Frederica

Gossip, scandal and an unforgettable Regency romance

By: Georgette Heyer

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

Brought to you by Penguin.

Vernon Alverstoke sees no reason to put himself out for anyone.

But when a distant connection asks for help, he is quickly plunged into one drama after another by the disorderly Merriville family.

Surprisingly, he finds himself far from bored - especially when he encounters their strong-minded daughter, Frederica.

However, she seems far more concerned with her family's welfare than his romantic advances....

©1965 Georgette Heyer (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Absolutely delicious tales of Regency heroes.... Utter, immersive escapism." (Sophie Kinsella)

"I could mainline Heyer's Regency romances until the end of time and still not get bored.... Georgette Heyer is perfect lockdown escapism." (India Knight)

"One of my perennial comfort authors. Heyer's books are as incisively witty and quietly subversive as any of Jane Austen's." (Joanne Harris)

Loved it!

Excellent narration of a delightful book. Will definitely be looking out for other books narrated by Joe J.

Wonderful listen

Fun story set in historical London 1818, after the war, when steam engines and hydraulics and passenger balloons were big. Enjoyable cast of characters featuring two adorable youths and a great galloping dog — as well as the main love interest. Jameson’s narration is quite pleasant, spot on, and does not detract from Heyer’s work at all. A win!

Great story, awesome narration

this is one of my favorite GH stories. the narrator was anazing...i still can't believe that one person did all those voices so well. it truly sounded like different actors to me.

Georgette Peers into the Future

One of my favorite Heyer novels, along with The Grand Sophy, which features an equally masterful and delightful heroine. Sophy led us (in a controversial chapter) to Dickensian squalor. Frederica and her little brother - who surely will grow into a great inventor and industrialist - give us a glimpse of the Britain to come, complete with pneumatic elevators, railroads and hot air balloons. Don’t worry if, like me, you’re no engineer. It’s all hilarious and deeply romantic, because in coming to care for the child a selfish nobleman comes to love Frederica. You will too. The performance is a wonder.

The story and writing

Excellent narrative with a real down to earth story. Clear prose and realistic dialogue capturing the era and flow of language of the time

One of the best

Georgette Heyer’s Regency and Georgian books are my favorites and this is one of the best. The Marquess of Alerstoke is a bored and indolent aristocrat whose world is turned upside down by Frederica and her family. The ensuing results are funny and touching.

Honestly - I think next to the Grand Sophie, it’s my favorite.

The plot, content, the characters, the annoying sub-plot that… well I won’t say, the kids, the maturity of Heyer’s writing.

Family relationships, and that siblings may be very different but fully loved anyway

Some other writers, and even social scientists, seem to hold to an idea that siblings raised together in a family will be very similar. Cut from the same cloth, as that might have been expressed then in Regency times.

That concept has often been quite untrue in families which I’ve known. Loving and close, but certainly not cookie-cutter sameness in personalities and ideas..

The best historical rom-com ever !!!

I am a Georgette Heyer fangirl, I've read them all, and this one, this one is gloriously, satisfyingly, deeply, delightfully amusing, and so very very well written. The characters are all people you'd want in your life; the situations are remarkable, fun, intriguing, and realistic for the times. The male main character starts as an arrogant, entitled, playboy, and thru perfectly believable twists and turns and experiences, he matures into a man with a good attitude, plentiful humor, and a loving disposition toward an entire family of children who are being nurtured by their oldest sister. There's a runaway marriage, not involving our two lead characters, there's a genius child who provides much fun in the story. There's a big male dog with a female dog name, lots of strange and wonderful happenstances that occur in a big family that has lost its parents and relies on a 20 year old sister to make all the decisions. This is such a FUN story! And it has a perfectly happy ending.

One of my Favourites!

Beautifully performed this is one my favourite Heyer stories. Pure joy from beginning to end.