The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
A precious biracial friendship that’s progressing to possibly more, a badass lady capable of wielding her smarts as well as a needle, pirates, awareness of illnesses instead of ignorance, and a grand tour of cultural hubs such as Venice, Madrid, Florence, and Santorini.
You might have of heard of this book as it’s been making its round throughout social media and creating quite a stir.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue while quite mouthy in title and in page count offers an exhilarating journey with main characters Percy, Monty, and Felicity as they leave England to embark on what they think will be an ordinary cultural tour before the three main characters are subjected to fates none of them truly want and instead find themselves in the middle of a mysterious blockbuster plot including stolen keys, sinking islands, ambiguously intentioned siblings, and a greedy, evil man (it’s not a true blockbuster without one of these involved).
This book boasts an impressive array of cities and writing, capturing audiences with more positive than negative qualities that give it the popularity its currently gleaning.
So, as always, the biggest question is: is the book good? In my very humble opinion, yes, yes it’s fine-and I use the word fine on purpose here. The writing is witty, the vocabulary is strong and varied, the characters are interesting, and the plot is just odd and adventurous enough to keep you hooked. The historical elements involved are a crucial selling point.
The author, Mackenzi Lee, provides a delectable assortment of details and nuances that show off her history major quite well and give accreditation to Simmons College (well done-their writing program must be superb).
She obviously knows what she is talking about ranging from the cuisine and traveling of the day to fashion and even customs such as how to address others of higher social ranking and Europe’s political quagmire of a government.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is also ripe with a plot that is fast-paced, vigorous, and action packed. From being attacked by highwaymen, boarded by pirates, injected with bella donna poison, escaping a tomb that is being sucked into the ocean, and much more, the book doesn’t leave much room for boredom or pandering. The book is well over 500 pages and I managed to read it in a measly three days.
To be truthful, I believe it’s a combination of a being a good book coupled with the fact that it’s also the weird time period between Christmas and New Years where I can’t even recall what day of the week it is or what I’m supposed to be doing: hence, a multitude of free time open for reading and absorbing.
This book actually leaves me a bit impressed with young adult literature, either the standards have greatly increased or I’ve just been on a roll. Hopefully it’s a bit of both. All of the main characters are great in that they all break specific stereotypes and tropes that run rampant in YA fiction.
Example one: Felicity. During a time in England where women were seen as submissive, inferior creatures to men in the 18th century, Lee does a great job of realistically catering to the time period as well as honestly portraying a view of women that is very easy to believe and like.
Felicity is easily the most intelligent of the main characters, despite her gender being refused a proper education that is rewarded to her brother and other men during the time. She is always easily the most focused and brave, as is seen multiple times in the novel where she is capable of sewing shut her own arm when she receives a gash, meanwhile Percy and Monty cower in the corner like the babies they are.
Helena also receives an honorable mention here for being both a bloodthirsty and compassionate character as compared to her bumbling and awkward brother. The women of this book were tough and intelligent, often driving the plot forward and standing up to their male counterparts in ways I found admirable without being cheesy or political.
Now, the next main character: Percy. Percy is a sweetheart. He’s also easily the most tragic character in the novel. As an individual that is dark skinned in a society that values the opposite, queer in a culture where it is a legally and morally sinful to be so, and the unfortunate bearer of being epileptic and suffering from seizures in a world that knows very little of his medical condition and the reasons behind his “episodes”. It was fascinating to learn about epilepsy in retrospect.
Epilepsy today is still widely misunderstood and doctors still do not know what causes the seizures in most cases. However, in 18th century England, I discovered from reading this book that epilepsy was seen as a curse from the devil and was often stigmatized to the point of being socially outcasted. The main methods dealing with epilepsy included bloodletting, drilling holes in the skull, or becoming institutionalized and kept away. Not many great options there. Lee does a fantastic job of including elements such as race, illness, and sexuality to an already layered plot and story that makes it that much more interesting and heavy.
Lastly, to the main protagonist of the story, Monty. I liked Monty almost as much as I hated him and he is part of the large reason I am keeping this book in the 4 star range instead of the 5. Monty is a privileged white boy who doesn’t have much to offer in terms of personality, intelligence, compassion, or even emotional depth.
I also understand, on some levels, that this is the whole point of his character. Monty was obviously designed to be spoiled, selfish, ignorant, and cowardly, and we, as readers, are supposed to see his character development and growth by the end of the book but I honestly think he (and Lee) fall short of this mission.
Yes, he stops drinking and yes, he learns how to throw a punch instead of letting other big white men like his father and the Duke of Bourborn physically abuse him, but he’s also still intrinsically selfish and useless in almost all situations.
And while it took him 500 pages to suck up the courage to finally confess to Percy that he loves him and it worked out (good for them) I found myself constantly asking mentally why Percy would love such a pathetic sack of potatoes. And Felicity, I would hate him too, girl.
He’s squandering the education you would kill for and he doesn’t even seem to understand why you’re upset about it. It’s baffling really, but probably too honest of a portrayal of privileged people today who don’t understand the blessings they have been given at birth because of skin color or sexuality or gender. *Cough*. But I digress.
On that final note, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a good read, honestly. If you love adventure, interesting characters, and visiting new cities, you will love this novel with it’s jokes, comments, and witty comebacks.
If you can stomach Monty being a dick the entire novel like I did, you’ll find yourself immersed in a world that is similar yet different than the one we live in and how beautiful it is that we can traverse between the two with just a flick of a page.
Recommendation: Roll your eyes at Monty’s stupidity like everyone else in the novel and then sit back with a blanket and a nice cup of tea to enjoy a cute love story, some interesting historical facts, and some inner reflections as you devour this fantasy adventure and all it entails.
Score: 7/10
