9 h 5 minAudiobook18 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a young woman with a sharp tongue meets a society full of rules?
Kate Coventry tells her own story as if she were chatting with a friend. A spirited young Englishwoman, she loves horses and open air, admits her faults cheerfully, and has little patience for dull rules. Around her, fashionable society offers balls, visits, chaperones, and relations who keep a watchful eye.
In G. J. Whyte-Melville's novel, courtship is part of the social game. Kate meets her admirers with curiosity, amusement, and pride, while family pressure and expectations surround her. The pleasure lies in her lively, teasing account of it all: a comic view of Victorian country life from a woman ready to speak her mind.
What you’ll discover
- A voice with spirit Enjoy Kate's frank company as she judges those around her with sharp good humour.
- Rules worth testing Enter a world of watchful relations, where a young woman's manners invite close attention.
- Courtship with a wink Follow the social game of romance through Kate's curious, amused, and proud eyes.
- Horses and open air Share Kate's love of outdoor life in the sporting world of Victorian England.
- Comedy in good company Find gentle pleasure in family pressure, social expectations, and a narrator who speaks frankly.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy a spirited first-person voice, horses and hunting scenes, Victorian drawing rooms and a love story with real dilemmas will find a warm companion here, along with sharp comedy about manners.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Kate wins her day at Ascot
- Brilliant, the park, and a ball
- A picnic, a bull and a brave stand
- Frank charms the Horsingham hand
- The gloom of Dangerfield Hall
- A shy squire and a hunting morning
- Frost, a rival's letter and a beggar
- Two suitors and a day with the stag hounds
- What the novel is really about
- How the story is told
Who’s who
- Kate CoventryA bold, quick-witted young woman who loves horses and hunting and chafes at the rules set for her sex.
- Aunt Deborah HorsinghamKate's stern, kind guardian in Lowndes Street, proud of her white hands and always worried about propriety.
- John JonesKate's cheerful, loyal cousin and escort, who has loved her for years and waits for her answer.
- Frank LovellA handsome, charming cavalry captain with debts and a gambler's habits, who pursues Kate with daring and few plain words.
- Mrs. LumleyA witty, mischievous friend with a store of scandal, a kind old naturalist husband and a fine brown mare.
- Lady ScapegraceA dark, tragic beauty of rumored past, married to a vulgar baronet, who grows fond of Kate after the bull.
- Sir Guy ScapegraceA coarse, dyed-whiskered baronet who loves his coach and horses and pursues Kate with unwelcome compliments.
- Squire HaycockA shy, freckled country gentleman with pointers and a good house, who misreads Kate's kindness as a promise.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 9 h 5 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 18 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear Kate Coventry in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Kate Coventry
by G. J. Whyte-Melville · 1856
A fearless young woman outrides London's men while two suitors wait for her answer.
Challenging5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Kate Coventry is a comic novel of Victorian London and the English countryside, written by G. J.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Kate wins her day at Ascot
The story opens on a wet June morning in London. Kate Coventry is twenty-something, quick-tongued and fond of riding, and her aunt Deborah Horsingham announces that the trip to Ascot must be given up. Kate has already ordered a peach-colored mantle and a bonnet for Cup Day, so she holds back her tears and plays a clever game. She learned long ago that if you want something, you should never seem too eager.
The book stops to introduce its household. Aunt Deborah is a tall, stern woman with black hair, lavender gloves and great pride in the Horsingham hand, the family's famous white hands. She lectures Kate daily about propriety, which means everything Kate enjoys, from racing Bob Dashwood along Rotten Row to sitting under a cotton umbrella with an elderly colonel. Kate answers with complaints about the way men keep women down, from the heavy sidesaddle to the worst horse in the stable.
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What is Kate Coventry about?
It follows Kate, a spirited young woman who loves horses, through a London season and a winter in the country. She is torn between her loyal cousin John and the dashing Captain Frank Lovell, while her aunts try to tame her.
Who are Frank Lovell and John Jones?
Frank Lovell is a charming cavalry captain with debts, who rides, bets and pursues Kate. John Jones is her steady cousin and escort, who has loved her for years. Kate must decide which man deserves her trust.
Who is Brilliant in Kate Coventry?
Brilliant is Kate's bright bay thoroughbred, with a white star on his forehead. She rides him every morning in Hyde Park, and he is her comfort and companion. Her other horse is the plain but reliable White Stockings.
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