Arabella

by Georgette Heyer

[jamiereadthis]

Now this is how you write a story with none of the mixups and miscommunications that make characters seem like idiots. She lies; he knows; he loves her for it; the book thrives off that instead of insipid mistakes. How can a book written seven decades ago still feel smarter, fresher, and funnier than 80% of the books written today? It delights in the ridiculous, which means it delights me.

The fifth star is for the magnificent Ulysses, tough competition for the best thing in the book.