The Benevolent Society of Ill-mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman

The determinately unmarried Lady Augusta Colebrook (Gus to her nearest and dearest) and her twin sister Julia live in a time where women are barely seen, and even more rarely heard. In Regency England’s high society they are treated like second class citizens with very few rights. They are fortunate to have an independent income and so live a comfortable, if boring, life. Their younger brother is a pig of a man, who treats them with distain and barely hidden hatred when it comes to Gus in particular. Unfortunately, since their father’s death, he is now the head of the family.

Bored, and feeling unfulfilled, Gus accepts a request to help rescue a friend’s goddaughter from a violent husband. Julia is a reluctant aid to their audacious rescue. On their way they are accosted by a highwayman, who they discover is Lord Evan Belford, an old acquaintance, who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia 20 years ago. Instant sparks fly between Gus and Lord Evan: most inappropriate, under the circumstances!

There are a further two ‘cases’ handled by the sisters, ably assisted by Lord Evan, all involving women in danger. The growing attractions between Gus and Evan is an added bonus to all the derring-do.

After the success of their first ‘case’, Gus knows she has found a purpose for her life:

For myself, I no longer believed that this world was mere preparation for the next. This was all the life I would have, and I had to do as much with it as possible.

‘Then it is settled. We shall be useful. But just as importantly we shall be defiant, occasionally ill-mannered, and completely indomitable.’

‘Surely not ill-mannered,’ Julia said.

I smiled. ‘That, dear sister, remains to be seen.’

This may all sound quite frivolous, but Goodman has a PHD in historical research and the Regency period. Not only do we learn about the fashions, the food and the social mores of the day, but we are also made privy to the darker elements of the period. Women were truly at the mercy of the men in their lives with little to no agency. They could be mistreated by their husbands with no recourse or sent to a lunatic asylum by their family for merely showing too much emotion. I found these parts of the book hard; the injustice made my blood boil. It is easy to forget how far we have come in the journey towards the equality of the sexes.

The second book, The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin will be released in Australia in May, and I can’t wait.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Gaby Meares
Murder on a Monday Reading Group