Etiquette & Espionage

Finishing School, Book 1

By: Gail Carriger

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

This young adult steampunk series debut set in the same world as the New York Times best-selling Parasol Protectorate is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners - and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage - in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

©2013 Gail Carriger (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Wonderful Narrator

This is a really fun story!
The narrator of this book is fabulous. Her interpretation of the characters and their dialogue was spot on.

An effeminate twist on Harry Potter's popularity.

Would you listen to Etiquette & Espionage again? Why?

I won't listen to Etiquette & Espionage again. The book was very cute, but it was very simple. I'm more excited to read further novels in the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I thought Sophronia was great! I also loved Dimity. All of the girls represented a very well rounded sampling of girls and their thoughts and goals for being girls. Sophronia is a tomboy who learns the benefits of being a lady. Dimity is a princess who learns to be more adventurous. Sidheag was raised by wolves and learns to fit in. It's all very well done.

Have you listened to any of Moira Quirk’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard anything else by Moira Quirk. I was very impressed with her performance. (Although, it was a bit more my pace at 120% speed.)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved everything to do with Bumbersnoot.

I should have known

With a title such as this, it would be so juvenile. I think it is a "Harry Potter" wannabe.

Delightfully Quirky, a Bit Meandering

This listen is pure fun, what with the steampunk/finishing school/spy training aspects brought to life by a writing style that's a bit silly and an excellent narrator. Where it disappointed was that it wasn't easy to follow; There were certainly several memorable characters and situations but not a strong story arc. I may or may not continue with the series.

Smashing

The print version was fun to read, so I thought the audible version would be worth a try. Turns out the narrator did not disappoint. It has been a joy to listen.

A great book but But the reader should be better

I like the book and I do like listening to narration but it drives me absolutely batty that the person reading this cannot or does not know how to pronounce the name Genevieve she could’ve just gone to google and asked. She makes this mistake so often that Genevieve or Vive as she is called,it comes of sounding when she pronounces the name as Jean (sounds like the French John) and Viev (sounds like Kiev but with a V) and that’s why it comes off sounding really wrong she would’ve gotten five stars for me but for this and other mispronunciation of names that she should have known better. I mean if she doesn’t really know French even though she does a wonderful French accent well better than most she should’ve at least learned how to pronounce Genevieve Voice to text will not put the other name every time I pronounce it correctly in French but it doesn’t matter the fact is Genevieve is Genevieve even in English or Genevieve if you wanna do it English it doesn’t really matter if you can’t change that to your John Viev(At least that’s how it sounds when she pronounces it it’s not pronounced correctly and it’s very frustrating

Great fun!

Such a fun story that kept moving. No boring moments here. Can’t wait to listen to book 2!

Lovely story

I quite enjoyed this little ditty, and I would consider leaving my family for Moira Quirk based on her voice acting.

Delightful and surprisingly entertaining

Light hearted romp through Victorian times with a new take on finishing school for young ladies. Who knew the study of etiquette could be so useful in espionage type situations.

Wonderful suprise

If you could sum up Etiquette & Espionage in three words, what would they be?

Charming, exciting, smart

What other book might you compare Etiquette & Espionage to and why?

Perhaps the Terry Pratchet Ghost World books because Etiquette and Espionage is also a light hearted look at hijinks in a steam punk setting.

Which scene was your favorite?

When our heroine, Sephronia, first ventures to the engine rooms of her floating school and meets the sooties. It shows how fearless she is to get there, but she's also very kind to the sooties who are supposed to be below her in social standing but she doesn't care because she's a young woman of character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I gasped a few times when the plot twisted in unexpected ways.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book. It an amusing and smart mix of steam punk and international intrigue. All the details are fleshed out so that a story with a fantasy element is still very believable and the characters are very interesting. The reader is so very good. I'll definitely be getting the sequel.