Yvonne Goes to York
Series: The Traveling Matchmaker, Book 6
By: Marion Chesney / Narrated By: Helen Lisanti
Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
Oh nooooo!!! The end of the series came toooo quickly!
I’ve gotta admit it: Yvonne Goes to York isn’t my favorite of the series, but it does wrap things up rather well and left me with the whole bittersweet, end-of-a-journey type feeling. There was a sense of sadness as I listened to the Audible Hopes You Enjoyed This Program, and I put the adventures of ex-Housekeeper Miss Hannah Pym away.
We start Hannah’s last jaunt with Hannah in a lovesick dither, opting for one last journey to provide the debonair confirmed old bachelor, Sir George Clarence, with the tales that he loves, and also to find her old employer, Mrs. Clarence (Sister-in-law to Sir George) in York. Mrs. Clarence ran off with the footman and hadn’t been seen in years, and Hannah, who’s grown faaaar less judgmental about Mrs. Clarence’s decamping in such a fashion, wants desperately to see the woman, tell her she’s now free to marry her footman, and to thank her for all she did for the struggling Hannah.
Naturally, it aaaall starts with Hannah’s fellow stagecoach passengers, and on this final trip, the whole bleedin’ coach is full of people with secrets. Hannah immediately steps in to provide comfort and protection to a bewildered young Frenchwoman, Yvonne, and of COURSE she soon develops a plan to pair Yvonne off with the handsome gentleman who journeys with them.
But this adventure includes international intrigue, and the indefatigable Miss Pym comes to the rescue. But she’s not the only bold one, as Sir George, who hears and quashes a distressing rumor, misses his old friend and sets out to York himself, not really knowing why he’s off on the journey, just, well, he’d like to see Hannah’s oddly color-changing eyes flash with delight again.
There’s the requisite kidnapping, allusions to the work the guillotine is doing in France, an earth shattering kiss, Benjamin hunting for Yvonne’s father and getting sidetracked by alcohol and gambling, the dear Mrs. Clarence and her fine footman. There’s even the one moment in time where Sir George comes to understand exACTly how it is that Miss Pym gets into sooo many adventures when he sees her eyes flash green, and she willy nilly pushes the envelope, setting the ragtag group of comrades into even more danger.
For all that, however? Things move rather slowly in this book, with a great deal of legwork being done as opposed to adventures being lived through. While there is that, as earlier noted, devastating first kiss for Yvonne, there’s even more just-thinking-about romance. Me? Complain that there wasn’t enough kissing or groping? Old prude that I am?!?
Yessss. I woulda liked to see more sweetness, especially as Hannah and Sir George try to come to terms with wanting more, just being friends, yeah but there’s love, but no we’re just friends, and so on and so on. That Sir George is conflicted is understandable, but after rediscovering his youth as he valiantly strives to save the day, I was hoping for more dedication on his part, and less surly confusion.
Another reviewer panned this book cuz Helen Lisanti does an inCREDibly thick and sickly sweet French accent for Yvonne, but I didn’t mind it so much. I mean, I’m into these audiobooks for the precious cheeeeese factor and not for authenticity (And by the way? We learn less about Regency society in this book than in the others. Altho’ we do indeed see how the English viewed what was going on through the French Revolution, so I guess there’s that).
For all my griping, however, I did so dearly love this series, even if the narration wasn't, say, Davina-freaking-Porter and all the young heroines sounded a bit mealy-mouthed. But I LOVED Miss Pym, and Benjamin had to be the BEST mid-series character introduction ever.
I really don’t know that there’s another Beaton/Chesney series out there to start, so I’m feeling a tad bummed right now. What am I gonna doooo?!?
Ah well…
Maybe it’ll be time to re-listen to each and every book already listened to and reviewed. I loved The Poor Relation, and I loved the servants at Number 67 Clarges Street, and now? Well, I really loved riding the Flying Machines of Regency England with the Traveling Matchmaker.
Tally-ho, fellow Accomplice!!!
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