How do I count the ways in which I love The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue? It's nearly impossible. It would be easier to list what I didn't like about it, because the answer would be nothing.
TGGTVAV was fun and romantic and I was hooked from the first page to the last sentence. It's the story of Henry 'Monty' Montague, a young aristocrat living in the eighteenth century, who likes nothing better than drinking too much and fornicating. He's also in love with his best friend, Percy. When the two embark on their Grand Tour of Europe, Henry knows that when he returns to England he will be expected to marry a nice girl and run his father's estate for the rest of his life. But the Tour doesn't exactly go to plan.
I wasn't joking when I said there was nothing I didn't like about this book. The plot was equal parts exciting and hilarious, the mood changed from light-hearted to mournful to romantic and back again. The characters were complex and fun and interesting and I liked them all immensely.
And there are pirates.
This book is a paradox in that it's a historical novel that isn't just about straight, white people. It's cheeky and moves whip-fast. The thing I liked most about the book, though, was the narrative. Henry's voice is so hilarious and I just fell in love with him. The author has a genuine way with words and descriptions. Henry was witty and charming, simultaneously boastful and self-deprecating and a delightful mixture of Bertie Wooster, Flashman and something that is just him alone.
And then I found out that the sequel, A Lady's Guide to Pirates and Petticoats, is out next year. Well, sign me up right now.
5 stars