Valour and Vanity

By: Mary Robinette Kowal

Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

Acclaimed fantasist Mary Robinette Kowal has enchanted many fans with her beloved novels featuring a Regency setting in which magic--known here as glamour--is real. In Valour and Vanity, master glamourists Jane and Vincent find themselves in the sort of a magical adventure that might result if Jane Austen wrote Ocean's Eleven.

After Melody's wedding, the Ellsworths and Vincents accompany the young couple on their tour of the continent. Jane and Vincent plan to separate from the party and travel to Murano to study with glassblowers there, but their ship is set upon by Barbary corsairs while en route. It is their good fortune that they are not enslaved, but they lose everything to the pirates and arrive in Murano destitute.

Jane and Vincent are helped by a kind local they meet en route, but Vincent is determined to become self-reliant and get their money back, and hatches a plan to do so. But when so many things are not what they seem, even the best laid plans conceal a few pitfalls. The ensuing adventure is a combination of the best parts of magical fantasy and heist novels, set against a glorious Regency backdrop.

©2014 Mary Robinette Kowal (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Author narrates a great tale

Mary Robinette Kowal is an experienced audiobook narrator as well as a gifted writer. She also works another of her creative talents, as a puppeteer, into the novel's plot. The storyline is built on the witty premise that two highly skilled illusionists find themselves cozened by con artists who excel at making people believe in false appearances. The Vincents quickly find themselves far from home in Italy with no funds at hand and no fortune at all after the thieves clean out their bank accounts. Yet not all hope is lost: Jane finds help at a local convent among nuns who are indignant when they learn of the couple's plight, and several plucky characters prove to be capable allies when the illusionists undertake a daring plan to trick the tricksters and bring them to justice. Reading the previous books would be advisable to understand references made in the novel to past events. This is another enjoyable addition to the series.

Intriguing series!

This is book 4 in a series of 5 (so far). Definitely start from book 1. The series follows Jane and Vincent's lives (the main characters). When I read the first book, I thought it was just a spoofl on J. Austin's books. This series is much more than that. I've thoroughly enjoyed the series. Ms. Kowal has gone past the Austen reference and created a wonderful series all her own. There's romance, plot twists, and intrigue. Even though some spots are irksome, on the whole, the series is great and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Best book so far!

Valour and Vanity is the best book in the Glamourist Histories. Each book is better than the previous one. Can't wait for the next book by Mary Robinette Kowal!

Great Story, Performance Issue..

What made the experience of listening to Valour and Vanity the most enjoyable?

This is a fun read. So far, my favorite of the series.

How could the performance have been better?

However, the reader CANNOT do accents. She's great at the uppercrust brit accent, but they encounter Italians and Venetians, and she tries to do an accent. It's terrible.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book, but better read than listened to.

A little something...

This book in the series wasn't quite as enjoyable for me until the end. I was in it for the entertainment, not to be stressed out by the character's circumstances. Vincent seemed like a whiney boy, not Jane's hero. The ending didn't quite make sense, as if the whole story was written one way, and then turned out to be another way. Kind of a poor execution imho. I had also figured out who the villan was within the first 2 chapters.

Captivating!

I didn’t want to put this book down, but instead to keep reading all the way through.

Better as author than reader

I read and liked the first three books in this series, and was pleased to buy the fourth. I liked the story, but I kinda wish I'd read it rather than listened. Mary is a great writer, and has a good voice, but I came out liking this a little less than previous books. I think its simply the change in format: I got used to the experience of reading, so switching to listening made me dislike it. Also, she reads a little slower than I prefer, which can be slightly annoying.

Summary: listen if you listened to the previous ones and liked them. Don't switch from reading to listening halfway through the series.