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Cousin Kate

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Kate Malvern never expected to see this kind of splendour again.

After her father's death, Kate was left an orphan, striving to make ends meet as a governess until her Aunt Minerva rescues her from poverty.

Kate hardly knows what to expect at the grand house of Staplewood. Her uncle lives in one wing, while her handsome, moody cousin, Torquil, occupies another; guests are few and far between, but even family dinners are rigidly formal. And, over it all, Minerva's word is law.

But the sudden arrival of Cousin Philip throws Minerva's control over the household into doubt, and Kate begins to suspect the shocking reason for Minerva's generosity. She has no one to confide in but cousin Philip - but for reasons unknown, he seems to have taken an instant dislike to her....

Cousin Kate is a rich and classic Georgette Heyer novel, replete with the sparkling humour, memorable characters and intricate plots that have made her the queen of the Regency romance novel.

©1968 Georgette Heyer (P)2021 Penguin Audio Classics Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance

Critic reviews

"Wonderful characters and rapturously romantic." (Katie Fforde)
All stars
Most relevant
This narrator ranks among the best I have encountered and the story is very exciting.

Wonderful narration and brilliant story

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One of my favourites so far, the narrator was so good, I loved all the characters voices, she really made the story come alive!

Amazing

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Superb characters in this classic Heyer story. Really well read. It reminded me a bit of Northhanger Abbey but with a more convincing storyline.

Touches of Northhanger Abbey

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I disliked the "little girl" voice for Kate on the older recording. This one is more according to how I imagined her when reading the book. However sometimes Philip's voice could almost be confused with Kate's, and that was strange. The other voices were well read.
This book is darker than most of Heyer's other Regency novels and while the storyline and characters are well developed, there is little of the usual fun or laugh out loud situations.

Better than the older recording

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So pleased that the entire Georgette Heyer canon has been re released.
This story is one of her later books, part Regency Romance, part thriller. Setting the story almost entirely in one location adds to the feeling of claustrophobia and tension. No trips to Almack's!
Well narrated in the main, until the end when the two main character's voices changed slightly and became clipped reminding me of "Brief Encounter" which was weirdly anachronistic.

Cousin Kate

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