“No one said learning etiquette and espionage would be easy, my dear.”
For any lady or gentleman looking for a spot of steampunk excitement, Gail Carriger has written just the book. Entitled Etiquette & Espionage, this volume tells the tale of Sophronia Temminnick, a sprightly young woman whose mother is absolutely convinced she will never become a proper lady. Then, quite unexpectedly, the Temminnicks are paid visit by Mademoiselle Geraldine, the headmistress of a finishing school where girls are transformed into proper ladies, complete with knowledge of etiquette, décor, seduction, and the application of poison. The headmistress has decided to give Sophronia a trial period at her school, much to her unsuspecting mother's pleasure. But Sophronia soon learns that finishing is about more than foxgloves and handkerchiefs. Someone has stolen a valuable prototype, and it is up to her to get it back...and finally learn to curtsey properly.
Sophronia's story is remarkable well-written. From mechanicals to dirigibles to evening attire, Carriger uses a distinctive writing style that fits the time period perfectly. The characters are unique and lovable, from the bubbly Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott to the boiler room worker known as Soap. Throughout the book, the young ladies meet a variety of personalities: a chivalrous werewolf, a fashionable vampire, and a woman who keeps a collection of fake pastries on her office walls. They face danger at the hands of flywaymen, Picklemen, and fellow students. Characters transform drastically throughout the book, a task that is sometimes difficult to write, but fear not: Carriger has mastered this particular skill.
Though the story is designed for young ladies in their their teenaged years, it is my belief that anyone with an interest in steampunk adventure will find this book to their taste. Much of the action consists of subterfuge and subtle manipulation, but there are also flywaymen attacks, giant mechanimals, and airborne trifles scattered throughout. It is fascinating to watch the various factions fight so venomously over a prototype the reader does not know the purpose of, and it is exciting to puzzle over the clues and the costumes right along with Sophronia. In a word, this book is incredibly well-paced.
Fans will be interested to note that Etiquette & Espionage, alongside the rest of the Finishing School series, is set in the same world as Carriger's Parasol Protectorate novels. Indeed, it has been stated to be a sort of almost-prequel, as it is set so many years before the aforementioned books. However, one need not have read the author's previous works in order to comprehend the Finishing School ones. Readers need also not fear profanity or sexual content, as such things are harshly discouraged among ladies of quali-tay.
I would heartily recommend this book to any lady or gentleman, properly Finished or not, who is in the mood for some steampunk intrigue and fashionable intelligencing. Pack your trunks and your bladed fans before you set out--class is in session, and the topic of the day is Etiquette & Espionage. For such a proper book, I can hardly propose anything less than five stars. Welcome to finishing school.
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