Review can be found here:

https://nordie.wordpress.com/2020/07/24/book-review-faros-daughter-by-georgette-...

I'm docking half a star for this audio edition of Faro's Daughter because it's abridged, which I didn't know when I ordered it. Some favorite lines are missing and Deb's brother has been almost completely written out. However, if one is not familiar with the book, this abridged version will seem fine. ( )

When his young cousin falls in love with the unsuitable Deborah Grantham, grim Max Ravenscar (yes, Max Ravenscar) tries to bribe her into going away. Incensed, Deb retaliates by accepting the cousin's marriage proposal. Max tries to blackmail Deb; Deb tries to kidnap Max. Events escalate from there.

Max and Deb have a relationship that is sharp, pseudo-antagonistic, and entirely screwball. Their manic, self-defeating schemes to out-maneuver one another are a delight, despite the loose plot and missed opportunities of Faro's Daughter. Given the novel's title (which refers to a card game) and locale (a gambling house), there is a shocking shortage of games of chance. Some cards are played, some horses are raced, but that is the extent of such sports. Nobody even plays a hand of faro!

Which brings us to the novel's second problem: Deb. All of the characters are very conscious of the economic pressures bearing down upon a young Regency woman of gentle birth, no skills, and a disreputable name. All the characters, that is, except Deb herself. When she rejects both proper and improper proposals, the reader is supposed to applaud her nobility while simultaneously rolling their eyes at Deb's aunt, who whimpers helplessly about the family debts. But...the aunt has a point, and as the family finances continue to head south, it seems increasingly unrealistic that Deb would feel so little anxiety and guilt about the opportunities that she repeatedly rejects. This isn't the only aspect of Deb that feels half-baked: her time and energy is thrown into her aunt's gambling establishment, but Deb doesn't (ostensibly) care for gambling. She does it only out of a self-sacrificing sense of duty to her aunt. Deb seems caught between two completely separate novels -- one about a self-aware, screwball schemer; the other concerning a genteel traditional heroine -- and her characterization veers dramatically, depending on what will serve the plot at that particular moment.

As you might be able to tell, I would have preferred a novel about a hard-nosed heroine mad for gambling at cards as well as life, but Faro's Daughter takes a decidedly softer, gauzier approach. ( )

Really enjoyed the rivalry and shenanigans in this book. Loved it right up until the end. The very last bit just has some old school gender politics that I'm not a fan of. (like she says no and then he like kisses her senseless) but a fun read! ( )

paperback