The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

Series: The Ill-Mannered Ladies, Book 1

By: Alison Goodman / Narrated By: Kristin Atherton

Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins

Thrilling, poignant, hilarious—just BRILLIANTLY written and narrated!!!

Ya know, it’s rare, but it happens sometimes that I start an audiobook and am soooo completely WOWed by it that I have to stop and tell Big Sis—This! Oh, let’s do THIS audiobook! Cuz that is exactly how we came to listen to The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman.

We begin with action right away, with the pragmatic and bold Lady Augusta and her intrepid tho’ somewhat, understandably, nervous sister Julia about to make a tetchy exchange. Their assistance has been requested to retrieve some steamy and incriminating missives a good friend wrote in the heat of passions extraordinaire in exchange for the return of a pricey necklace. Right away things go awry as the former beau turns out to be a cad and pulls a pistol on the intrepid women.

So toes curling due to an onrush of adrenaline, like, immediately upon starting this grand novel. Swiftly taken care of, to be sure, because with Augusta, no holds are barred.

After this successful completion of the… tetchy… operation in which their good friend’s honor is safely secured, the sister duo seems to find a fine purpose. To protect and serve the weak and mistreated. And so there are a few more operations undertaken which become vastly more dangerous as things progress.

Truly, this is a superbly researched novel that does what few Regencies do—show the oh so ugly underbelly of a Society that glosses over the suffering that occurs for the underclasses. There are little girls taken to work in brothels, their youth and virginity used as a Cure for syphilis. There are outspoken women sent to gruesomely run asylums for the “insane”. And throw in men who’ve lost their place in Society and turn to highway robbery to make ends meet.

One last wrench thrown in: A hyper-observant Bow Street Runner on the hunt for the highwayman who will surely hang on the gallows should he be caught. That he and Augusta have a growing friendship and relationship? Why, chills and spills along the way, AGAIN with all the adrenaline rushes such things entail.

Tho’ there is a growing concern and fondness and devotion for each other which is evenly done, this is NOT a story, a group of escapades, that is overwhelmed by the growing romance. Don’t get me wrong, there is indeed that romance that I’m so fond of and drink like water, but Goodman has crafted so much more here. The character development is beYONd well done, with the unfolding of each character be they main ones, or a freeman turned Butler who will also play Footman should operations deem it necessary. The Bow Street Runner? Same unfoldment.

And the women? Just awesome. This isn’t one of those period pieces where the main female is all Ahead of Her Time, no indeed. Augusta is a woman firmly in charge of herself, but she runs into brick walls All. The. Time. Is duly chastised, reprimanded, and is punished.

One of the reasons I hit pause immediately upon starting this and shot off a text to Big Sis was due to Kristin Atherton’s flawless narration. Whereas in The Silence of the Girls, she captured trauma and courage and despair so well? Here she has outrageous situations well in hand, but there’s so much humor and affection written in here as well. Her performance is perfection. Brava, and Well Done! Different accents, so many characters from all levels of Society, juggled back and forth seamlessly. Oh my! superb superb superb!

There’d better be a sequel, like, posthaste, cuz Sis and I truly adored this one. Alas, this is a recent creation here in 2023.

I flunked The Marshmallow Test. I haaaaate waiting.

Alas, gotta. But in the meantime, I suggest y’all give it a Go, a Resounding GO!!!

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