Private Arrangements in Q & A with Sherry Thomas

Jun 23, 2008 Jai rated it really liked it

This book blew me away. I felt completely depressed reading half of it - Lord and Lady Tremaine have a "marriage of convenience", living in different continents, not saying a harsh word about one another, but for all purposes they are strangers - not seen together since the night of their wedding, ten years ago. In between the present story there are flashbacks that explain the past and what happened to make things the way they are now. Gigi betrayed Camden when they were both young and in love This book blew me away. I felt completely depressed reading half of it - Lord and Lady Tremaine have a "marriage of convenience", living in different continents, not saying a harsh word about one another, but for all purposes they are strangers - not seen together since the night of their wedding, ten years ago. In between the present story there are flashbacks that explain the past and what happened to make things the way they are now. Gigi betrayed Camden when they were both young and in love because she was desperate not to lose him, but conversely it was that very act that tore them apart. Their first meeting and talking is shown to the reader in flashbacks, in complete contrast to the present time of the story. They are both engaging and witty characters, clearly well-matched for one another and no one else. And I loved the writing - it had a light, lyrical touch, with a lot of wit. I really felt them falling for each other, I felt how desperate Gigi was, and how devastated they both were over what happened after their wedding. I saw the betrayals on both sides, and the stupid decisions which led to even stupider ones. the more I read the more I understood. It was a different time then, the rules of honor were different, and that played a part in this. The book is set in the 1880's and 90's and it adheres to that well. Dispite his own past decisions, Camden comes back and no matter how calm they pretend to be, the chemistry is sizzling. Be prepared to suffer with the two characters, but the end still rewards you. The only problem I had was the loss of ten years between the characters. All the missed chances in that time just sent daggers into me! Meanwhile there is also another side story that I quite liked - with Gigi's mother, Mrs. Rowland, the pushy mother, hell-bent on her daughter marrying a duke, and then hell-bent on her daughter and son-in-law getting back together. When Gigi files for divorce, and she sees that Gigi may actually go through with it, she looks around for *other* dukes in the neighborhood, which leads to some amusing consequences. Well worth the read for those who love historical romance (is this really the author's debut novel?!).

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Apr 20, 2008 D.L. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was unable to put it down. After finishing my crazy binge, slightly shaky and still in a state in euphoria, my first though was “What took me so long to decide to buy this book!”
This book was worth every cent. For the past few weeks I have stumbled upon countless rave reviews and articles about Sherry Thomas and her debut novel- all of Dear Author unanimously recommends this book. What really started pushing me toward this novel was an essay by Ms. Thomas herself on the process of getting Priv I was unable to put it down. After finishing my crazy binge, slightly shaky and still in a state in euphoria, my first though was “What took me so long to decide to buy this book!”
This book was worth every cent. For the past few weeks I have stumbled upon countless rave reviews and articles about Sherry Thomas and her debut novel- all of Dear Author unanimously recommends this book. What really started pushing me toward this novel was an essay by Ms. Thomas herself on the process of getting Private Arrangements published.
The first thing that struck me about the book was its prose. Having already read several reviews, I was prepared for this. I had read generous praise for her writing style. What I ended up loving is that her use of prose pushed against the standards of the traditional historical romance. I had been expecting something like Joanna Bourne’s flawless and flowing sentence structures, which seamlessly move from French to English. I could not have been more wrong. Ms. Thomas’ prose is bold, direct, and unashamed, in every way reflecting the characters she has created. Best of all, her style works. It was a refreshing break from the flowery passages of traditional romances without giving up any of the emotional thrill.
The emotional thrill of the book itself is what could have me going on for hours. It was tremendous! I loved the pull Ms. Thomas created as she retold Gigi and Camden’s story, moving from 1882 to 1893. I think my heart broke more with Gigi than with any other romance heroine I’ve read in the past few years. I enjoyed every second of it.
The best part of the novel was Gigi in all her splendor. I often have a problem with ruthless heroines. They make wonderful characters, except so often they are underdeveloped. What I can’t stand is a character without motivation, or (even worse) whose motivation is trite. Not Gigi. Gigi had the subtle aspects to her character that other ruthless females lack. There are no long passages of Gigi’s thoughts as she considers her problems. She’s much more action oriented. We aren’t beaten over the head with what her motives are, possibly because at some points (especially when she’s young) Gigi doesn’t know her own motives. But still she permeates every last word of the book, and her actions give us just as much insight into her mind as a long monolog.
Camden’s character was more difficult to swallow. There was a duality to him, and I fell in love with both parts, but I was unable to piece them together. Camden can be divided into pre- and post- Gigi’s deception. I’m personally more attached to the pre-deception side of Camden. When we first meet Camden, he is young, innocent, and wholly devoted to another young lady. He makes the perfect beta hero. While he has a backbone, he struggles under his repressed sexual longings for Gigi and his devotion to a girl who has promised him nothing in return. After eleven years, Camden returns to London an alpha male, somewhat a jackass, but generally justified in his perception of Gigi. What I couldn’t piece together was Cam’s transition from beta to alpha male. It was like he had a switch in him that made it all just come to the surface. I can see that Gigi’s deception would be shattering and would trigger this change, but I do think his character would have needed some more time for the transition.
Finally… setting! I know many people were thrilled to see a non-Regency romance hitting the shelves. Personally, I don’t mind Regencies, but Victorian was a nice change. The once criticism I do have about it being a Victorian romance, though, is that this makes Gigi’s character very out of place, which is never addressed. Gigi’s sensual and sexually curious nature is central to her persona, which is the exact opposite of the “ideal” Victorian female. The Victorian period was a time of such heavy sexual repression (like Cam while he was still more of a beta hero), that I would have liked to have see it worked into the story more. Instead, I felt the time period and story were somewhat disjointed. ...more

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Sep 11, 2008 Maya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, keeper, funny, romance, britlit, debut

reread this a few years after it first appeared

the second time around, I was perhaps a little more frustrated with the "immortal beloved" effect (for those who have not seen that great movie about Beethoven: there occurs a Big Misunderstanding, which negatively affects two characters for years, which could have been resolved with a little more talk and a little less martyr's complex), but still: I adore how utterly different Gigi is than any other historical romance heroine I've come across, how ...more

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Jul 29, 2008 Jane rated it it was amazing

Wow! What a glorious, smart, sexy, beautiful book this is. Sherry Thomas weaves her tale so deftly and writes with such wonderful assurance that it's hard to believe this is her first novel. She sweeps you along as Lord and Lady Tremaine break each other's hearts--and yours--and learn to love again. Along the way, you'll smile and laugh and cry and adore every minute of the ride. I loved PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS. Thomas's new novel, DELICIOUS, hit the shelves today (7-29-2008), and I can't wait for ...more

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Oct 21, 2008 Jenny Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance-novels, super-steamy

Once again rereading this book. This time I went slowly and looked up every reference and word I didn't know in this book. Wow. Just wow.
10/2010

Holy St*tsnacks! I love this book. I had forgotten how much. I adore Camden and Gigi.
Reread 4/2010

I stumbled across this book this summer at Powell's books and could not put it down! Beautiful! Beautiful! ...more

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Sep 13, 2008 Catherine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reallygoodbooks

A beautifully written novel. I think Ms. Thomas is on the level of Judith Ivory, and in my book that's extremely high praise. I can't wait to read more from this debut author. ...more

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