Etiquette and Espionage: Number 1 in series (Finishing School, #1)

by Gail Carriger

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners-and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's young ladies learn to finish . . . everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage - in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

• ISBN10: 1907411585
• ISBN13: 9781907411588
• Publish Date: 5 February 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 11 March 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: ATOM
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

So I realize that Etiquette & Espionage is over seven years old at this point, and yet I'm still constantly hearing about this novel (and the series as a whole, for that matter). Etiquette & Espionage is the first novel in Gail Carriger's Finishing School Series, a unique combination of steampunk/Victorian style writing and fantasy.

Sophronia is fourteen years old, and generally considered to be a complete nuisance by her family. She's always getting into trouble, tearing up her dress, and finding ways to embarrass her mother. Hence the need for finishing school.

Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is actually several steps above what Sophronia's family could have hoped for her, and so they didn't hesitate with the offer. Perhaps they should have, as the school is far from a typical finishing school. Probably.

“If there is gossip to be garnered, garner it. If there are new dress styles to be imitated, imitate them. If there are hearts to be broken, break them. That's my girls.”

Etiquette & Espionage is arguably one of the most delightful novels I've read in quite some time. You can really tell just how much fun Gail Carriger had here, as it shines through on every single page.

Sophronia's story is far from a typical finishing school novel. After all, it involves a steampunk airship, vampire teachers, and lessons about seduction, poisons, and more. Now that sounds like an interesting school, if you ask me.

Thankfully, Sophronia seems to agree, and that fact has almost kept her out of trouble while at school. Almost. The girl has a nose for finding problems, and for getting herself into quite a bit of a mess, as the introduction of this novel has made clear.

Honestly, when I picked up Etiquette & Espionage, I hadn't expected it to be so...cute? Is that the right word? I'm pretty sure it is. I actually mean that as a good thing, this series (I'm assuming, based on the first novel) is surprisingly light and bubbly, while also sneaking in plenty of commentary about the time period in which the world is set. It's clever and fun, and even has a little mechanimal (mechanical animal) dog named Bumbersnoot. What more could I possibly ask for? (Side note: I named my Roomba Bumbersnoot after reading this).

I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of this series. It's going to make for a nice break from the heavier and tenser fantasy novels that typically grace my desk. I'll take it!

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

I really thought that I was going to like Etiquette and Espionage.

Historical fiction, Steampunk and Fantasy are some of my favourite genres and Etiquette and Espionage consists of them all. Etiquette and Espionage also has an intriguing premise: a girl who goes to a Finishing School that teaches her not only to be a lady, but also a spy and assassin.

However, while Etiquette and Espionage has an awesome premise, everything is just so bland.

Firstly, the plot is insubstantial and nothing much really happens in Etiquette and Espionage. The action scenes didn't make me worried or nervous and one of the reasons for that could be because Sophronia wasn't involved in much of the action. However, even when she was involved, I had a feeling that everything was going to be fine. I also couldn't take the villains seriously because they didn't feel like much of a threat.

Secondly, I didn't care about any of the characters. The main character, Sophronia, is the type of character that I usually like. She's headstrong, smart and flawed, but unfortunately, she's so emotionless, boring and stereotypical. There was no character in Etiquette and Espionage that stands out. They're all stereotypical and uninteresting.

Etiquette and Espionage isn't an engrossing read and it didn't hold my attention. I had high expectations and I'm quite disappointed that I didn't love Etiquette and Espionage as much as I wanted to.

[Beth C.]

I originally got this for my daughter, as her reading tastes - just like mine at that age - are a bit more mature than many. She asked for a mystery series, and this seemed just the thing. Of course, I wanted to read it first so that I could talk to her about it, and ended up enjoying it myself. I think she'll quite like it, and I look forward to sharing more of the series with her.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

This little book was far more delightful than I expected!

Steampunk and I have a notorious love/hate relationship. I really want to love it BUT then I read the books and am left wanting for stronger characters and less stiff social settings. I do believe it is possible to do great steampunk and still empower women ([b:The Strange Case of Finley Jayne|11130686|The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles, #0.5)|Kady Cross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1303414416s/11130686.jpg|16053889] does it well, even if the book series it's attached to does not). And, FINALLY, I have found a book with a grand assortment of women in various states of personality, strength, and refinery. So refreshing.

I'm not speaking poorly about other steampunk, mind you. They just leave me wanting more.

This novel was fast-paced, but not exhausting. If Sephronia's hijinks were not keeping me entertained, the curiosities of the world were. Even her name is delightful, surpassed only by the terribly useful Bumbersnoot. Additionally, I really liked the female friendships in this one. They came in all shapes and sizes, and AMAZINGLY when two friends had a problem, they worked it out maturely and sensibly. Why can't all fantasy girls do that?

If you like stories about boarding school and posh gentlemen and assassins and whatnot, you'll quite enjoy this tale.

[lizarodz]

Quite the Novel Idea http://quitethenovelidea.com http://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-finishing-school-books-1-2-gail-carriger/

I am a big fan of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series because is made of pure awesome, and if you haven't read it go and read it right now.  I'm also eagerly awaiting the third book of the Custard Protocol series, which is just as good.  Therefore, I was bound to start this series (her only YA books) sometime, right?

The Finishing School series is based in the same world as her Parasol series, but about 20 years earlier (1850's).  Even if this is your first Carriger book, she does such a good job at world building that you are bound to love it like all her readers.  It's easy to understand, full of mechanicals, paranormal creatures - vampires, werewolves, ghosts and the like - dirigibles, gadgets, spies, and more.  Please note that in this Victorian world, paranormal beings are incorporated into society and accepted by most.

Sophronia is 14 when the story ends and she's sent by her long suffering mother to Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality as a last effort to curve her daughter's enthusiasm and unruliness. However, this finishing school is different, not only do they learn about etiquette and the rules of society, but also about espionage, poison, and fighting.  In this environment Sophronia thrives, finally, there's a school where she can have fun and do what she's naturally good at.  The school itself is a combination of ungainly dirigibles.

She makes friends with some of the new recruits, proper and fashion conscious Dimity turning quickly into her best friend and roommate.  Lady Sidheag  Maccon and Agatha compose the rest of her new friends.  Sophronia likes to explore and thus finds a lot of new friends around the sooties in the lower decks, most especially Soap.  One of the best things about supernatural beings is that they are immortal!  That means we get to see a lot of characters throughout the series that we met in other of Carriger's books (this might mean nothing to you if you haven't read any of her other books though).  Oh, and lets not forget that we get to meet Genevieve Lefoux as a child!

Carriger's writing is witty, inspiring, true to the period and her world.  Love it!

I love this school environment, the uniqueness of the teachers and the classes.  So much fun, intrigue, and mystery! 

"She had to give her teachers credit: they were right to insist all pupils carry scissors, handkerchiefs, perfume and hair ribbons at all times. At some point she'd learn why they also required a red lace doily and a lemon.” 



The first book of the Finishing School series is SO good.  It's like visiting a beloved world and finding more about it.  It's like making new friends, it's like visiting old ones.  Such an amazing beginning to the series! 





This review will be shorter, since I've given you a full account of the setting and main characters above.

Curtsies continues a couple of months after the first book ended. It finds Sophronia being shunned by her friends due to her high scores in her tests.  She's lonely and seeks solace in the company of the sooties and Bumbersnoot (her mechanical dog) more than ever.  However, someone is out to get her beloved friend Dimity and she means to find out who and why!

Some boys from Bunson - the evil genius school accompany in school because they are all going to a demonstration of ether travel in London.  It's all very exciting and the girls get to practice dancing and other guiles with the boys.  This is were Sophronia gets to meet Lord Felix formally for the first time.  He seems to be taken by her and tries to court her quite purposely.

There's a lot of mysteries and intrigue in this installment of the series.  Sophronia gets so good at all of it and drags her friends into all kinds of mess.  I loved it all.

"You’re a wonderful dancer, Ria.”
“Mademoiselle Geraldine’s takes such things seriously.”
“Ah. And how many ways do you know to kill me, while we dance?”
“Only two, but give me time.”
“You have lovely eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“What rot. They are a muddy green. What are you about, Lord Mersey?”

Felix sighed, looking genuinely perturbed. His air of ennui was shaken. “I am trying to court you. Truth be told, Miss Temminnick, you make it ruddy difficult!”

“Language, Lord Mersey.” Sophronia felt her heart flutter strangely. Am I ready to be courted?

“See!” 



What else can I say dear reader to make you run to start this series?  Or any of Carriger's books?  Cannot wait to carry on to book #3 :)This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: For the most part, I enjoyed Etiquette & Espionage. It was a fun and creative read. It makes you crave for more in the form of a series to bing read. I might've done exactly that when I was 13 — read one book after the other in this 4-part series. That being said, the pacing felt a little off at times and the characterisation fell flat for me. It was the setting and the action that propelled this book forward, so it wasn't as rounded a book as I might've liked.

Since I already own the sequel, I'm sure I'll continue but beyond that, maybe I'll turn to my library if I feel inclined to read the rest.

[mrs_mander_reads]

This is really more of a 3.5 for me. I thought the story was good, and I liked the characters. However, the rising action TOOK. FREAKING. FOREVER. I thought that the same story could have been told in half the time. That's just my personal opinion. I am going to read book #2.

The audio version was good, the narrator has a very pleasant voice and style of reading that moves at a good pace.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2015 tbr challenge + cleaning my shelves 2015

3.5 stars

It's been a while since I read this book and since I have yet to create a review for it and am not really feeling the need to, I figured I'll just put the notes I took down so it won't be lost.

*IT TOOK ME AGES TO FIGURE OUT THIS WAS A PREQUEL. AHH. Like, it really took Genevieve's appearance in little girl form for it to click #feelingdumb. 

*I had a hard time immersing myself in the story and world (despite loving the world in Soulless) for the first 150 or so. BUT once I reached that marked I was in and fully commited to the book. It did take a while to read due to the first 150 pages though. 

*I really liked Sophronia. She had a knack for espionage, she doesn't care about color (and, considering the time-period, this means something), is very practical (one of the best features of Alexia from the Parasol Protectorate series), has a good head on her shoulders. 

*Sophronia's set of friends were also great and colorful (both literally and figuratively lol)

*I did feel like no one acted their age though... 

[Berls]

This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.

Sometimes a book's description and cover really fail in preparing you for the mood of the book. That's what happened to me with Etiquette & Espionage. While the subject was exactly as described, it was far more ridiculous than I expected. Ultimately I enjoyed it, but it took me some time to adjust my expectations and embrace the ridiculous.

When Etiquette & Espionage first started I really enjoyed Safronia's mishap with the dumb waiter that landed food all over a visitor and expedited her way off to finishing school. And it was a quality I continued to enjoy in Safronia the whole book. She is into mischief and struggles with being lady-like.

What threw me was both the adults and the scenarios. I can't think of any better way to describe them than ridiculous. I expected a realm of believability, but you've got lessons in things like fainting and attack maneuvers involving fans and perfume to make a werewolf sneeze. Even more ridiculous was when the maneuvers worked. I think, though, that the ridiculous elements were well done and if you're the sort of person that enjoys movies like Dumb and Dumber or something equally ridiculous, you would probably get a good laugh from Etiquette & Espionage. I, as a rule, am not - so I did lots of eye rolling.

But my eye rolling was tempered by some really great moments - Safronia's friends are lovable, as is her mechanical dog, Bumbersnoot (the names fit with the ridiculous). If you like steam punk for its clothing and mechanical aspects, which I guess I do, Etiquette & Espionage has loads of that to enjoy. And there's even vampires, werewolves and flyway men - although those all kind of ended up appealing more to fans of the ridiculous than the paranormal lovers, in my opinion.

I do highly recommend the audio version of Etiquette & Espionage if you decide this sounds like one for you, since Moira Quirk was quite good. I enjoyed her voices and she clearly understood the ridiculous, somehow making those bits more enjoyable.

I haven't decided if I'll continue with this series or not. I liked the mystery and characters, so I'm tempted to continue. I'd just have to get myself into the right mood before picking up another.

[Sam@WLABB]

Let me start by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Gail Carriger. I like her writing style, I love her characters and I appreciate that she gives us so many strong females in her books. This book is no exception.

Sophronia, the youngest daughter of a large family, is thought to be quite un-lady like and in dire need of refinement. So, she is shipped off to finishing school (Etiquette). Little does she know, this is not your average finishing school (Espionage). In fact, this is the sort of place which will nurture Sophronia's naturally curiosity and develop more of her intellectual skills.

What I liked

The characters - They are so colorful and odd and whimsical and intriguing. I found them well developed and thought I developed the appropriate feelings the author expected for each character. The females are strong without apology. Some of them exert their prowess from within the social confines, while other do so on their own terms. One thing for sure, she has no wimpy main characters. I also enjoyed glimpsing some of the characters from Parasol Protectorate when they were younger. It was fun looking for all the nods to that series within E&E.

Sophronia's "World" - Carriger does a great job describing Sophronia's surroundings and each event that occurs. I have no problem "seeing" what is going on.

The humor - I found myself laughing aloud quite frequently. Her characters are often witty, whip-smart and sardonic. I love them!