boston. Both main characters were very likeable. The story was fairly light in some cases but still very satisfying, which I rarely put together. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for something to lift your spirits and don't normally like fluffy things.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isadora Peabody is a complete misfit in her rich Boston family, tall and curvy where they are willowy, unruly brown hair where they have sleek blonde locks, intelligent and clever when they are all social butterflies. Bound into a life she hates and doesn't fit in to she grabs the chance to get away on a ship to Rio when it presents it self, despite the insufferable arrogant and rakeish Captain Ryan Calhoun.

I pretty much devoured this book, I devoured it in one sitting, I love a plain Jane stories! Give an ugly duckling over a beauty any day! And this had the added bonus of having a piritical hero with gorgeous red hair so I was engrossed right from the first page.

Isadora was a good heroine, I really loved watching her transformation from awkward and fearful to confident and sassy. Ryan was good as well, gorgeous and a little wicked and did I mention a red head? Yum! Another thing I love about a romance is when the hero and heroine argue, not proper arguing, but bickering is a better description and these two bickered with the best of them, watching the sparks fly between them was fun and drew the sexual tension tight.

This book was funny as well, I think this must be the first historical romance (or any romance really!) when the first time the hero and heroine have sex they are both high on weed! But this also had strange moments of seriousness, especially at the beginning when Isadora contemplates suicide several times, it was really heartbreaking to see just how deeply unhappy she was.

I highly recommend this book, it had love on the high seas, ugly duckling tranformations and a gorgeous hero!