Etiquette & Espionage

Locations
Call Number: Teen Fiction / Carriger, Gail, Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Carriger, Gail
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Carriger, Gail	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Carriger, Gail	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Carriger, Gail	4-week checkout	Due 05-24-2024

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protecorate, the YA series is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.
In an alternate England of 1851, spirited fourteen-year-old Sophronia is enrolled in a finishing school where, she is suprised to learn, lessons include not only the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also diversion, deceit, and espionage.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia--more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--is a great trial to her poor mother. Desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady-- and finally learn to curtsy properly!, Mrs. Temminnick enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. While the young ladies do learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, 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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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Fun, but shallow submitted by sdunav on June 17, 2013, 2:51pm This is a YA book by an author whose adult books I've enjoyed, set in the same (alternate steampunk) Victorian England.

Although this was marketed as YA, I think it's fine for middle grade kids with an interest in steampunk or spunky heroines. I was a little bored and disappointed, it seemed like a mashup of Hogwarts and some generic feisty adolescent girl trope. The airships and the world were cool, I just wanted more from the characters somehow.

Etiquette? submitted by Jen Chapin-Smith on August 19, 2013, 10:26am A prequel to the Parasol Protectorate series, "Etiquette and Espionage" promises to be the first of a new series about spies in a supernatural version of Victorian Britain.
Sophronia is a tomboy in an upper class rural family with numerous siblings. Sophronia is always taking things apart and figuring out puzzles, much to the dismay of her mother who hopes to turn Sophronia into a proper lady and get her married to a wealthy man.

Suddenly, the head of an upper class finishing school offers Sophronia a place among the students, so Sophronia's mother jumps at the chance. Of course, the family does not realize that this school does not just teach its students how to curtsey and flutter a fan. The school also teaches how to spy, how to kill, and how to get out of sticky situations. Its faculty even include a vampire and werewolf.

Of course, Sophronia discovers a deeper plot afoot and (SPOILER ALERT) saves the day. Among her friends is a worker of African descent. The novel does a good job of depicting the racism of the Victorian era without engaging in it. Like all of Gail Carriger's other novels, I highly recommend this one.

Light and Fun submitted by wellscai on August 10, 2018, 10:02pm I devoured this book in about a day. The steampunk world took a bit of getting used to for me, but I liked Sophronia's character and the whole "scrappy misfit schoolgirls save the day" plot. I'm probably about 20 years older than the target demographic, but I found the book cute, light, and a really fun read.

Liked book but didn't love it submitted by kyamada on July 26, 2019, 5:16pm Our adult female book club read it and thought it was interesting but a one and done. As a YA book, it's interesting take on steampunk, but I thought the characters needed more fleshing out. Young and fearless Sophronia was alittle annoying but I liked Nieve and Scottish character best. I was told that the 2nd book in the series might suit me better. Will let you know about that one when I get to it.

i wanted to like this... submitted by camelsamba on August 25, 2019, 10:10pm I wanted to like this more than I did.

The basic premise is intriguing: a finishing school that teaches espionage skills to young women. It makes sense, right? Hide weapons in those voluminous skirts, use social graces to eavesdrop on secret conversations, turn dance moves into evasive maneuvers — the possibilities are legion! And the companion boy’s school trains evil geniuses. (Why not male spies? Dunno.) Most of the students at these two schools come from families who are already in the line of work, but our main character (Sephronia - sp?) is a "covert recruit" - think "muggle born" in the Harry Potter world.

So like I said, interesting premise, but it tries too hard to be quirky. There’s a steampunk element - all sorts of mechanical household staff, plus "mechanimals." And then there are werewolves and vampires sprinkled in. Why? Maybe that becomes more germane in subsequent books. But I probably won't find out, because I don't feel a need to continue the series. However, middle grade readers who like action and intrigue genres might enjoy.

Delightful submitted by Princess Cimorene on July 21, 2021, 6:32am This series is one of my favorite recent YA reads! Like all of Carriger's books, the pacing is excellent, the characters are spunky, and the humor is delightful. Throw in a floating airship school and you get a perfectly delightful book.