Grab the Lapels

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

Alrighty, the title got me with the phrase “ill-mannered ladies,” and that’s why I picked this one up. Alison Goodman is an Australian author, but The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies is set in Regency-era England. Twins Lady Augusta and Lady Julia are forty-three and single. Given the time period, that means they’re washed up nobodies, a burden to their younger brother, right? Wrong. Somehow, these sisters have made their own money; therefore, they do not rely on their brother’s goodwill (he has none). Julia is well-mannered and has a keen memory for who’s who in society. Augusta is ill-mannered, follows politics, and has a penchant for justice for women and children.

This cover caught my eye, though it is not accurate. The twins are not identical; August towers over Julia. They are not young. Julia is against using weapons.

The novel begins with the twins in a dark alley. They are there to meet a man blackmailing their friend, an important society lady who has been having an affair. Because her beau saved her love letters, he has arsenal to blackmail her. To summarize, in a bold move, the twins get back the letters, keep the blackmail money from the rake, and knock him out cold. The only concern is who saw; will their brother hear of them traipsing around in uncouth places?

After their small adventure, things progress into three sections of adventure: rescuing a woman being slowly poisoned to death by her husband; saving a kidnapped, sex trafficked orphan; and releasing a woman confined to an asylum for being a lesbian. I love how Goodman’s novel reads like a mini series, because I certainly was intrigued.

If you know me, you know I love love. I’m obsessed with handsome men, including my spouse, and I promise you it’s in my genes. My great-grandmother wrote that she imagined heaven was sitting under a willow tree, reading, surrounded by handsome men. Anyway, in the first adventure, the twins are held up on their way to rescue the poisoned wife by a highwayman. Julia uses her excellent who’s who memory and declares he is Lord Evan, tried for murder twenty years ago and sent to Australia to do time. What is he doing in England? Augusta promptly shoots him. ‘Tis but a flesh wound, and this is how Lord Evan becomes the roguish-type, roped into the twins’ escapade. Of course, he lives outside the law but has a strong moral compass for vulnerable humans. He and Augusta are kindred spirits, and I was just in knots over how they would work it out. See, I was burned by Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier in the past, so I wasn’t holding my breath.

Alison Goodman’s novel was great fun and hard to put down. She includes historically accurate details to establish the setting, such as Napoleon hindering their brother’s impending honeymoon across Europe, and the Quaker social justice activist Samuel Tuke, who reformed asylums, pushing for dignity over imprisonment, playing a role in the end. There is much more Goodman could write. The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies does not end on a cliffhanger; however, there are unresolved threads. If this is the end of the story, so be it. But, if Goodman writes more, I shall read it.

15 comments

  3. Regency Romps. Love them! I don’t mind if they don’t make sense.

    But what I want to know is why your great-grandmother wanted to be surrounded by handsome men when all she was going to do was read a book.

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  4. I was astonished to see this review Melanie because I have this book. I had not heard of it or the author, but a friend’s husband who is interested in the history of the period and knows my love of Austen gave me this book a couple of weeks ago. My challenge is, when to fit it in. You have encouraged me, but still …

    BTW I was interested in your comments on the cover, too.

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    • It’s a speedy read and almost like a trilogy of novellas because there are three capers. It doesn’t have the same challenging sentence structure and diction that I feel Austen has, but you’ve still got your bonnets and history and rules for looking like a lady/gentleman.

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