Cousin Kate

Written by Georgette Heyer

Narrated by Christina Cole

Brought to you by Penguin.

Kate Malvern never expected to see this kind of splendour again.

After her father's death, Kate was left an orphan, striving to make ends meet as a governess until her aunt Minerva rescues her from poverty.

Kate hardly knows what to expect at the grand house of Staplewood. Her uncle lives in one wing, while her handsome, moody cousin Torquil occupies another; guests are few and far between, but even family dinners are rigidly formal. And, over it all, Minerva's word is law.

But the sudden arrival of cousin Philip throws Minerva's control over the household into doubt, and Kate begins to suspect the shocking reason for Minerva's generosity. She has no-one to confide in but cousin Philip - but for reasons unknown, he seems to have taken an instant dislike to her...

Cousin Kate is a rich and classic Georgette Heyer novel, replete with the sparkling humour, memorable characters and intricate plots that have made her the queen of the Regency romance novel.

'Wonderful characters and rapturously romantic' - Katie Fforde

© Georgette Heyer 1968 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cornerstone Digital
• Release date: Apr 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781473586376

Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer was an English novelist and short story writer. She authored both historical romance and detective fiction. Heyer's writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story initially written for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. 

Reviews for Cousin Kate

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A darker but very satisfying story about an orphan who is suddenly invited by distant family to come to their estate for "a visit". The sinister theme underlying this story is done in a subtle manner. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

[herenya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Kate, an orphan of four-and-twenty, is looking for work as a governess when she’s invited by an aunt she’s never met to come and stay at Staplewood Park.

This is an unexpected and uncomfortable foray into Gothic suspense, in which characters agonise over whether one of their relatives is mentally unstable and who else knows (or suspects) it. Ugh.

Kate, at least, never loses sight that this person is still a person who deserves compassion. But the early 1800s was an era where there wasn’t much of understanding of, nor effective means of supporting people with, mental health issues. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that this is is not a situation which can be resolved happily.

I liked Kate and I enjoyed her very Heyer-ish romance. I would have liked the suspense if Staplewood had been home to different secrets.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought I knew what to expect with Cousin Kate by Georgette Heyer, but the author really surprised me with this one. I wasn’t expecting her to deliver a Regency Romance with a touch of creepy Gothic suspense. Although I wasn’t totally able to embrace this combination, I applaud Ms. Heyer for trying.

Kate Malvern is an impoverished young woman who is between posts. Her old nurse goes behind her back and writes to her aunt of her circumstances and when her Aunt Minerva invites her to spend some time at Staplewood, Kate thinks this is the answer to her prayers. Unfortunately, before too long, Kate starts to question what is actually going on at this estate, her Aunt is a domineering, possessive woman who seems to be encouraging a relationship to develop between Kate and her son, Torquil. Torquil, in turn, is an excitable, uncontrollable young man given to extreme mood swings. After a number of odd and slightly dangerous incidents Kate realizes that she must leave. To complicate matters further Kate has fallen in love with Torquil’s other cousin, Philip. Can these two young people find happiness in such dark surroundings?

Cousin Kate was published in 1968 when Gothic romances were quite the thing. I believe the author wanted to show that she could hold her own against the likes of Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney and Mary Stewart. While I thought the romance between Kate and Philip was developed too quickly, and the ending was rather depressing, it is still always a treat to read a Georgette Heyer book.

[philsyphe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“Cousin Kate” is a more serious – and at times sinister – offering than what Georgette Heyer usually serves up. It’s good in its way, however, I missed the consistent comedy that this author was so brilliant at.

That said, humour does still creep in here and there. I smiled at the way Kate’s nurse Sarah talks to her as if she’s (Kate) still a small child (Kate’s 24), with comments like, “Now you sit down there like a good girl.”

Kate is a likeable character, and is my favourite in the book, but unlike many other Heyer novels, none the characters are larger than life like, for example, they are in “Frederica” and “Black Sheep”.

I tend to find Heyer novels hit or miss, while this one lies somewhere in between. Good, but not great.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this one just about as much as I have the previous bunch of Heyer novels I've been reading, though the added gothic and mysterious elements even ticked it above a couple of them.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I disliked the coercion that Kate was trapped into during my first reading and that overwhelmed my liking of the story. However, in re-reading the book, I admired the way Heyer related a tale that was probably all too true for many girls in these periods. Overall, I think it was an insightful narrative, although a bit dark, perhaps even gothic.

[nbmars · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cousin Kate purports to be a gothic novel set in Regency England. It features the lovely if superannuated (for a single woman of the time) Kate Malvern, who at 24 is an orphan in impecunious circumstances.

Kate’s former and still faithful nurse, Mrs. Nidd, writes to an aunt of Kate’s, a Lady Broome, who promptly comes and offers to take Kate to her estate, Staplewood. Although Lady Broome showers Kate with gifts, something seems off, especially with Kate’s 19-year-old cousin Torquil. Lady Broome’s husband, Sir Timothy, is sickly, and so a shady-acting doctor lives on the premises too, and the servants seem to be in divided camps between the husband and wife.

As the situation becomes creepier, Sir Timothy’s nephew arrives, the 29-year-old and handsome-in-a-rugged-way Philip Broome. Philip is the second heir to Sir Timothy after Torquil, and Lady Broome decidedly hates him. But Kate and Philip apparently fall into instalove, and by instalove I mean Fastest On Record.

But someone at the estate is dangerous - who is it, and who will survive in the end?

Discussion: The Instalove is a bit ridiculous and the “gothicness” of the plot wasn’t all that gothic, at least by today’s standards. The book was published in 1968, late in Heyer’s career. near the end of Heyer's career, and just doesn’t have the same appeal as her earlier books.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun, not a favorite. I quite like Kate; Philip is a little too impulsive to me (also, he has a total of one (ok, maybe three) scenes where he's more than a cipher). Torquil is very nicely drawn - he's not blatant, but you get the feeling something more than the obvious is wrong early on and it only gets worse. Though it's hard to tell if he's actually insane or just over-coddled, over-drugged, and under-exposed to the real world. I must say Kate seemed to overreact to the rabbit...possibly because fully describing the scene would have moved the book past Gothic and into straight horror (which suggestion derives from trying to imagine what would make sensible Kate react so strongly). Minerva is actually the scarier character, and not just because she holds most of the power. I can pity Torquil, I'm afraid of Minerva. It's a classic Gothic novel - impoverished orphan is brought to the great house and there given all she wants, with a deeper plan in mind; she escapes with the help of the man she meets and loves. But it's a Heyer, as well, so the characters have depth to them - Philip possibly the least, but even he has _some_ depth to him. I enjoyed reading it, I might read it again at some point, but it's not one of my favorite Heyers.

[judithproctor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first Heyer and it certainly won't be my last. Kate is a remarkably sensible young woman, unwilling to sponge off her friends when in a tight corner. She's seriously considering work well below her social status when she unexpectedly gets a very generous offer from a relative she's never met.
The characters are very well developed and believable. The book feels surprisingly modern considering how long ago it was written. Kate's awareness of the debt she owes her aunt is balanced well against her personal feelings and her natural honesty.
There's a small mystery lurking in the background which slowly gains greater importance as the story developed.
I still can't decide if the period slang is a plus or a minus. It lends authenticity and character, but can also leave the reader confused on occasion as to what the characters actually mean.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kate Malvern is quite alone in the world, apart from her old nurse Sarah Nibbs. When Kate's job as a governess falls through due to her being entirely too young and attractive, Kate threatens to go into service as an abigail or seek work in a dressmaker's shop. Appalled at the idea, Sarah writes to one of Kate's estranged relations, Lady Minerva Broome, who immediately rushes to Kate's aid. Kate is whisked away to Staplewood, the ancestral home of the Broomes, where she is showered with gifts by her aunt. She does find, however, that things at Staplewood are a little . . . off. Though her aunt presents all the outward signs of affection, Kate can't help but find Lady Broome rather cold and calculating at heart. Her cousin Torquil is subject to abrupt changes of mood and occasionally alarming behavior. The servants are divided in their loyalties, and when Torquil's cousin Philip Broome arrives, Kate is unsure as to whether he can be trusted. As the ominous cloud over Staplewood grows, Kate may find herself in actual peril unless she can discern the truth.

I downloaded this book expecting another light Regency romance from Heyer, and was surprised (though not particularly disappointed) to discover the many gothic elements in this story: the penniless heroine, the large and gloomy house, the madman in the west wing, the sinister warnings. It doesn't quite manage to be a full-on Gothic, however, as it retains some of the humor characteristic to Heyer's work (Kate's handling of the hypochondriac housekeeper, temperamental chef, and stuck-up lady's maid in the midst of a crisis is amusing), and though the action does come to a violent and startling climax, Kate herself is never in much real danger. My main issue with this book is the insta-love nature of the romantic storyline -- too little page space is devoted to developing the relationship, so I never bought in to the two characters' attraction to each other. I did enjoy reading this book, but as it is atypical of the author's work, I would probably not recommend it as a starting point for reading Heyer, and would recommend it to fans of the author only with the caveat that it may not be quite what one might expect.

[lovelylime · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Idgaf, im a sucker for a good gothic romance.

[leslie398 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Heyer's most "gothic" romance

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of Georgette Heyer's most Gothic novels, Cousin Kate follows the story of the eponymous Kate Malvern, who finds herself almost penniless at age twenty-four. The unexpected kindness of her estranged half-aunt, Lady Minerva Broome, seems like a godsend, until Kate discovers that all is not as it should be at Broome Hall...

Although a great admirer of Heyer, I am forced to agree with those readers who opine that Cousin Kate is unsuccessful, both as a romance and as a thriller. The foreshadowing, such as it is, is far too obvious; and the romance too hurried. Philip Broome's conversion from contempt to adoration struck me as unconvincing, as did Cousin Torquil's madness. It's not that I had trouble believing that mental illness could be so tragically misunderstood and cruelly mistreated in the nineteenth century. What, after all, could have been more likely? But Heyer herself seems to advance some curious notions, such as Torquil's "spells" occurring near the full moon.

As always, I enjoyed Heyer's writing, whatever I may have thought of her narrative, so this was not an entire waste of time, although I would only recommend Cousin Kate to fellow Heyer enthusiasts.

[jaysbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a so so Gothic romance, entertaining but not as eerie or scary as some other books in that category. I found many words and phrases in this book that I had never encountered before and started highlighting them on my Kindle. I wonder if anyone ever really used words like "jobbernoll," "niffy-naffy,""rabshackle,' or "chawbacon," to cite just a few examples.

[veracite · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Alarmingly gothic!

[ab_gayle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My main gripe with "Cousin Kate" was its length, but having said that, the description of life and the way people lived and interacted is worth exploring. Perhaps it's more a reflection of the pace I've come to expect in more modern books.

What sets this one apart from her other Regency novels is the character of Torquil who is, to me, the star of the book.

Try reading this, taking into account modern days attitude to madness and psychiatry. This is in the time before Fluoxetine and Olanzapine. Where people were diagnosed as simply "mad" and locked away. The nature of their illness was often hidden away from neighbours and the public, with the burden of looking after them left to family or trusted retainers. The illness itself was not understood and rightly feared. Sometimes inbreeding contributed to the problem.

Depression, schizophrenia, manic depression, at times Torquil shows signs of all three. This, of course, lends itself to a Gothic style novel, much in the style of Emily Bronte, but the real tragedy lies in the fact that society and the medical profession of the era did not know how to handle these cases. Instead, people had to walk on eggshells, trying to cope with the situation, the only recourse being sedatives.

Balanced by this is the "madness" that Torquil's mother exhibits. Her obsession and determination to get her own way all in the name of protecting the legacy.

There is still a lot that needs to be done with mental health, but at least we have progressed beyond the stage depicted here.

Given that Georgette Heyer's least popular books are those where she explores serious subjects rather than just romances, I'd be interested to know her reasons for writing this one.

[patrickgarson_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Heyer's attempt at a Regency Gothic is ultimately not a successful one - her natural inclinations do not marry very well to demands of the genre, and the novel is spends its time veering wildly between tones.

Young Kate is reduced to the role of a governess, but when even that falls through, poverty is a looming threat. The appearance of a rich Aunt, and her subsequent spiriting away to the sumptuous estate, Staplewood, seems set to resolve all that. But all is not well at Staplewood. Can Kate unravel the mysteries of the estate without danger?

As a plot, Cousin Kate is - bar its regency setting - vintage Gothic. The problem is one of tone, however. Heyer's many years of writing regency romances and some of her other writerly quirks are at odds with demands of the Gothic from almost the outset.

Kate herself, though beautiful enough for a gothic, is far, far too prosaic to be the protagonist for this kind of novel. The idea of her falling into a faint is preposterous and I never really feared for her safety or innocence. Similar issues plague the rest of the characters which - in the main - are _types_ that would populate a gothic novel, but the personalities are not.

This is compounded by Heyer's typically banter and dialogue-heavy writing. A true Gothic demands - a la Ann Radclifee - descriptions of crumbling masonry, dark woods, and gloomy secret rooms and halls. Whilst Heyer attempts to invest Staplewood with that aura, she is ultimately not successful as her descriptions are simply too realistic and lacking the atmosphere needed to sustain a Gothic.

Additionally, her dialogue, as ever, is packed with humour. This is a mixed blessing, as the book is not a short one; not a lot really happens; and Heyer is nothing if not funny. On the other hand, it's so out of place in a Gothic it's hard to know what you're reading at times, and Heyer's somewhat uncomfortable feelings about the working class and the associated stereotypes those feelings bring are on full display here.

In the end, Cousin Kate is indisputably the weakest Heyer I've read. For all that, it's still a Georgette Heyer novel so goes down pretty easy. With such a huge catalogue though, I would recommend all but the most devoted fans give this one a miss.

[atimco-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cousin Kate is a novel that gets mixed reviews from Georgette Heyer's loyal fans. The set-up feels quite correct to the period, comfortably Austenish, and then takes a turn that seems utterly out of place in the well-ordered gardens and tea parties of Regency England. Heyer may be true to human nature in the darker plot twists of this story, but human nature can be jarring sometimes when you meet it in lighthearted entertainment.

Twenty-four years old and alone in the world, pretty Kate Malvern is cautiously delighted when her long-estranged aunt takes an interest in her. Lady Broome of Staplewood is an imposing woman, but so very kind to her dear niece... maybe too kind. Lady Broome takes immense pride in her husband's isolated country estate at Staplewood, where the Broome line has been preserved unbroken for centuries. Kate soon befriends her cousin Torquil, a pettish but remarkably handsome young man who is tired of living under his mother's thumb. But she has less warmth toward another relation, Philip Broome, who warns her of vague danger and urges her to leave Staplewood. But is he—next in line to inherit, should Torquil die—trustworthy?

Things wear a bit thin. This was published in 1968 near the end of Heyer's career and though it is fairly well executed, the strange mix of Gothic undertones with a patently Regency period setting is odd. I generally love Gothic-toned tales, but when Regency characters find themselves Gothic situations, they fall rather flat (or behave foolishly; see Northanger Abbey!). Things are neatly tied off at the end with rather more rapidity than seems decent, and some of the relationships aren't developed in a believable way.

But having said all this, I certainly enjoyed the read. It's Heyer, after all, and she keeps you reading. And now I want a Sarah Nidd in my life!

[janoorani24 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Georgette Heyer is one of my favorite authors, but Cousin Kate is not one of my favorite Heyer books. I found the heroine to be too malleable, and the hero a bit of a wimp. This was written toward the end of Heyer's writing career (1968) and it shows what I call "popular writer's fatigue." For other examples I classify the same way try Leon Uris' "O'Hara's Choice," or Robert Heinlein's "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls." Three stars because it's a Heyer, and they are all worth at least that -- but it's not one of her best.

[gwernin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Atypical for Heyer (gothic rather than romance), and one of my least favorites. That being said, mediocre Heyer is still preferable to most people's best. For the gothic novel fan or the completest.

[jmaloney17 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another sweet Regency romance. This one has mayham and malice! Oooohhh.....

[exlibrisbitsy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kate Malvern is in desperate straights. She has no family left in the world to take her in, she believes, and so stays with her old nursery maid while considering a job in the working class as a governess, companion or abigail. At her old nurse’s urging a letter is sent to some distant relations in the neighborhood, to everyone’s surprise the relations respond and soon Cousin Kate finds herself settling in at a place called Staplewood with her aunt and uncle and cousin Torquil. The family is strange though, her cousin lives off in one wing, while her uncle lives in another. No one is responding to the letters she sends, and bizarre events begin to unfold. Her aunt’s unexpected generosity may have come at a steep price.

This novel is quite different from a lot of Georgette Heyer's other pieces. It's very dark first off, more of a gothic novel than any thing else with many spooky events and unsettling discoveries not to mention the impending sense of doom.

One of the things I like so much about Heyer's novels is her deep character studies and Cousin Kate is no different. In fact in this novel she takes it a step further and addresses the very real concerns about how mental illness was treated and the attitude towards it during the regency. Very spooky, no wonder the gothic genre even arose in the first place. No doubt it was from households like these.

Of course, you can't have a Georgette Heyer without the romance. Cousin Phillip is yet another cousin of the establishment that comes to visit at this awkward time and good thing too! He at first believes her to be after the family money but soon realizes something far more sinister is afoot, and Kate is the target of it. Really, I found the misunderstandings these two continually went through to be surprisingly endearing. Normally I can't stand for characters to make a muddle of things. But, with everything else going on around them I could hardly blame them.

Favorite Quote:
"Has it occurred to you, Kate, that she is placing you under an obligation?"
"Oh, yes, indeed it has, and it is crushing me!" she said earnestly. "If only there were some way of requiting her - not arranging flowers, or entertaining Sir Timothy, or bearing Torquil company, but a big thing! Something that was vital to her, or - or even something that entailed a sacrifice! But there isn't anything that I can discover."
There was a pause, during which he frowned down at his well-kept finger-nails. At length he said slowly: "If she were to demand it of you, would you be prepared to make a sacrifice of yourself?"

[bookmagic_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been seeing Heyer novels brought up on several blogs as her books are being re-released again. I wasn't sure which one to start with but Aarti of Booklust gave me a few recommendations. I wanted to read Cousin Kate as it is a gothic novel, which I love, though Heyer is more known for Regency romances.

Kate Malvern is twenty-four, an orphan, and has just been fired from her position as a governess. She moves in with her former nurse, Sarah and her family. Kate is determinded to find a new position but Sarah thinks that someone in Kate's family should take her in. She writes to Kate's aunt, whom Kate has never met. Minerva Broome shows up to invite Kate back to her estate, Staplewood, which Kate accepts.

At first Kate is thrilled, her aunt is generous and kind, her uncle, though ill is warm and welcoming. Torquil is her cousin, aged nineteen and though he has his moods and delicate constitution, Kate is fond of him.

But then some strange things happen. Kate hears screaming one night but can't investigate as she is locked in her room. Torquil becomes more difficult to handle and uncle's nephew, Philip insinuates that Kate should leave Staplewood. Kate is unsure what to do or where she would go as she has not heard from Sarah since she moved to Staplewood.

my review: I enjoyed this novel quite a bit; Kate is fearless and spunky, Torquil is creepy, and her aunt is mysterious. A perfect setting for a gothic novel. Of course I love this time period and British novels, so that helped. But I did have some trouble with the language. I thought I was almost fluent in British but I encountered many a word or phrase I was unfamiliar with; farrafiddles, skimble-skamble, jarvey,and nab the rust were a few of my favorites.

It did not detract from the story however. The beginning felt a little slow but it picked up and then went quite fast at the end.
I'm not sure I am a Heyer convert but I think I will read one of the books that was more strongly recommended by Aarti, The Talisman's Ring. Also, I'm not a fan of my library's copies as these are books from decades ago, but it seems that many of the Heyer books are now available as ebooks, so I will try that.

my rating 3.5/5

[darla_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well. This surprised me. I was expecting a Regency romance, which is what Heyer is famous for, and instead, I got a gothic. I lurrrrve gothics.

The "Cousin Kate" of the title is an orphaned, penniless young woman who's been invited to live with her aunt after losing her position as a governess. Her old nurse, to whom she'd turned, contacted the aunt Kate had never met, and at first, all seemed fine.

The aunt was kind and solicitous, and her cousin Torquil a handsome but moody young man, but the expected introductions to London society never materialized with their hope of contracting a marriage for Kate, and instead they lived quietly in the country, with the poor health of her aunt's husband, Sir Timothy, as an excuse.

With the arrival of Sir Timothy's nephew Phillip, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems, and Kate is thrust into the middle of a mystery, not knowing whom to trust.

I've been wavering between 4 and 5 stars for this book. On the one hand, I have no complaints about it whatsoever. I love the gothic style, and this was a pretty much flawless example of a gothic romance. On the other hand, it's a flawless example of a gothic romance--that is, there was nothing to distinguish it from other gothic romances, nothing that made me say "oh, my god, this is such a good book." Realizing that my ratings have been becoming inflated of late, I'm sticking with the 4 stars. Which I've always intended to mean "a book I really enjoy, but that doesn't make me want to do a little dance."

[yazzyfuzz · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly similar to Norah Lofts' Scent of Cloves. I'm not sure which came first, but the plot is almost identical.

[speedwriter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very untypical Heyer, a gloriously Gothic tale of murder, madness and suicide with a monstrous, deranged mother at its heart. However the happy-ever-after ending is incongruous.

[nholmes_35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Certainly not one of Georgette Heyer's best, but still quite an enjoyable read, with a variety of characters and a coherent plot