“We’re not courting trouble,” I say. “Flirting with it, at most.”
― Mackenzi Lee, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
I received “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” by Mackenzi Lee inside the “Wanderlust” #owlcrate …and it was quite a journey to read it.
Description
London, 18th Century. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed.
But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up.
Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
My thoughts on the book
I’m still not sure how to truly classify this book, so I gave it 3 stars.
I find the orange on the cover is fitting, because it is the color of social communication and optimism, but also of superficiality.
And man, the “gentleman” who is the main protagonist—Monty—is definitely a whiny, superficial son of a Lord (pun totally intended) who keeps making bad choices and complaining abut them and I couldn’t manage to like.
I preferred the other characters:
- the bookish/spinsterish sister, because she knows what she wants, and she is willing to change things and work her but off in order to achieve her goals;
- and the biracial bff—Monty is low-key in love with him—because he has aspirations and interests, and he knows reality.
Also, the idea of writing about a Grand Tour through 18th century Europe with a twist was good, but I still don’t know. I wish I could tell that it goes out with a bang and the KEY (not going to give any spoilers) is indeed a HEART and ITS DESIRES, but I think that is something that can only be said if you embarked on their adventure 100%.
The writing is good, the cast of characters is colourful and the 1700s is an interesting period of time to set a novel, and these ingredients made me like it. On the other hand, I cannot say I loved it: the story proceeded too slowly, it began getting almost gripping after 70% of the pages and by then it did not have my full attention. There were some elements that might have sparkled my imagination, if only they had been explored sooner, or deeper.
Also, if the main character had been a tadbit less annoying—or had started to think a bit sooner, I might have started to like him and then maybe I might not have felt the urge to finish the book as quickly as I could.
All in all, I think the book deserves his 3 stars for the good parts, but not much else.
The Errant Reader 