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The Corinthian
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The Corinthian
Unavailable
The Corinthian
Audiobook8 hours

The Corinthian

Written by Georgette Heyer

Narrated by Georgina Sutton

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

The accomplished Corinthian Sir Richard Wyndham is wealthy, sophisticated, handsome and supremely bored. Tired of his aristocratic family constantly pressuring him to get married, he determines to run away after meeting the delightful, unconventional heroine Penelope Creed. Penelope, literally, falls into his life late one night as she hangs from the window of her aunt’s house ? she too attempting to escape the pressures of forced marriage. The two allies become embroiled in a series of hilarious madcap adventures as they cross-dress, run into escaped criminals and save people from their own dramatics. Little do they predict their feelings for one another blossoming into romance.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 1, 2014
ISBN9781843798569
Unavailable
The Corinthian
Author

Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer's novels have charmed and delighted millions of readers for decades. English Heritage has awarded Georgette Heyer one of their prestigious Blue Plaques, designating her Wimbledon home as the residence of an important figure in British history. She was born in Wimbledon in August 1902. She wrote her first novel, The Black Moth, at the age of seventeen to amuse her convalescent brother; it was published in 1921 and became an instant success. Heyer published 56 books over the next 53 years, until her death from lung cancer in 1974. Her last book, My Lord John, was published posthumously in 1975. A very private woman, she rarely reached out to the public to discuss her works or personal life. Her work included Regency romances, mysteries and historical fiction. Known as the Queen of Regency romance, Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy and her extraordinary plots and characterizations. She was married to George Ronald Rougier, a barrister, and they had one son, Richard.

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Reviews for The Corinthian

Rating: 4.051146440917107 out of 5 stars
4/5

567 ratings52 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another entertaining romp through Regency-era England. I found this one was a little slow to get started, but as soon as Pen showed up it was a nonstop run from one crazy thing to the next.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The ridiculously wealthy Sir Richard Wyndham has just been bullied by his family into proposing to a cold-hearted mercenary woman whom he does not love. They day before his proposal, he goes on a drunken walk through the night-time city, and a boy climbs out of a window into his arms. But the boy turns out to be Penelope Creed, a young heiress who is likewise being pressured by her family to marry someone she doesn't love. Penelope is about to set out on a journey, and Wyndham feels obligated to escort her. The Corinthian is a fantastic adventure for both the characters and the reader. This is only my second Georgette Heyer book, but it'll probably end up to be my favorite. The characters made lovably silly choices all the way through the book, with humorous outcomes. The book remains light-hearted while sticking to a believable story-line. I can't wait to read another Heyer book - in fact I almost went ahead and picked up another right away. I'll definitely read another within the next few months.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A classic Heyer romp, stuffed to bursting with abduction, escapes, murder and robbery - and possibly the only book ever to have been set in my home village of Queen Charlton (no, Heyer had evidently never been there)...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Somewhat contrived involvement of an independent young woman escaping boorish (and mercenary) relatives. But great fun and one of my favourite entertaining reads.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Both Richard Wyndham and Penelope Creed are pressured by their relatives to find a spouse, and a chance meeting out of a window leads them to run away together. Through adventures with Bow Street Runners and stolen diamonds, the two fall in love. This is classic Heyer, complete with urbane, sarcastic hero and sprightly, empathic heroine.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ah, what's not to like. Pen Creed is 17, impetuous and running away from marriage to a fish faced cousin. She heads out the window and into the arms of a somewhat drunk Richard Wyndham, an older, more sensible and utterly sophisticated man about town. The somewhat drunk element leads him to help Pen on her escapade and together they head off to Somerset in order for Pen to throw herself on the mercy of a childhood friend. Richard is also running away from a forthcoming marriage, and you can only sigh as the two runaways become closer and more embroiled in the comings and goings of a whole raft of people of various degrees of respectability. Delightful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Like _These Old Shades_, _The Corinthian_ features a cross-dressing debutante trying to escape her family's dastardly plans to marry her off to the wrong person...and, like _The Devil's Cub_, a farcical journey with the very man she *ought* to be with, though neither of them knows it yet. Fun, fluffy, though not my favorite Heyer of the ones I've read so far. Still, for end-of-semester reading, you can't beat it. :-)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very enjoyable - a light and sometimes amusing romance involving a very correct and bored young man whose paths cross with a girl escaping from her aunt's house, in Regency England. Clever plotting, well-written.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Penn escapes from her aunt, who wants her to marry her cousin, dressed as a boy and teams up with a very drunk Sir Richard, who is not averse to disappearing himself so that he doesn't have to propose to the unlikeable Melissa. Very funny throughout, right from the hapless George in the first chapter. Penn is a likeable heroine and Lady Luttrell's intervention in the closing stages is a nice touch. Cedric and his lack of grief for his brother's death is very entertaining. I am not quite sure why Richard first feels obliged to offer for Melissa and then seems happy to ditch her for Penn without a second thought, but that is my only niggle.I have also listened to the Audble audiobook, which is extremely well done.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't know what a "Corinthian" was until reading this. It's the official title, so to speak, of a "dandy". I tend to think of men labelled as dandies as effeminate, but "the Corinthian" in this tale - Sir Richard - is far from being so.Sir Richard gets drunk after resigning himself to the fact that, at 29, he should get married - but married to a most disagreeable young lady just to appease his family.Yet on his way home after his night out drinking, Richard encounters a 17-year-old girl dressed as a boy. She's attired this way to help her escape from home in order to avoid a marriage to her fish-faced cousin.The chivalrous Richard won't hear of the girl - Penelope; Pen for short - heading off alone and insists on looking after her on her journey.Pen is an amusing, excellent character. The author really brings her to life with some crackling dialogue. My favourite sections featured a long dialogue exchange with another young lady, named Lydia, and a young man named Piers, with both instances proving great entertainment. It's largely because of this and some of Pen's entertaining exchanges with Richard that I'm rating this book 4 stars instead of 3, as although the plot is pretty good, it does lapse occasionally when over-long descriptive passages get in the way.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is not one of my favorite of Heyer's books. It's cute enough, yes, and it's well written, but the problem is that there is little to no character development. Heyer spends far too much time in this book on the robbery/murder plot, and not nearly enough in developing the relationship between Pen and Richard. I can completely understand why Pen doesn't believe him when he proposes - there's nothing in the book to let the reader on to the fact he's falling in love with her either!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sir Richard Wyndham is the Corinithian of the title, who is expected to propose to a woman he's been promised to since birth - her alarming practicality, they don't need to love each other -drives him to drink and on the way home he encounters Pen Creed climbing out of a window in order to escape her own arranged marriage. High jinks ensue as he escorts Pen, dressed as a boy, so she can meet her childhood sweetheart. Heyer's comic genius is in evidence here, a brilliantly funny light read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "Tell me quickly, how does a person look depraved? Do I look depraved?"

    "Not in the least. The best you can hope for is to look sulky."

    Madcap adventures! Very funny, with likable characters. Light on the romance aspect.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Solid middle-of-the-road. I didn't love either of the protagonists, but neither one drove me nuts either (unlike some of Heyer's characters!). Girl playing boy was amusing; girl coming up with constant clever lies was also amusing, though less so when I've been reading so many Heyers. The girls are all either complete idiots (there's one of those, too, though she has only a bit part) or easy tale-tellers. The last part, with Richard at a (near) standstill, was also amusing, except that it left both Richard and Pen quite thoroughly unhappy. Neat to tie up the loose end of the Bow Street Runner like that, without quite letting him intrude on the main story. And a complete and proper HEA - they are thoroughly suited for one another, and I suspect they'll stay that way. Anther Heyer couple I'd love to see later in their lives. Probably will reread, but not for a while.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    On the eve of fulfilling his family duty by offering for the hand of a woman he cannot love, Sir Richard Wyndham instead finds himself an unexpected participant in adventure when Miss Penelope Creed - an heiress escaping from the aunt who would have her marry a fish-like cousin - literally drops into his arms late one night. What can a gentleman (especially one who has had a little too much to drink) do, when confronted with a runaway girl disguised as a boy, but accompany her on the stage-coach to Bristol?Naturally, this being a Georgette Heyer novel, hilarious hi-jinks ensue, with a stolen diamond, a desperate thief, and a Bow Street Runner all making their appearance. The Corinthian is by no means the author's most accomplished work, but its light-hearted charm makes for pleasant reading. One is never in doubt, of course, of the happy ending, but it is still enjoyable to observe the twists and turns that Heyer's hero and heroine must navigate in order to reach that desirable outcome.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Another jolly road adventure, not as fabulous as [book:Sprig Muslin] but very enjoyable, just the same.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sir Richard Wynham is the perfect Regency man - always perfectly dressed, a regular whip, a champion in boxing matches, with beautiful manners. His only fault - other than his selfish personality - is his lack of a wife at the ripe old age of 29. When he goes to to speak to the woman his father promised him to at birth about finally making their marriage of convenience he discovers to his own surprise, that he actually wants a wife who loves him! After drinking his sorrows away that night, he's winding his way drunken home at 3 AM when he comes across a young man climbing out a window. It turns out that this young man is actually a young woman - 17 year old Penelope Creed - who is dressed as a boy and intent on escaping marriage with the odious cousin after her fortune. His reasoning somewhat impaired, Richard agrees to take Pen to meet her childhood sweetheart and help her escape this distasteful marriage - and in the process, escape his own!

    This is now one of my favorite Heyers. It has everything I want from a Heyer: A poised hero full of address, and with an ironic sense of humour, a spunky and amusing heroine, cross-dressing, the requisite foolish and practical side character, a delightful adventure, snd the couple you want falling in love.

    (It also has the trope that Heyer loves and I hate, where the heroine runs away to save the hero from the disgrace/obligation/distastefulness of marrying her, forcing the hero to search all over for her, find her and convince that no, he did ask her to marry her because he loves her!)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book of Heyer's that was published in 1940 at a time when most people's thoughts were consumed with war,and it was written about twenty years after her first works. Heyer wrote about one book a year. Her standards were consistently high and readers wor,ld have liked the amusing tone the book takes as it takes two characters on an unexpected adventure that changed the course of their life for ever. I have always considered this story to be one of her best.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Heyer at her best. Charming characters, clever plot, laughter....
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the first Georgette Heyer that I've ever read and I'm so glad that she's written a large number of books. The Corinthian follows Sir Richard Wyndham, a Corinthian or dandy who is trying to get out of a marriage as he meets Penelope Creed, a strong minded young woman that is doing the same. They travel together and find all manner of adventures and love along the way. The Regency setting is perfectly done and the writing sparkles with wit and humor. If you adore Jane Austen, then you must read Georgette Heyer, I only wish I hadn't waited so long to.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another entertaining romp through Regency-era England. I found this one was a little slow to get started, but as soon as Pen showed up it was a nonstop run from one crazy thing to the next.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the first book I have read of Georgette Heyer and while it was entertaining, I found the lead characters, Sir Richard and Penn rather dull. But, if it wasn't for the rest of the people in the story, like Cedric, who was an absolute hoot! he deserves a story written around him. The supporting characters were much more stronger, and while the story seemed rather tame, it was a fun read
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Drunken gentleman rescues a young girl escaping from a second story window, and they end up fleeing in disguise across the country. Very sweet.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoy her romances with older heroines more, however this is still an enjoyable, farsical romp.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Penelope is being forced into marriage with a cousin that she finds absolutely repulsive. Her cousin's family is in desperate financial straights and they need her money as much as she needs to "marry for the sake of the family", or so they tell her. So to escape this fate she decides she is going to dress up as a boy and run away to her childhood home, and childhood sweetheart, whom she swore a blood oath with that she would one day marry when they were small children. On the way out the window, dressed in boys clothes, she meets Sir Richard Wyndham who is, as he puts it, "viley" drunk and he decides to help her run away as he has some running away from an unwanted marriage that he wants to do himself. Throw in some stolen jewelery, highway robbery and a bit of a mysterious who-dun-it and you have a lovely romantic comedy action adventure of a novel.To explain the plot of this twisty novel would be almost impossible. There are several interweaving stories, plot lines and characters that result in several hilarious moments for Pen and Sir Richard as she drags him deeper down the rabbit hole and farther into the English countryside. Stolen jewels, a murder investigation, highway robbery, intrigue, a pursuing aunt, an eloping couple and Pen's secret identity all result in more tangles and trouble for poor Sir Richard who somehow has to make it out of this with his dignity and reputation in tact! It's no wonder the poor man falls in love.I have to say, as naive as Penelope is, her wit, sparkle, nerve and sense of adventure make her a very lovable heroine. I can totally see what Sir Richard sees in her. I have to admit this book really skirted the edge of what was considered proper at the time and the shocking ending was laugh out loud funny and an excellent way to bring a close to a gender adventurous book!Favorite Quote:Sir Richard sighed. "Rid yourself of the notion that I cherish any villainous designs upon your person," he said. "I imagine I might well be your father. How old are you?""I am turned seventeen.""Well, I am nearly thirty," said Sir Richard.Miss Creed worked this out. "You couldn't possibly be my father!""I am far too drunk to solve arithmetical problems. Let it suffice that I have not the slightest intention of making love to you."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Corinthian remains one of my favorite Georgette Heyer books. Richard Wyndham is a wonderful character, with that dry humor of so many of Heyer's heroes. He's patient, understanding, and takes Pen under his protection. Penelope Creed is bright, witty, and a charmer. It's a match made only in a Georgette Heyer book. But, for this fan, The Corinthian is a treat, and a keeper.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is not one of my favorite of Heyer's books. It's cute enough, yes, and it's well written, but the problem is that there is little to no character development. Heyer spends far too much time in this book on the robbery/murder plot, and not nearly enough in developing the relationship between Pen and Richard. I can completely understand why Pen doesn't believe him when he proposes - there's nothing in the book to let the reader on to the fact he's falling in love with her either!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Pen Creed is a young heiress who desperately hopes to avoid marriage to a dull cousin. Sir Richard Wyndham is a noted man about town who dreads having to finally marry his cold, pragmatic fiancee. Together, the two of them escape into the west country of England and there cross paths with jewel thieves, murderers, star-crossed lovers and other assorted characters of Heyer's Regency England. A lighter-than-air, champagne-bubble romp.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    That was one of the most enjoyable books I have heard. The narrator is GREAT!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delightful storyteller at her best. This story holds its audience rapt with a constant smile and occasional bursts of laughter.