Review: Marrying Well for Fun & Profit: Persuasion’s Sir Walter Elliot Advises the Upwardly Mobile Miss by Laura Hile

Source: Review copy from author
Rating: ★★★★☆

Laura Hile channels Sir Walter Elliot from Jane Austen’s Persuasion in her latest book, Marrying Well for Fun & Profit: Persuasion’s Sir Walter Elliot Advises the Upwardly Mobile Miss. It’s a short escapist read written from the point of view of a high society snob who is overly concerned about his looks and keeping up appearances, regardless of how much money that requires one to spend. What ensues is a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek advice on marrying well that touches on such topics as Debt, Bling, Ageing, The Fauxpology, Cyber Dating, and His Mumsie Dearest. I loved the title of one section, “Your Mirror, Your Friend,” given Sir Walter’s love of the looking glass.

Sir Walter begins and ends each section with relevant and equally amusing quotes, leads off each column with “My Dear Vulgarian Miss,” and in true Sir Walter fashion, signs off each time with “Cordially yours in the upward climb.”

I laughed out loud so many times throughout the book, and I even annoyed my husband and daughter by insisting on quoting several passages. Here are some of my favorites:

On “Debt”:

My dear, you must adjust your thinking. For nothing shrieks Plebeian or Cit (or my personal favorite, Mushroom) more loudly than a voiced determination to pay one’s debts. Repeat after me: ‘It is enough to simply pay the interest.’ And, ‘I’ll pay it off once I get my inheritance.’

Gambling debts–as between gentlemen and gentlewomen–are something else entirely. Neglect these to your peril! I do not gamble. Shopping is safer.

On “Chocolate, the Inexpensive Therapist”:

It has been said that chocolate is a girl’s best friend. It is the Inexpensive Therapist, no appointment necessary. Chocolate calms nerves, subdues sorrows, and patches together a broken heart. It also relieves menopausal symptoms, although I would not know. (Even if I were a woman, I am not at all old enough to experience those.)

On “His Mumsie Dearest”:

A mother-in-law who is deceased is one of the benefits to marrying a much-older gentleman. But young ladies never consider this. They should! Especially in your modern times! Cholera was pernicious in my day, but it had its uses.

Hile does a great job poking fun at Sir Walter and our enjoyment of him. I could picture a Sir Walter type with his quill poised over the paper, seriously contemplating these matters and delighting in the chance to contribute his expertise. If you have a couple of hours to spend with a pot of tea and are in need of some laughs, I highly recommend Marrying Well for Fun & Profit.

Please check out Sir Walter’s guest post from yesterday and Laura Hile’s generous giveaway of 2 copies here.

Disclosure: I received Marrying Well for Fun & Profit from the author for review.