Avon, $5.99, ISBN 0-380-78074-7
Historical Romance, 1995
I first read Splendid, Julia Quinn’s debut novel, way back I was before Bridgerton made corsets cool again. How’s that for credibility, huh? Stating this so that people won’t make that offensive suggestion that I am just some bandwagon jumper.
At its heart, this is a Cinderella story, but with a twist. Our heroine, Emma Dunster, is an American heiress who’s as spirited as they come. Not content to merely sit and be fabulous, she decides to go undercover as a servant because, well, why not? It’s not every day a rich debutante trades silk gowns for aprons, but Emma’s got a thirst for adventure that no ballroom can quench.
Enter Alexander Ridgely, the Duke of Ashbourne—a dashing hero with the requisite broodiness and charm. Naturally, sparks fly, identities are revealed, and romance ensues.
Julia Quinn has a knack for witty banter, and Splendid is sprinkled with it like confectioner’s sugar on a scone. Take, for instance, Emma’s lively exchanges with her best friend, Belle, or her verbal sparring with the duke. These moments of levity make the book a breeze to read. When Emma quips that she has decided that she needs to be kidnapped by a pirate, you can’t help but chuckle at her audacity… and wonder if she’s been drinking too much laudanum.
Splendid is as low on angst as it is on historical accuracy. Emma thinks she’s the Jane Austen of problem-solving, but she’s more like a butter knife trying to cut through the Gordian knot. Yet, watching her bumble through her self-imposed farce is half the fun.
But hold onto your bonnets, folks, because there’s more to unpack here.
Our “hero” Alex seems to think little of dallying with working-class women. It’s all fun and games until you realize that if Emma had truly been a servant, she’d be left with nothing but a ruined reputation and a lifetime subscription to the “Compromised by a Duke” club. Ms Quinn plays this off as cute pursuit, but it’s more unsettling than a corset after Christmas dinner.
Remember also that this is Ms Quinn’s debut, so it’s rougher than a carriage ride on a cobblestone street. It serves as a testament as to how the author’s craft had improved over time in her subsequent books, but fans reading this with expectations that it is as polished as the author’s later books are going to get a hard tug in the waist of their proverbial corsets.
The characters can be as one-dimensional as a silhouette portrait, each trait seemingly designed to prolong the drama. Alex’s mistrust of women feels about as organic as a plastic flower, existing solely to trigger the inevitable big misunderstanding. The fact that he is let off lightly only makes this whole drama more unsatisfying. Trust the author’s first published hero to be a douchebag!
Emma’s journey from wannabe girl boss to love-struck damsel is more disappointing than cold tea. Her grand dreams of independence crumble faster than a stale scone, making her earlier acts of rebellion seem as genuine as a counterfeit coin. It’s as if her character decided to trade in her business ledger for a marriage certificate halfway through the story.
In the end, Splendid is like a beautiful ball gown with a few loose threads. It’s still charming and fun to twirl in, but you might want to keep your expectations as low as a curtsy to avoid any major disappointments.
