Beguiled by Susan Spencer Paul

It's always a problem when the hero and heroine are clearly happy and in love by the middle of the book. What do you do with them for the next 150 pages? Unfortunately, a lot of authors turn to misunderstandings...

Beguiled by Susan Spencer Paul
(1998, Regency Historical) 3/7/08
Grade: 4

After the Earl of Cardemore buys up his debts, Anthony, the Earl of Graydon, is compelled to escort his sister, Lillian, and guide her through her first season. Because Lillian is unable to speak, she is ignored and even denigrated by most of society, but Anthony begins to admire and love her, and is glad when they’re forced into marriage.

There was a lot to like in this book. Lillian was a strong and interesting heroine, and Anthony a very likeable hero. (I especially liked the way he kept Lillian’s notes - a charming way to show his growing love for her.) I appreciated that Anthony loved Lillian the way she was, and that she didn’t magically regain her ability to speak in the end. The background information about treatment of the deaf and mute during this period was fascinating and shocking. The secondary romance between Margaret and Cardemore was also lovely (I could have read a lot more about them!) But the book had an odd, stilted quality, which became even more pronounced in the second half, when the plot turned on one misunderstanding after another, and Anthony and Lillian were separated. As much as I liked the characters, I found the plot machinations increasingly frustrating. It just wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been.

I was fascinated to read about the attitudes toward "deaf-mutes" during this time period. It was pretty shocking to discover that people assumed they didn't have souls (!!!) and were little more than animals.