Sherry and Sherry's friends believe they can just carry with their lives as things were even though Sherry is married and Hero is quite happy for that to happen too - only as it turns out London is a lot bigger and a lot less easy for her to navigate in her usual good natured way. She gets fleeced by card sharps and has to be rescued from any number of scrapes by an increasingly worried and agitated and finally angry Sherry.

What makes this such a good read is that the humour running through it - Hero is a great character, and Sherry's friends are also fun - but underneath it is a very good story about growing up - becoming responsible and facing up to your responsibilities. It also has a complex mix of characters who keep stumbling over one anotherand interfering with each other's plans - and Heyer does this so well.

If you like Friday's Child you will probably also enjoy Cotillion and Convenient Marriage also by Heyer.


Friday's Child is loving and giving   July 6, 2000
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

The opening scene of Sherry trying to propose to the Toast of London is a grabber, and the story goes charging off from there. Scorned and needing a wife to gain control of his finances, Sherry vows to marry the first woman he meets. That turns out to be Hero Wantage, the neglected poor relation of his neighbors who tagged after him as a child and still gives him devoted loyalty. She is thrilled to be a London lady, although she hasn't the least idea how to go about it. Although this looks like a romance, this is really the story of a young man learning to grow up. Sherry is essentially good-hearted but selfish; he doesn't want the responsibility of looking after a wife. This would be fine if he married a woman who was up to snuff, but his Kitten is decidely not. While Sherry's friends (a superb collection of supporting characters) look out for her as best they can, eventually it's time for Sherry to do the job himself. The finale, with various plot threads coming together with screwball abandon, is a triumph.


My Very Favorite Heyer!   August 9, 2000
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

This book's hero is quite different from the bored, sophisticated older man that Heyer usually casts in that role. Instead, "Sherry" is a gentleman in his early twenties who must marry to take control of his fortune from his unscrupulous uncle. When his current infatuation rejects his proposal, Sherry, miffed, finds a childhood friend in the village (Hero Wantage, "not quite seventeen") and marries her instead. Sherry's close friends all play a major role in the story and are admirably drawn, as are the hero and heroine. There are plenty of comic moments, the romance is quite believably developed, and I found myself laughing aloud more than once at the scrapes Hero keeps getting herself into. This is Ms. Heyer at her very best, and an excellent first-time pick for those Regency readers who wonder what all the fuss is about this grande dame of period romance.


One of my favorites   September 7, 2004
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I'm not usually a big fan of Heyer regencies that feature younger heroines, but I have to say that this book was an excellent read.

After receiving a vehement refusal to his proposal of marriage from the Incomparable Beauty, Isabella, Lord Sheringham (a.k.a. Sherry) decides to marry the first woman that he meets. Added to the set-down dealt to his pride is the fact that he can't get his hands on his inheritance from his greedy, spendthrift uncle until he reaches the age of 25, or until he marries (whichever is sooner). The first woman he sees happens to be Hero Wantage, a young woman who used to tag along after Sherry when she was a little girl. Hero is an orphan living in the home of her aunt and cousins, who treat her abominably. She's nearly 17 years old, and her aunt plans to ship her off to a school for governesses as soon as possible. Sherry decides to solve both their problems by proposing marriage to Hero, an offer she readily accepts from a man she idolizes. What follows is a humorous tale about Hero learning the ins and outs of high society, and a sweet romance about the couple finding love with each other.

Hero, also dubbed Kitten by Sherry, is a heroine that is innocent and sweet. She loves Sherry unconditionally and finds no fault in him, often following advice literally, which makes for a very amusing story. She has enough spirit so she's not meek, yet enough restraint that she's not too outrageous or grating. I found her to be a very likable character, unlike the immature vacuity of Leonie from "These Old Shades."

Sherry, likewise, was also very likable. He's a serious, yet good-humored gentleman. In terms of Heyer's other books, he reminds me of Freddy from "Cotillion," who was sober yet possessed an unconcerned, almost "spacy" air. Sherry's friends, Ferdy and Gil, also put me in mind of "Cotillion;" they end up being dragged into the couple's hilarious misunderstandings and schemes.

I heartily recommend "Friday's Child" to anyone that enjoys a Regency romance with a good dose of comedy. If you enjoyed "Cotillion," you'll love this! I prefer Heyer's older heroines, but Hero possesses enough common sense and decorum so she's not flighty or a complete hoyden, and enough sweetness and grace to be absolutely adorable.


Audio Recording review   October 12, 2004
 9 out of 13 found this review helpful

I loved this BOOK and would give it 5 stars.

The audio book, though, is very disappointing. The reader uses voices for the characters that are silly. The voice she uses for Hero Wantage, the woman protagonist, is high and squeaky, and the voice she uses for the male protagonist, Lord Sherringham, is loud and affected. Also, the narration bits are rather low volume, where the conversational bits are very loud. It's hard to get the volume set right to get both parts without getting a headache.

Too bad the Audio Edition is so poor, since it's a wonderful book.