When Georgiana Ellers goes to live with her aunt and uncle for the summer, she had no idea of the boredom that awaited her. She was hoping for a summer filled with parties and new friends, maybe even a little romance, or at least some new adventure. All the heroines of the novels she’d read, upon finding themselves in a new situation, immediately fell into a caper or a meet cute, which could only mean that they were in for days or even weeks of fascinating fun. When Georgiana moved in with Mr. and Mrs. Burton, she only found tedium.
When they were finally invited to a dinner party, Georgiana could hardly wait to get there, to find the excitement she’d been craving. Instead, she found plenty of party guests the age of her aunt and uncle who wandered through the dark house (the hostess was too cheap to buy enough candles) and talk about the garish color of the new curtain. Is it red? Is it purple? Either way, it’s ghastly, they said. It’s not until Georgiana mutters under her breath about their color choice that she realizes she’s not alone in her dark alcove. There is another young woman, about her age, and she shares those curtain sentiments. And just like that, Georgiana finds a friend.
Frances Campbell, daughter of Lord and Lady Campbell, takes Georgiana under her wing. She invites her to more events and introduces her to her group of friends. Georgiana meets Jane and Cecily, Jonathan and Christopher, and she finds out there is far more going on at their parties than what she reads about in her novels. The men and women spend time together unsupervised, alcohol flows quite freely, they smoke from a pipe that gets passed around, and they tell bawdy jokes that Georgiana’s aunt and uncle would definitely disapprove of. Georgiana wants to fit in, so she tries to hide her shock and drinks her wine. But when she gets a little tipsy, she finds herself talking to the one guy who had been sitting alone, quietly.
She’d found out that his name is Thomas Hawksley, and she finds out that she enjoys talking to him, even as she worries that she’s making a fool of herself in front of him. His hasty exit from the situation convinces her that he wasn’t interested, and yet she finds that she can’t stop thinking about him.
As the weeks of the summer go on, and the parties get even wilder, Georgiana starts to question what it is that she wants. She loves being friends with Frances, who brings the adventure and the excitement always. But there are some choices that she and her friends are making that are starting to make Georgiana uncomfortable, especially when she thinks of what Thomas must think of her. Basically Georgiana has to make a choice of what’s more important to her—her friendship with Frances or her good name?
Lex Croucher’s debut novel Reputation is Jane Austen with a modern twist. These characters live in Victorian England, but they could just as easily be transported to today’s London or even New York City. As these young women and men deal with issues such as class differences, binge drinking, LGBTQ+ identities, and social mores, they each have to decide how to live their lives to stay true to themselves. Any modern reader can relate to that.
I had a great time with Reputation. I thought it was smart and sassy, funny and thoughtful. It brought me back to reading Jane Austen for the first time, while bringing in lots of contemporary touches. I especially liked the character of Georgiana. She relies on her bookish knowledge but can adapt to changing circumstances with grace and poise. I think any fan of Austen would know what happens between the book’s heroine and the quiet moody boy brooding at the back of the party, but I loved the journey they took throughout the story. There were some lovely surprises that would make Jane herself smile, and I can’t think of a better book recommendation than that.
Egalleys for Reputation were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.
