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Etiquette & Espionage Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,249 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
While it is a challenge to curtsy like a lady, it is quite another feat to throw a knife like you mean to kill. Welcome to Finishing School.
Sophronia at age fourteen is a pest in the eyes of her mother. A tomboy more curious about the inner workings of a clock and the joys of climbing a tree than she is about etiquette at tea time, Sophronia is disappointing, and not just because of her horrid curtsy. Mrs. Teminnick, her mother, enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. Surely this will turn Sophronia into the proper young lady she ought to be.
There is one catch to this whole finishing school business, and it lies in exactly the kind of finishing these girls were meant to complete. These excellent students do learn the skills of proper dance, dress and manners, but they also learn how to appropriately kill divert, deceive, spy, and handle a weapon against all foes.
Sophronia and her classmates are in for a wild first year, indeed.
Gail Carriger is the pseudonym for Tofa Borregaard. She is both archeologist and author of steampunk fiction. Her second novel Changeless placed her on the New York Times best seller list, as did her third novel Blameless. She credits the travel journals of the Victorian era as well as the writings of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and PG Wodehouse as influences on her style of prose and plotting.
"I really enjoyed this, it combines my love of steampunk/ victorian and harry potter/young adult series like novels. Yes its slightly trashy and with Carrigers's work I find that it does sometimes lull and become uninteresting and information heavy in places- Her description of places and people and objects can sometimes be a little boring, but all in all an imaginative, fun read with lots of guilty pleasure thrown in. Cant wait for the next one! I also love that she uses some young versions characters from her Soulless series- a nice touch for fans of the world Carriger has created."
— Hayley (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
This young adult steampunk series debut set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Parasol Protectorate is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.
Fourteen-year-old 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.
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Quotes
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“Carriger deploys laugh-out-loud bon mots on nearly every page…Amid all the fun, the author works in commentary on race and class in a sparkling start to the Finishing School series.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Moira Quirk’s narration is a delight as she pulls from a wide vocal range to create her characters. From the proper British mean girl to the tinny-voiced machine, each voice has a unique sound and matches the humor of the story. It all makes for a rollicking good time.”
— AudioFile -
“Carriger’s YA debut brings her mix of Victorian paranormal steampunk and winning heroines to a whole new audience…with cleverly Victorian methods of espionage, witty banter, lighthearted silliness, and a ship full of intriguingly quirky people.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“[A] delightfully madcap espionage adventure.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Carriger’s bizarre blend of fantasy, steampunk, adventure, and mystery will keep you guessing. Readers will love the well-developed characters and the quirky charm imbued into every page, and will eagerly await the sequel!”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars) -
“If spunky Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey happened onto a steampunk set, she might look a lot like Sophronia Angelina Temminnick.”
— Shelf Awareness -
“Blending intrigue and elements of the school story, Carriger introduces teen readers to a supernatural-meets-steampunk world full of action and wit.”
— Horn Book
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2015 Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee for Tweens
Etiquette & Espionage Listener Reviews
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" I love love love this series! Imagination coupled with an amazing narrator and the miles fly by as I listen on my weekly trips!! Highly recommend! "
— Sharon, 11/5/2017 -
" Can I please have a mechanimal just like Bumbersnoot?!?! "
— Loren, 2/15/2014 -
" That was great. Can't wait for the sequel. "
— Elena, 2/10/2014 -
" The unique character names and style of writing make the story creative and unlike most other YA books I have read before. The Steampunk spy edge gives it a rememberable touch. I can't wait for the next three books in the series. Curtsies and Conspiracies, the sequal to Etiquette and Espionage is expected to come out in November, and Carriger is currently writing the third book, Waistcoats and Weaponry. It does take a few pages to get used to the nineteenth century slang, yet by the time the book is over, you miss it. "
— 1110cg, 2/8/2014 -
" Frothy, silly, a fun diversion. Essentially a YA prequel to her other series. "
— Katie, 2/4/2014 -
" Another enjoyable romp, set in the same universe as the Parasol Protectorate series, but earlier on and with younger characters. It was nice to see some familiar faces, and I defy anyone to read this book and not want a Bumbersnoot of his/her own. "
— Catherine, 1/19/2014 -
" Could not bring myself to finish this. The beginning was promising and it reeled me in good but then the plot moved too slow for my liking. "
— Jovy, 12/24/2013 -
" It was exactly what I was expecting, but then not....felt a little too childish. "
— Kristin, 12/11/2013 -
" I loved it. It was a like a love letter to her fans that read the Parasol Protectorate series. I had a hard time not squealing in delight with some of the happenings in the book. "
— Kash, 12/2/2013 -
" This is book one of a new series, set in the same steampunk England as The Parasol Protectorate series. Learn etiquette and espionage at a finishing school with an unexpected twist, just what a proper young lady neads to know. Great book, can't wait for the next one. "
— Mark, 11/11/2013 -
" I was not sure at first but it turned into a smashingly good book :) and I can't wait tell the next book! To bad it is not scheduled for release tell November the 3 :( "
— Noah, 10/19/2013 -
" Sometimes you need a book that is good, fluffy fun. This is that book. "
— Jenn, 10/8/2013 -
" wonderful start to the alternate world of soulless. "
— Gogo, 9/28/2013 -
" It was an interesting read and I like the characters, even though I had a difficulty understanding most of the terms in this book. But it probably was just me. "
— Su, 9/23/2013 -
" A quite thoroughly enjoyable read, particularly as a break from some heavier classics. :) "
— Darcey, 6/12/2013 -
" Fun - I'll check out the next one for sure. "
— Genesis, 6/11/2013 -
" Looking forward to the rest of the book!! "
— Jennifer, 6/5/2013 -
" This book is a fun & frolicking steam-punk adventure. It is filled with wonderful characters that I can't wait to get to know better. There is even a touch of the Parasol Protectorate world thrown in to make you feel like you already belong. "
— Jules, 5/17/2013 -
" Good, though the character names were dreadful. Hated the trifle story at the beginning, so done. Overall, Loved the cover. "
— Deyara, 2/24/2013
About Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.
About Moira Quirk
Moira Quirk, a British actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator, co-narrated Ben Bova’s Mercury and has narrated other popular audiobooks for which she received Audie Award nominations. She is a successful comedian and can be heard on Nickelodeon’s cartoon My Life as a Teenage Robot as well as in The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, The Wild Thornberrys Feature, and Serendipity, among others. She has also lent her voice to several video games, including Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and Haunting Ground.